page_title: McCoy Air Force Base
section_title: 4047th Strategic Wing
hierarchical_section_title: McCoy Air Force Base / History / Cold War / 4047th Strategic Wing
caption_attribution_description: English: Postcard from McCoy AFB in the early 1960s, showing the McCoy AFB conrol tower and base operations building, Boeing B-52D-5-BW Stratofortress AF Serial No. 55-5054 and Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker AF Serial No. 57-1506 of the 4047th Strategic Wing.
context_page_description: McCoy AFB is a former U.S. Air Force installation located 10 miles southeast of Orlando, Florida. It was a training base during World War II. From 1951 to 1975, it was a front line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War and Vietnam War. It was Orlando's biggest employer and economic backbone prior to the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971.
  With McCoy's closure as an active USAF facility in 1975, the site was redeveloped and is known today as Orlando International Airport, which continues to carry the base's original FAA LID airport code of MCO and ICAO airport code of KMCO.
  Over the course of its existence the installation had several names, including Orlando Army Air Field #2, Pinecastle Army Airfield, and Pinecastle Air Force Base.
context_section_description: On 1 July 1961, the 321st was replaced by the 4047th Strategic Wing (Heavy), which was designated and organized under its first commander, Col Francis S. Holmes, Jr.  The 4047th was part of SAC's "Strategic Wing" concept, which was to disperse its medium and heavy bombers and tanker aircraft over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.  All of the Strategic Wings had one squadron of B-52s, containing 15 aircraft, and most also had a squadron of fifteen KC-135 tanker aircraft. Half of the bombers and tankers were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat, while the remainder were used for training in bombardment missions and air refueling operations.
  In August 1961, the first B-52D Stratofortresses were assigned to the new wing, and on 1 September 1961 the 347th Bombardment Squadron was reassigned from Westover AFB, Massachusetts to McCoy AFB as the wing's operational flying squadron for the heavy bombers. On 15 September, the 321st Combat Support Group was also organized and on that same date Colonel William G. Walker, Jr., assumed command of the 4047th Strategic Wing.
caption: Postcard from McCoy AFB in the early 1960s, showing the McCoy AFB control tower and base operations building, Boeing B-52D-5-BW Stratofortress, AF Ser. No. 55-5054, and Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, AF Ser. No. 57-1506, of the 4047th Strategic Wing.
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