Tactical Air Command
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Tactical Air Command emblem
(1946-1947)
United States Air Force
(1947 - 1948) (1950 - 1992)
Tactical Air Command (TAC) it an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment were absorbed by Air Combat Command.
Contents
[edit] History
Tactical Air Command was established to provide a balance between strategic, air defense, and tactical forces of the post-World War II Air Force. In 1948 the Continental Air Command assumed control over air defense, tactical air, and air reserve forces. After two years in a subordinate role, Tactical Air Command (TAC) was reestablished as a major command.
In 1992, after assessing the mission of TAC and to accommodate the decision made regarding Strategic Air Command, HQ United States Air Force inactivated TAC and incorporated its resources into the newly created Air Combat Command.
[edit] Lineage
- Reduced from major command status, and assigned to Continental Air Command as a subordinate operational command, 1 Dec 1948
- Returned to major command status. 1 Dec 1950
- Inactivated on 1 Jun 1992.
[edit] Assignments
[edit] Stations
- Further information: Major Bases and Units of Tactical Air Command
Headquarters
[edit] Major Components
Air Forces
Named Units/Air Divisions
- 20th Air Division (ADTAC): 1 Oct 1979 - 1 Mar 1983
- 21st Air Division (ADTAC): 1 Oct 1979 - 23 Sep 1981
- 23d Air Division (ADTAC): 1 Oct 1979 - 1 Jul 1987
- 24th Air Division (ADTAC): 1 Oct 1979 - 30 Sep 1990
- 25th Air Division (ADTAC), 1 Oct 1979 - 30 Sep 1990
- 26th Air Division (ADTAC), 1 Oct 1979 - 6 Dec 1985
- 28th Air Division (ADTAC), 1 Apr 1985 - 29 May 1992
[edit] Major Aircraft
- Douglas A-1 Skyraider
- Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II
- Fairchild-Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II
- Cessna T-37/A-37 Tweety Bird
- McDonnell Douglas F/RF-4 Phantom II
- Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
- General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
- North American P/F-51 Mustang
- Lockheed P/F/RF-80 Shooting Star
- Republic P/F-47 Thunderbolt
- Republic Aviation F/RF-84 Thunderjet
- North American F-82 Twin Mustang
- North American F-86 Sabre
- North American F-100 Super Sabre
- McDonnell F/RF-101 Voodoo
- Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
- Republic F-105 Thunderchief
- Convair F-106A Delta Dart
- General Dynamics F/EF-111
- Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk
- North American T-6 Texan
- North American T-28 Trojan
- Convair T-29
- Northrop T-38 Talon
- Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
- de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou
- Douglas C/AC-47 Skytrain
- Fairchild C-82 Packet
- Fairchild C/AC-119 Flying Boxcar
- Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star
- Fairchild C-123 Provider
- Lockheed C/AC-130 Hercules
- Boeing E-3 AWACS
- Boeing EC-135 AW&CP
- Boeing E-8C Joint STARS
P-series (Pursuit) designation changed to F-series (Fighter) designation in 1947.
Source for lineage, assignments, stations, components, aircraft[1][2][3]
[edit] Operational History
World War II showed the effectiveness of tactical air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the rapid demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees and victory in Europe had been downsized to a shadow of its former self.
Headquarters United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had little money and most of the wartime personnel had returned to civilian life. Many of its aircraft were being sent to storage or the scrapyards, although the increasing tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military forces were was still needed. The big questions were how much and what kind of forces.[4]
A major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major command divisions within the Continental United States (CONUS) were formed. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission. Tactical Air Command was formed to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for fighter, light bombardment and other aircraft. These included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carrier aircraft, assault, reconnaissance and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world.
During its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission.
TAC's original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men. Aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars. TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force.[4]
[edit] Berlin Airlift
- Further information: United States Air Forces in Europe
On 18 September 1947 the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. Just a few months later, in March 1948 the first test of the United States' resolve began with the blockade of Berlin by the Soviet Union, and the need for tactical air power in Europe to underscore the airlift mission was necessary.
At the time there was only one USAFE tactical air unit available in Europe, the 86th Composite Group at Neubiberg Air Base near Munich, flying P-47Ds. TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86th FG. The 36th Fighter Group was transferred from Howard AAF in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base flying Lockheed F-80B "Shooting Stars".
