15th Reconnaissance Squadron

15th Reconnaissance Squadron

MQ-1B Predator of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron
Active 9 May 1917
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Size over 140 combat-ready personnel
Part of Air Combat Command
Twelfth Air Force
432d Wing
432d Operations Group
Garrison/HQ Creech Air Force Base
Motto "Bellator Spectarendum" Watching Warrior
Mascot carrier pigeon
Equipment MQ-1 Predator
Battle honours World War II
Korean War
Commanders
Current Commander Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Kiebler
Current Operations Officer Lieutenant Colonel Ken Moss
First Sergeant SMSgt Steve Flatt
Current Squadron Superintendent SMSgt Tim Nelson
Notable
commanders
General Arthur J. Lichte
Lieutenant General Paul Selva
Brigadier General Michelle D. Johnson
Insignia
15th Reconnaissance Squadron emblem
15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron McDonnell RF-4C-19-MC Phantom 63-7751 Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1975
RF-101 Voodoo 56-0042, Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1960
Republic RF-84F-30-RE Thunderflash 52-7412, Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1956
15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron- North American RF-86A-5-NA Sabre – 48–195 at K-14 Airfield, South Korea, 1952
A USAAF North American F-6C Mustang (code 5M-Q) from the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group in 1944. The F-6 was the reconnaissance version of the P-51C fighter.

15th Reconnaissance Squadron (15 RS) flies MQ-1 Predator UAV's and is stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada. The 15th Reconnaissance Squadron is one of the first armed Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) squadrons. The squadron provides combatant commanders with persistent ISR, full-motion video, and precision weapons employment. Global operations architecture supports continuous MQ-1B Predator employment providing real-time actionable intelligence, strike, interdiction, close air support, and special missions to deployed war fighters.

Mission

The 15th Reconnaissance Squadron is currently in operation at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., and is the second of only two of the Air Force’s RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, squadrons.

The mission of the 15 RS is to provide theater commander with deployable, long endurance, near real-time reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition to close the sensor-to-shooter time line. The squadron operates medium altitude multi-sensor platforms to locate, identify and report battlefield conditions to warfighters. It also collects, exploits and distributes imagery and intelligence products to theater CINCs and national-level leadership.

History

The 15th Reconnaissance Squadron's origins go back to 8 May 1917, when it was stood up as the 2d Aviation School Squadron at Hazelhurst Field, Long Island, New York. The original mission of the squadron was part of the defense force for the New York City area, flying coastal patrols and as a flying training unit. At the end of World War I, the squadron was demobilized on 18 September 1919.

The squadron was constituted in the Army Air Service as the 15th Squadron (Observation) on 14 March 1921 at Chanute Field, Illinois, equipped with Dayton-Wright DH-4s. the main focus of the squadron was flying training, including gunnery, observation, reconnaissance, photography, radio familiarization and similar missions.

On 20 March 1938, the 15th Observation Squadron deployed from Scott Field, Illinois, to Eglin Field, Florida, for two weeks of gunnery training. Thirty-five officers and 108 enlisted men were involved.[1]

During the early stages of World War II, the 15th supported the Field Artillery School in Oklahoma. On March 26, 1944, the unit deployed to England and began combat operations over France. Its first combat mission was photographic reconnaissance on an F-6. On June 6, 1944, the 15th received credit for the first aerial victory by a tactical reconnaissance pilot as well as the first victory of D-Day. The unit continued armed reconnaissance operations in the European theater until July 1945. After returning to the United States, the squadron provided visual and photographic reconnaissance and artillery adjustments for Army, Navy and Air Forces until it was inactivated in April 1949.

The 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo-jet, was reactivated on Feb 5, 1951, in Japan and immediately deployed to Korea to provide visual and photographic reconnaissance. The unit flew F/RF-80s and F/RF-85s during this period. In March 1954 the unit moved back to Japan and in August 1956, moved to Okinawa. The unit transitioned to RF-84s from 1956-1958 and then to the RF-101s, continuing its long history of photographic reconnaissance. During the Vietnam era the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was based at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, flying the RF-101. The unit had many deployments to Southeast Asia, flying reconnaissance missions in support of US combat operations in that theatre. During the summer and fall of 1966, the squadron transitioned to the RF-4C, the aircraft that it was to operate for the next 25 years.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the squadron maintained aerial surveillance capabilities in support of American ground, naval and air forces in the Far East. The 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was inactivated Oct. 1, 1990. The unit was reactivated as the 15th Tactical Intelligence Squadron on Feb. 20, 1991. On April 13, 1992, the unit was redesignated as the 15th Air Intelligence Squadron. On June 1, 1994, it was once more inactivated.

The unit was reactivated on 1 August 1997, at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field under command of the 57th Operations Group, 57th Wing. It was assigned to fly the Predator UAV out of Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nevada.

