960th Airborne Air Control Squadron

This article is about the 60th Bombardment Squadron of World War II. For the 60th Bombardment Squadron of Strategic Air Command, see 60th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron.

960th Airborne Air Control Squadron
552d Wing Boeing E-3 Sentry
Active1941–1944; 1944–1945; 1955–1969; 1979–1992; 2001–present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
TypeAirborne Command and Control
Part ofAir Combat Command
Garrison/HQTinker Air Force Base
EngagementsPacific Ocean Theater[1]
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1]
Insignia
960th Airborne Air Control Squadron emblem[note 1][1]
Patch with 960th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron emblem[note 2]
60th Bombardment Squadron emblem[2]
World War II tail code and squadron numbers[2]Square P Numbers 1-20

The 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron is part of the 552d Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.

The first predecessor of the squadron was activated in the buildup for World War II as the 60th Bombardment Squadron. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, it flew antisubmarine patrols off the north Pacific coast. It then became a heavy bomber training unit until inactivating in the spring of 1944 when the Army Air Forces reorganized its training and support units in the United States. It was immediately reactivated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit. After training in the United States, it moved to Guam, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. Following V-J Day, it returned to the United States and was inactivated in 1945.

The squadron's second predecessor was activated in 1955 as the 960th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron. It provided early warning off the Atlantic coast of the United States until 1969. The squadron also provided aircraft and aircrew for Lockheed C-121 missions in Southeast Asa. It was reactivated in 1979 as the 960th Airborne Air Control Support Squadron. The two squadrons were consolidated in 1985.

  1. ^ a b c Dolman, TSG David (13 October 2016). "Factsheet 960 Airborne Air Control Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b Watkins, pp. 80-81


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