In addition to the tactical fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47s to Europe, transferring them to the United States Air Forces, Europe, which was in control of the airlift. As the airlift continued, TAC also transferred available C-54s to Europe, where they were assigned to the troop carrier groups that had been sent to Germany for the airlift.
Consequently, the Soviet Union entered into negotiations which culminated in an agreement, signed on 5 May 1949, that resulted in the lifting of the blockade, but it did not settle the basic issue of freedom of access. Despite the resumption of surface traffic into the city, the airlift continued until 30 September to mass a reserve of food, fuel, and other supplies in the event the Soviets reimposed the blockade.
[edit] Continental Air Command
- Further information: Continental Air Command
In December 1948 Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Command were brought together to form Continental Air Command (ConAC). HQ TAC was reduced to the status of an operational headquarters under CONAC. This move reflected an effort to concentrate all fighter forces deployed within the continental United States to strengthen the air defense of the North American continent.[4]
The creation of ConAC was largely an administrative convenience: the units assigned to ConAC were dual-trained and expected to revert to their primary strategic or tactical roles after the air defense battle was won.
Two years later, on 1 December 1950, the Air Force reestablished Tactical Air Command as a major command and removed it from assignment to ConAC in large part due to the need to deploy personnel and aircraft to Japan and South Korea due to the Korean War.[4]
[edit] Korean War
- Further information: United States Air Force In South Korea
On the morning of 25 June 1950, the peace in South Korea was shattered by the clanking of tanks. The North Korean army had crossed the 38th parallel and were driving south towards the South Korean capital of Seoul. The United States Air Force, weakened by demobilization and preoccupied with the threat of the Soviet Union, was thrust into its first war as a separate service when North Korea invaded South Korea.
Air bases in the United States went on mobility alert to prepare for overseas movement in response to the Korean Emergency. Units from SAC and CONAC were deployed to Japan and South Korea. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units were also called up to active duty and placed under Federal Service in case they were needed. What started out as an Emergency turned into a "Police Action", which was, in reality, a bona-fide war. The Korean War marked the creation of a professional Air Force that would grow in size and strength for decades to come.
From the start, the deployed tactical fighters and bombers to Japan and South Korea were effective. For example, on 10 July a North Korean armored column was trapped at a bombed-out bridge near Pyongtaek. F-80s, B-26s, and F-82s destroyed 117 trucks, 38 tanks, and seven half-tracks. This attack, along with others, gutted North Korea's single armored division. Had it survived, it could easily have punched through the United Nations (UN) defensive line at Pusan and driven UN Command (UNC) forces into the sea.
By the end of August 1950, the initial North Korean onslaught was reversed and Seoul was retaken. As the United Nations forces advanced into North Korea, forces from the Communist China stepped in to help their North Korean allies. The UN advance ground to a halt in December, then retreated south in early 1951, tactical aircraft continued to support of United Nations forces. Eventually the line stabilized along the 38th Parallel, where a stalemate ensued for the next two years.[4]
[edit] Known TAC units and aircraft deployed to Far East Air Forces (1950-1953)
Units and aircraft were stationed both in South Korea and Japan and attached to Fifth Air Force during their deployment to Far East Air Force (FEAF). This list does not include ConAC Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard tactical air units federalized and deployed to FEAF during the Korean War.[1][5]
- Deployed from: New Castle Airport, Delaware
- Deployed from: Clovis AFB, New Mexico
- Deployed from: George AFB, California
- Deployed from: March AFB, California
- Deployed from: Smyrna AFB, Tennessee
[edit] United States Air Forces in Europe
- Further information: United States Air Forces in Europe
Even with the active war in Korea raging, in the early 1950s Europe received a higher priority of air power than Korea by the Truman Administration and the Department of Defense. Deterring the threat of a Communist takeover of Western Europe was considered more important to the long-term survival of the United States than a Communist victory in Korea.
