380th Air Expeditionary Wing The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing ( 380 AEW ) is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . It is attached to the United States Air Forces Central component of ACC and is stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base , United Arab Emirates . About 1 , 200 active duty military members , Reserve , and Air National Guard personnel make up the Wing . Aircraft assigned : KC - 10A Extenders , U - 2 Dragon Ladies , E - 3 AWACS and RQ - 4 Global Hawk . Its mission is air refueling and reconnaissance . The Wing ' s origins date to 1942 when the 380th Bombardment Group was established . It operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as an B - 24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force . The 380th Expeditionary Operations Group carries the lineage and history of its highly decorated World War II predecessor unit . Active for over 40 years , the 380th Bombardment Wing was a component organization of Strategic Air Command ' s deterrent force during the Cold War , as a strategic bombardment wing . History . Operations . Cold War . The 380th Bombardment Wing ( Medium ) was established at Plattsburgh Air Force Base , near Plattsburgh , New York on 11 July 1955 and assigned to Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) Eighth Air Force . For the next 40 years , the 380th was a front line SAC bombardment Wing during the Cold War . Along with the wing ' s activation , the 528th , 529th and 530th Bombardment Squadrons were also activated . During July and August , the personnel assigned to the Wing arrived at Plattsburgh . In December 1955 , the first Boeing B - 47 Stratojet medium bomber was assigned to the Wing but instead of being flown to Plattsburgh AFB , was delivered to Pinecastle AFB , Florida , as Det 1 , 380th BMW because of the delays in completing the base facilities at Plattsburgh . Major Harold L . Neal piloted the first flight of a B - 47 by a 380th ' s crew on 27 January 1956 at Pinecastle . For the next several months , training continued while additional B - 47s were assigned to the Wing . By the end of January 1956 , 16 B - 47s were assigned to the wing and increased to 30 by the end of April . The first B - 47E arrived on 21 March 1956 piloted by Brigadier General Kenneth O . Sanborn , first commander of the 820th Air Division , also headquartered at Plattsburgh AFB , but temporarily assigned to Pinecastle . The aircraft was christened " City of Plattsburgh " the next day . By June 1956 , the runway and essential facilities were completed at Plattsburgh and the wing and Air Division moved its aircraft and headquarters to the newly constructed base from Florida . In September 1956 , the 380th Air Refueling Squadron , flying the Boeing KC - 97 Stratotanker , was transferred to Plattsburgh AFB from Sheppard AFB , Texas . The Wing was declared combat ready on 1 October 1956 . In April 1957 , the 380th deployed to RAF Brize Norton , England for a three - month period as part of a SAC Reflex Deployment . During this deployment , Wing ' s B - 47 inaugurated the " Three Capitals " air race . The occasion was the Paris Air Show held at Le Bourget Field in Paris , France . On 28 May 1957 , three B - 47s from the 380th BW took off from Brize Norton and flew over Le Bourget to start the race . The objective of the race was to fly from Paris to Madrid to Rome and back to Paris , and the prize was the General Electric Trophy . A B - 47E from the 529th BS won the race in 4 hours 12 minutes and 7 seconds , with an average speed of . The aircraft , commanded by Capt . Robert E . Sheridan was piloted by 1stLt . J . L . Mombrea with Capt . Frank R . Beadle as Observer . On 18 July 1957 , the Wing suffered its first peacetime major accident . A KC - 97G from the 380th ARS with a crew of eight exploded and crashed into Lake Champlain when 2 of the 4 engines failed 3 minutes after take - off from Plattsburgh AFB at 9 : 28 p . m . During February 1959 , the Wing gained both the 820th Air Base Group and the 4020th USAF Hospital . Both of these units had previously been assigned to the 820th Air Division , located at Plattsburgh AFB . The 531st BS was activated and assigned to the 380th in May 1959 . Later that year , on 7 August , another unit was attached to the Wing from the 820th AD , the 26th Air Refueling Squadron . The 531st was inactivated on 1 January 1962 . Between 20 July 1962 and 24 December 1964 , the 380th also flew EB - 47 assigned to the 4365th Post Attack Command and Control Squadron . On 15 January 1962 , the Wing suffered its second aircraft lost when a B - 47E assigned to the 529th BS on a routine training flight making bomb runs over Ft Drum crashed on the southeast slope of Wright ' s Peak ( a mountain top south of Plattsburgh AFB ) . The wreckage was discovered on the 21st by a group of US Army pilot from Ft Devens , Mass . Later that same year , on 22 October 1962 , the Wing responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis