The 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active at George Air Force Base, California, as part of the 602d Tactical Air Control Wing based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the World War II-era 27th Ferrying Squadron and the Cold War-era 27th Air Refueling Squadron.
History
World War II
The 27th Ferrying Squadron was first activated in July 1942 at Presque Isle Army Air Field, Maine, but moved within a week to New Castle Army Air Base, Delaware, where it was assigned to the 2d Ferrying Group. It served primarily to deliver aircraft from manufacturers to operational or training units. However, by 1944 the Army Air Forces was finding that organizations using rigid tables of organization were proving inefficient in performing logistic support and training missions. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional organization in which each base was grouped into a single organization. At the end of March 1944, the 2d Ferrying Group, its squadrons (including the 27th) and all support organizations at New Castle were combined into the 552d Army Air Forces Base Unit, which absorbed their personnel and equipment and continued the ferrying mission.
Strategic Air Command
The 27th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, in October 1953 and assigned to the 27th Strategic Fighter Wing. The mission of the unit was to provide global refueling for the Strategic Air Command (SAC) 27th and 12th Strategic Fighter Wings at Bergstrom and other USAF units as directed. The unit was inactivated in 1957 shortly after SAC transferred its fighters to Tactical Air Command and a SAC refueling unit was no longer required to support them.
Tactical Air Support
The 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron was activated at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona in July 1977, but inactivated three years later when the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron moved from Bergstrom to Davis-Monthan along with the 602d Tactical Air Control Wing and assumed the 27th's mission, personnel and equipment.
It was activated again in May 1984 at George Air Force Base, California. In September 1985, the 27th Air Refueling Squadron and 27th Ferrying Squadron were consolidated with 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron.
Lineage
27th Ferrying Squadron
Constituted as the 27th Ferrying Squadron on 29 June 1942
Activated on 13 July 1942
Disbanded on 31 March 1944
Reconstituted and consolidated with the 27th Air Refueling Squadron and the 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron on 19 September 1985
27th Air Refueling Squadron
Constituted as the 27th Air Refueling Squadron, Strategic Fighter on 14 September 1953 Activated on 25 October 1953 Inactivated 1 November 1957 Consolidated with the 27th Ferrying Squadron and the 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron on 19 September 1985
27th Tactical Air Support Squadron
Constituted as the 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron on 7 February 1977
Activated on 1 July 1977
Inactivated 1 July 1980
Activated 15 May 1984
Consolidated with the 27th Ferrying Squadron and the 27th Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 Inactivated after June 1988
Assignments
Domestic Wing, Air Transport Command, 13 July 1942
2d Ferrying Group, 20 July 1942 – 31 March 1944
27th Strategic Fighter Wing, 25 October 1953 (attached to 12th Strategic Fighter Wing, 1 April 1955 – 1 September 1955) Second Air Force, 1 July – 1 November 1957 602d Tactical Air Control Wing, 1 July 1977 – 1 July 1980 602d Tactical Air Control Wing, 15 May 1984 – unknown