In September 1950, NATO’s Military Committee had called for an ambitious buildup of conventional forces to meet the Soviets, subsequently reaffirming this position at the February 1952 meeting of the Atlantic Council in Lisbon which had established a goal of ultimately fielding 96 divisions in the event of a conventional war in 1954. In support of this, the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), which consisted of 16 wings totaling 2,100 aircraft, was programmed to expand to 28 wings, 22 of them in NATO’s Central Region alone, backed by deployed Strategic Air Command units sent from CONUS.[4]
The USAF reassigned combat wings from TAC to USAFE during the period from April 1951 through December 1954. These were:[1]
- Reassigned to: RAF Bentwaters, United Kingdom
- Deployed to: RAF Sculthorpe, United Kingdom
- (Remained assigned to TAC's 49th Air Division)
- Reassigned to: RAF Wethersfield, United Kingdom
- Reassigned to: RAF Manston, United Kingdom
- Reassigned to: Sembach Air Base, West Germany
- Reassigned to: Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany
- Reassigned to: Hahn Air Base, West Germany
- Reassigned to: Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France
- Activated at: Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France
- (Replaced ANG 137th Fighter-Bomber Wing)
- Reassigned to: Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France
- Reassigned to: Dreux-Louvillier Air Base, France
- Reassigned to: Toul-Rosières Air Base, France
- Reassigned to: Laon-Couvron Air Base, France
These wings gave USAFE/NATO approximately 500 fighters, 100 light bombers, 100 tactical reconnaissance aircraft, 100 tactical airlift transports, and 18,000 personnel.
[edit] Rotational Deployments to Mediterranean Bases
With the phase-out of the B-47 Stratojet from SAC in the mid-1960s, the need for Strategic Air Command "Reflex" European bases diminished and the Sixteenth Air Force was turned over to the USAFE on 15 April 1966.
Prior to 1966, TAC routinely deployed CONUS-based North American F-100 Super Sabre wings to Sixteenth Air Force bases in Spain, as well as to Aviano Air Base in Italy. With USAFE taking possession of these bases from SAC, Tactical Air Command reassigned the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing from England Air Force Base, Louisiana to USAFE on a permanent basis to Torrejon Air Base, Spain on 27 April to perform host functions at the base. and to support the rotational TDY duty to Italy and Turkey for NATO alerts.
However, with the 401st's fighter squadrons deployed to South Vietnam, squadrons from Homestead AFB, Florida and Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina were utilized to fill the need in Spain. These squadrons remained in Europe until 1970, when the drawdown in Vietnam allowed the squadrons from the 401st which were deeployed to Southest Asia to rejoin their home unit.
[edit] Composite Air Strike Force
In aftermath of the Korean War, TAC developed the Composite Air Strike Force (CASF) concept, a mobile rapid-deployment strike concept designed to respond to "brush fire" conflicts around the world. A CASF included fighter bomber aircraft for both conventional and nuclear attack missions, as well as troop carrier, tanker, and tactical reconnaissance assets. TAC composite air strike forces were intended to augment existing combat units already in place as part of United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), or the Alaskan Air Command (AAC).
In addition, the new Century Series of TAC fighters were making their first fights, designed from the lessons learned in the air over Korea. As these new fighters and new transport aircraft cane on line, there were problems with each one. TAC pilots risked life and limb to iron out the problems and make these aircraft fully operational.
Also, with the development of air refueling, TAC could now flex its muscles and demonstrate true global mobility. Deployments to Europe and the Far East became a way of life for TAC units. When Strategic Air Command abandoned its fighter escort force in 1957, those aircraft were transferred to TAC, further augmenting its strength.
The first deployment of the Composite Air Strike Force took place in July 1958 in response to an imminent coup d'etat in Lebanon. TAC scrambled forces across the Atlantic to Turkey, where their presence was intended to force an end to the crisis. A similar CASF was deployed in response to conflicts between China and Taiwan in 1958.
CASF received another test in 1961, when the Berlin Crisis resulted in TAC quickly deploying 210 aircraft to Europe, consisting of 144 North American F-100D Super Sabres and 54 Lockheed F-104C Starfighters, but also including 6 McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo and 6 Douglas RB-66C Destroyer reconnaissance aircraft. Also as part of the CASF, the Air National Guard subsequently deployed 36 Lockheed F-104A Starfighters, 54 North American F-86H Sabres, and 90 Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks. In 1961 Robert McNamara organized the United States Strike Command to integrate CASF efforts with those of the Strategic Army Corps.