by deploying eight of its B - 47s to a dispersal base . These aircraft and personnel stayed at the dispersal base until 25 November 1962 with the remaining aircraft and personnel on alert at Plattsburgh AFB . On 15 September 1964 , the 380th Bombardment Wing was redesignated the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing ( Heavy ) and was composed of three B - 47 squadrons ( 528th , 529th and 530th ) , the 380th Air Refueling Squadron , the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron , the 380th Combat Support Group and the 820th Medical Group . On 18 September , the Wing received its first KC - 135 A flown by Col . Harold J . Whiteman , the Wing Commander and a four - man crew composed of Maj . Creston Fowler ( commander ) , Capt . Robert J . Svoboda ( co - pilot ) , Capt . Robert D . Smith ( navigator ) and TSgt . Roy W . Rebstock ( boomer ) . The aircraft was christened the same day , " Spirit of the North Country " by Mrs Gladys Ellison . Mrs Ellison ' s husband was SMSgt . Guin B . Ellison , Maintenance Supervisor of the Year for the 380th . September 1965 saw one of the Wing ' s B - 47s , " Pride of the Adirondacks " departing Plattsburgh AFB for SAC ' s 14th Bombing and Navigation competition at Fairchild AFB , Washington . Six days later , that same aircraft returned to Plattsburgh being hailed as the " World ' s Best B - 47 " after having won top honors among all SAC B - 47 units in 3 of 4 competition areas for the B - 47s . " Pride of the Adirondacks " was commanded by Maj . Charles W . Patrick with Capt . John V . Wilcox for co - pilot and Maj . Robert A . Wickland as navigator . The crew won ' Best B - 47 Crew , Bombing ' , ' Best B - 47 Crew , Combined ' and ' Best B - 47 Unit ' . Within three weeks of that triumph , the first B - 47 departed for storage at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona as part of an accelerated phase - out of the type . On 14 December , a ceremony was held as the final three B - 47s departed Plattsburgh AFB for the Arizona ' s storage facility . " Pride of the Adirondacks " was preserved and put on display at the entrance of the base on 8 February 1966 . Atlas missiles . During 1961 and 1962 , the physical appearance of the area surrounding Plattsburgh AFB underwent changes as construction began on 12 " Atlas F " missile sites . The sites were built within a radius of the base and were completed in 1963 . The squadron was equipped with 13 missiles , allowing each silo to have its Atlas missile with one left for spare . When one missile in a silo was scheduled for maintenance , the spare missile kept at PAFB was sent to replace it . This allowed the 380th to maintain 12 ready to launch missiles seven days a week . All sites were in New York state except for two located on the other side of Lake Champlain in Vermont . The 556th Strategic Missile Squadron became completely operational on 15 September 1964 . This was the last Atlas squadron to be accepted and the only Intercontinental Ballistic Missile base east of the Mississippi River . The 556th ' s last operational day was 30 April 1965 with the Squadron ' s inactivation on 25 June 1965 . B - 52 era . To replace the B - 47s , the Wing was assigned the B - 52G " Stratofortress " bomber and received its first aircraft christened " Champlain Lady " on 19 June 1966 . After the arrival of the new type , another new unit was assigned to the Wing on 25 January 1967 , the 310th Air Refueling squadron . On 21 January 1968 , tragedy struck again the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing when B - 52G 58 - 0188 , crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland while on a Chrome Dome mission . The aircraft was flown by a crew from the 528th BS and was carrying four hydrogen bombs when it crashed into an ice covered bay at the western tip of Greenland . The crew of seven was composed of Capt . John Baug ( commander ) , Capt . Leonard Svitenko ( co - pilot ) , Maj . Frank Hopkins ( radar navigator ) , Capt . Curtis Criss ( navigator ) , Capt . Richard Max ( electronic warfare ) , SSgt . Calvin Snapp ( gunner ) and Maj . Alfred J . D ' amario ( safety officer from Wing HQ ) . Sadly , Capt . Svitenko was killed during the crash . The Wing ' s involvement in the Vietnam War was one of temporary duty assignments . Tanker and bomber crews of the 380th were temporarily assigned to the Pacific theater in support of B - 52 " Arc Light " missions and KC - 135 " Young Tiger " operations . The KC - 135 crews and aircraft supported Southeast Asia operations from October 1966 until 1973 . The B - 52 crews served from 1968 until 1970 . FB - 111 era . The stay of the B - 52s assigned to the 380th was destined to be short . In 1968 , plans were initiated to bring the Air Force ' s newest strategic aircraft to Plattsburgh AFB , the General Dynamics FB - 111A . The FB - 111A was the all - weather strategic bombing version of the F - 111 , intended as an interim successor to the B - 52 and