From July 2005 to June 2006, the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron participated in more than 242 separate raids; engaged 132 troops in contact-force protection actions; fired 59 Hellfire missiles; surveyed 18,490 targets; escorted four convoys; and flew 2,073 sorties for more than 33,833 flying hours.[2]

Starting in 2005, the unit trained California Air National Guard's 163d Reconnaissance Wing members to operate the MQ-1.The 163d is being retasked as an MQ-1 unit.

Lineage

Redesignated 15th Aero Squadron on 22 Aug 1917
Demobilized on 18 Sep 1919
Authorized on 30 Aug 1921
Organized on 21 Sep 1921
Redesignated 15th Observation Squadron on 25 Jan 1923
Inactivated on 1 Aug 1927
Redesignated: 15th Observation Squadron (Medium) on 13 Jan 1942
Redesignated: 15th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942
Redesignated: 15th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 2 Apr 1943
Redesignated: 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 Aug 1943
Inactivated on 31 Mar 1946
Inactivated on 1 Apr 1949
Activated on 25 Feb 1951
Inactivated on 1 Oct 1990
Activated on 15 Mar 1991
Redesignated 15th Air Intelligence Squadron on 13 Apr 1992
Inactivated on 1 Jun 1994
Activated on 1 Aug 1997.

Assignments

Attached to Sixth Corps Area, 24 Mar 1923 – Jun 1927
Attached to Sixth Corps Area, 15 May 1928–
Remained attached to Sixth Corps Area
Remained attached to Sixth Corps Area
Remained attached to Sixth Corps area to c. 9 Jan 1941
Detachment operated at Field Artillery School, 1 Dec 1940-c. 9 Jan 1941
Attached to Field Artillery School, 1 Sep 1941–
Further attached to 68th Observation Group, 12 Dec 1941 – 2 Feb 1942
Remained attached to Field Artillery School to 1 Apr 1942
Attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 22 Dec 1943–
Remained attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
Attached to IX [later, XIX] Air Support Command, 4 Jan 1944 – c.16 Mar 1944
Attached to IX Tactical Air Command, 13–27 Jun 1944
Flight attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 3–12 Aug 1944
Attached to 363d Reconnaissance Group, 22 Aug – 3 Nov 1948
Attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Jun – c. 25 Nov 1954 and 1 Jul – 1 Oct 1957
Attached to 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Mar 1960–
Remained attached to 18th Tactical Fighter Wing to 20 Apr 1970

Stations

  • Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64), Germany, 3 April 1945.
  • Erfurt/Bindersleben Airfield (R-9), Germany, 16 April 1945.
  • Fürth Airfield (R-28), Germany, 24 April 1945.
  • Reims, France, 23 June – 13 July 1945.
  • Drew Field, Florida, 3 August 1945.
  • MacDill Field, Florida, 21 December 1945.
  • Shaw Field, South Carolina, 3 February – 31 March 1946. (Unit inactivated)
  • Pope Field (later, Pope AFB), North Carolina, 3 December 1947 – 1 April 1949. (Unit activated) (Deployed to Lawson AFB, Georgia, 22 August – (day unknown) September 1948; Turner AFB, Georgia, September 1948; and Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 3, Florida, (day unknown) – 3 October November 1948.)
  • Komaki, Japan, 25 February 1951. (operated from Taegu AB, Republic of Korea)
  • Taegu AB, Republic of Korea, 16 March 1951.
  • Kimpo AB, Republic of Korea, 23 August 1951.
  • Komaki AB, Japan, 2 March 1954.
  • Yokota AB, Japan, 25 August 1955.
  • Kadena AB, Okinawa (later, Japan), 18 August 1956. (deployed to Osan AB, Republic of Korea, 26 January – 12 February 1968; and Itazuki AB, Japan, 13 February – circa 25 July 1968.)
  • Taegu AB, Republic of Korea, 1 October 1989 – 1 October 1990. (Unit inactivated)
  • Hickam AFB, Hawaii, 15 March 1991 – 1 June 1994. (Unit inactivated)
  • Indian Springs Aux Field (now Creech AFB), Nevada, 1 Aug 1997 – present

Aircraft

Emblem

A carrier pigeon in natural colors with wings extended perched on a telescope white outlined in black upon a shield of blue and yellow parted diagonally from "northwest" to "southeast", the blue above, the yellow below. Approved 2 April 1924

Honors

Campaign Streamers

Decorations

See also

References

  1. Crestview, Florida, "Plenty of Activity at Val-P Gun Base", Okaloosa News-Journal, Crestview, Florida, Friday 18 March 1938, Volume 24, Number 12, page 1.
  2. Staff Sgt. D. Clare, "California Air National Guard embraces new mission", August 16, 2006

External links

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