TAC had gone from a meager postwar force to a force capable of putting the right amount of assets in the right place when they were needed.[4]
[edit] Tactical ballistic missiles
In 1949 TAC began testing the Martin MGM-1 Matador surface-to-surface cruise missile at Holloman AFB, NM. Like so many of the missiles, the initial flight ended in a crash. Testing continued with 46 prototype missiles until March 1954, then with 84 production models between December 1952 and spring 1954. In 1954, another model, the Martin CGM/MGM-13 Mace began development at Holloman AFB, with its first launch in 1956. The Mace was launched from a mobile trailer or a hardened bunker using a solid fuel booster rocket for initial acceleration and an Allison J33 turbojet for flight.
By 1958, development of these tactical missiles was advanced enough to deploy them to Japan and West Germany with operational missile squadrons, where they were active until the late 1960s, by then the U.S. Army had largely assumed the tactical missile program until the 1980s when the General Dynamics BGM-109G "Tomahawk" GLCM was deployed along with the Army's Pershing II missile to counter to the mobile medium- and intermediate- range ballistic nuclear missiles deployed by the Soviet Union in Eastern Bloc.
This entire class of weaponry was eliminated by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF treaty), and thus reducing both the number and the threat of nuclear warheads.[4]
[edit] Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cold War took on a frightening phase in October 1962. Routine photo reconnaissance flights over Cuba revealed that the Soviet Union was in the process of placing nuclear missies on that island. In response the United States let it be known that any use of those missies against any country in the hemisphere would be considered an attack on the United States and a full nuclear response would be the result. The United States and the Soviet Union stood eyeball to eyeball at the brink of nuclear exchange.
Large numbers of Tactical Air Command units were deployed to Homestead AFB, McCoy AFB, MacDill AFB and Patrick AFB in Florida within hours of the call to prepare for movement. Civilian airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach also received TAC Units. TAC recon RF-101 "Voodo" aircraft from Shaw AFB were flying over Cuba on a daily basis photographing suspected missile sites and Cuban military bases to keep an eye on what was going on. In some cases the films were flown directly to Washington, D.C. and onto President John F. Kennedy's desk within hours of being taken.
The United States and Soviet Union stepped back from the brink, and the crisis was resolved without armed conflict. Never in the history of the Cold War had we come so very close to mutual nuclear destruction.[4]
[edit] Vietnam War
- Further information: United States Air Force In South Vietnam
- Further information: United States Air Force in Thailand
With the Kennedy Administration, there was the onset of low intensity guerrilla wars, and wars of insurgency. During 1963, the situation in South Vietnam was heating up on a daily basis. More and more "advisors" were being sent to that small country in Southeast Asia.[6]
[edit] Special Operations Units
Air Force Special Forces units, known as Air Commando and later Special Operations units became part of the command. Originally assigned to Military Airlift Command, in 1964 this mission was reassigned to TAC. Aircraft of these units consisted primarily of C-47 air transports, but it also contained a combination of gliders, propeller-driven fighter, fighter bomber, observation and liaison aircraft. [7]
[edit] Tactical Fighters
In response to what has become known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, Tactical Air Command pilots and support personnel found themselves deployed to places like Da Nang, Takhli, Korat and Phan Rang. Initially TAC began deploying squadrons of F-100 Super Sabre, RF-101 Voodoo and F-105 Thunderchief aircraft to Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) bases in South Vietnam and Thailand
As the American effort in Southeast Asia increased, TAC used a process of deploying squadrons to PACAF operated bases in South Vietnam and Thailand, with the squadrons being attached temporarily on rotational deployments, or being permanently reassigned to the PACAF wing.
For the next decade, TAC would be consumed by operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. On a daily basis, flight crews trained by TAC would hurl themselves and their planes at targets across the area of operations, over the skies of North Vietnam. As the command responsible for training aircrews for overseas duty, TAC maintained Readiness Training Units in the United States to train pilots and other aircrew members for fighters, reconnaissance and troop carrier (redesignated tactical airlift after 1 July 1966) squadrons in the Pacific.
[edit] Troop Carrier
In December 1964, TAC deployed a squadron of C-123 Provider assault transports from the 464th Troop Carrier Wing at Pope AFB, North Carolina to Clark Air Base, Philippines, then on to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam to set up a tactical air cargo transportation system.[6]
To support the increased military strength in Southeast Asia, TAC also began deploying its C-130 equipped troop carrier (later redesignated tactical airlift) squadrons to bases in Okinawa and the Philippines. In late 1965, TAC transferred two C-130 wings and two additional squadrons, a total of eight squadrons, to PACAF's 315th Air Division for operations in Southeast Asia.