B - 58 of the Strategic Air Command . On 8 October 1969 , the FB - 111A entered service with the 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron of the 340th Bomb Group at Carswell AFB , Texas . Even though the FB - 111A was officially declared operational , it had yet to reach the combat forces . After reaching operational capability , the 4007th CCTS relocated to Plattsburg and became part of the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing . By the end of 1970 , B - 52s were transferred to Fairchild AFB , Washington and the last B - 52G left Plattsburgh AFB on 5 January 1971 . Construction requirements for the new FB - 111A were completed in 1969 . Col . G . R . Abendhoff , 380th BW ' s commander , piloted the first FB - 111A to the base during Open house ceremonies on 17 July 1971 . On 1 July 1972 , the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing ( Heavy ) was redesignated the 380th Bombardment Wing ( Medium ) . During the 1974 Strategic Air Command ' s bombing and navigation competition , the FB - 111 and KC - 135 crews from the 380th combined their effort with the support personnel to prove to be " The best of the best " . The 380th BW was the first Wing equipped with the FB - 111A to win the competition and would dominate again in the years to come . 1980 began with a new challenge for the Wing after being named the official military support installation for the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid , New York . The 380th coordinated helicopter rescue mission conducted by the 38th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron ( a Plattsburgh AFB tenant unit later designated the 40th ARRS ) . In 1982 , the first reunion of the surviving members of the World War II 380th Bombardment Group which formed the 380th Bombardment Group Association was held . The second reunion took place at Plattsburgh AFB in September 1983 and on this occasion , dedication of the Plattsburgh Military Museum was one of the highlights of the reunion . 1984 started with a fitting tribute to both the 380th Bombardment Wing and the 380th Bombardment Group . The 380th BG was inactivated and consolidated with the 380th BW by order of the Secretary of the Air Force on 31 January 1984 . As the year progressed , the 380th once again proved itself worthy of its motto , " Best of the Best " , as it achieved an unprecedented fifth Fairchild Trophy at the annual SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition . In addition to winning the Fairchild , which established a record of five trophies for one unit , the Wing captured its second Saunders Trophy for the best air refueling unit and the " Best FB - 111 Crew Award " . In 1985 , the 380th BW received the pinnacle award for SAC Wings . The Omaha Trophy for the best overall SAC wing for the 1984 calendar year was awarded to the Wing on 11 July . During the summer of 1988 , a full complement of the 380th BW deployed for the first time since World War II . Over 300 men and women deployed to a forward operating base in support of " Mighty Warrior 88 " , an SAC wide exercise held to better enable the various SAC wings to carry out their respective missions under austere conditions . As the Rockwell B - 1B Lancer came into service , the FB - 111A became redundant to SAC needs , and starting in 1988 most FB - 111As began a conversion into a ground attack configuration ( F - 111G – less their nuclear delivery capability ) . As the aircraft were converted , they were reassigned to Tactical Air Command training units operating out of Cannon AFB in New Mexico . Post Cold War . In September 1990 , crews from both Air Refueling Squadrons combined with personnel from other units to form the 1703rd Air Refueling Wing ( Provisional ) in Saudi Arabia , supporting Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . On 10 July 1991 , Strategic Air Command and the 380th Bomber Wing said goodbye to the FB - 111A when the last 4 operational aircraft left Plattsburgh AFB for their final flight to preservation in Museums . The 380th BW was redesignated the 380th Air Refueling Wing a few days earlier on 1 July 1991 . The mission of the 380th ARW was to provide worldwide air refueling with its KC - 135A / Q Stratotanker and served as host to the Tanker Task Force operation . The 380th ARW Tanker Task Force was responsible for supporting most of the transoceanic operations on the East Coast . The wing was absorbed by Fifteenth Air Force , Air Mobility Command , on 1 June 1992 with the inactivation of SAC . As a result of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) , Plattsburgh AFB was closed on 30 September 1995 and the 380th ARW was inactivated . Global War on Terrorism . The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing was reactivated at Al Dhafra AB in the UAE in January 2002 to support the War in Afghanistan . The wing participates in Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) and Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) .