[edit] 1972 Spring Invasion
- Further information: Easter Offensive
In 1970, the war was winding down as the conflict was being Vietnamized. Units from the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) took on more and more combat to defend their nation and USAF tactical air strength was being reduced as several air bases were turned over to the VNAF.[6]
Bombing of North Vietnam (Operation Rolling Thunder) had ended in 1968, and as a result North Vietnamese forces had built up their air defenses and continued to pour men and equipment into the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. By the beginning of 1972 there were only about 235 USAF tactical combat aircraft in Southeast Asia.[6]
Vietnamization was severely tested by the Easter Offensive of 1972, a massive conventional invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnamese Army forces in spring 1972. On 30 March 1972 the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched an all out invasion of South Vietnam with over 13 divisions, pushing South Vietnamese units aside with little difficulty. President Nixon stepped up air strikes to turn back the invasion, or at least to slow it down.[6]
In response to the invasion, TAC deployed both squadrons and wings to air bases in Thailand. Known units deployed were:[1]
- 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida (F-4E)
- 414th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada (F-4E)
- 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
- 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, North Carolina (F-4D)
By October 1972, the effect of the air campaign was being felt in North Vietnam. North Vietnamese delegates returned to the bargaining table in Paris to engage in peace talks in a serious manner. Besides the pressure from USAF, USN and USMC tactical fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter aircraft, as well as USAF B-52 bombers, the political climate in Moscow and Peking had changed to encourage the North Vietnamese to agree to a settlement.[6]
[edit] Uneasy Peace 1973
On 27 January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed with an effective date of 28 January 1973. For TAC the war in SEA was almost over. With the official end of hostilities came the long awaited release of American Prisoners of War from inside North Vietnam. The last USAF aircraft left South Vietnam at the end of January 1973, and the final group of Americans was released from North Vietnam on 29 March 1973.[8]
The accords effectively ended United States military operations in North and South Vietnam. Laos and Cambodia, however, were not signatories to the Paris agreement and remained in states of war with their internal rebel forces.[8]
The United States was helping the Royal Laotian government achieve whatever advantage possible before working out a settlement with the Laotian Communists and their allies. The USAF flew combat sorties over Laos during January and February 1973. On 17 April, the USAF flew its last mission over Laos, working a handful of targets requested by the Laotian government.[8]
In Cambodia there was no peace in 1973. Local Communist insurgents of the Khmer Rouge kept up their attacks on the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, so the Cambodian Government urgently called upon the U.S. for help and the USAF in Thailand was ordered to carry out a massive bombing campaign against the insurgents on the outskirts of the city.
The Cambodian Army would attempt to attack Khmer Rouge forces, however the rebels would simply slip away and move somewhere else. This tactic effectively succeeded in wearing down the government forces. In July and August 1973, the Khmer Rouge focused on taking Phanom Penh and other major cities. In addition, it was reported that the Khmer Rouge was utilizing tear gas in its attacks.[8]
Congressional pressure in Washington grew against these bombings, and on 30 June 1973, the United States Congress passed Public law PL 93-50 and 93-52, which cut off all funds for combat in Cambodia and all of Indochina effective 15 August 1973. Air strikes by the USAF peaked just before the deadline, as the Cambodian Army engaged a force of about 10,000 Khmer Rouge rebels that encircled Phnom Penh.[8]
The last shot fired in anger in Southeast Asia was by at Tactical Air command A-7D Corsair II of the TAC deployed 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base over the suburbs of Phnom Penh. By the end of 1975 all Tactical Air Command units were withdrawn from Southeast Asia.
[edit] Known TAC units and aircraft deployed to Southeast Asia (1964-1975)
source[1]
[edit] Post-Vietnam era
Hard lessons had been learned during the Southeast Asia war. New methods of projecting global air power had been perfected, and several new types of aircraft were developed as a result of some of the lessons and shortcomings that had been learned in the skies over Hanoi. The first F-15A was delivered to TAC's 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley AFB Virginia in November 1974. Training on the new type began at once. The close air support tank busting A-10 began arriving in March 1977 at Myrtle Beach AFB South Carolina, equipping the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, while the first F-16As were assigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB Utah in January 1979.