15th Special Operations Squadron The 15th Special Operations Squadron ( 15 SOS ) is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field , Florida . It operates MC - 130H Combat Talon II aircraft in support of special operations . Mission . Global , day and night , adverse weather capability to insert , extract , and resupply special operations forces by low or high altitude airdrop or airland operations . History . Established in late 1942 as the 520th Bombardment Squadron ( Heavy ) at Jacksonville Municipal Airport , Florida from the cadre of the former 18th Observation Squadron . Was reassigned from Third Air Force to Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command in November , being redesignated as the 15th Antisubmarine Squadron . Antisubmarine warfare . The squadron was one of several hastily converted to dedicated anti - submarine duties in direct response to the German U - boat threat in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions during 1942 and 1943 . It was re - equipped with a hodgepodge of aircraft that could be spared for antisubmarine patrol duties at the time , including various early North American B - 25 s , Lockheed B - 34 s and Douglas B - 23 s , and operated at several locations up and down the Atlantic seaboard ( including Langley Field , Virginia and Drew Field , Florida ) before deploying to Batista Field , Cuba on 3 August 1943 as an element of the 26th Antisubmarine Wing ( although it had been attached to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing from 21 November 1942 until going to Cuba ) . Continued Antisubmarine operations over the South Atlantic coastline and the Gulf of Mexico from Drew Field , near Tampa Florida until August 1943 when the Navy took over the Antisubmarine mission . Disbanded on 2 November 1943 . B - 29 Bombardment squadron . The 15th Bombardment Squadron ( Very Heavy ) was activated as part of the 16th Bombardment Group on 1 April 1944 at Dalhart Army Airfield as a B - 29 Superfortress unit . Received Bell B - 29B Superfortresses designed for fast low - level bomb runs . Deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations ( PTO ) , assigned to Northwest Field , Guam under XXI Bomber Command , 315th Bombardment Wing . Flew very long range strategic bombardment missions over the Japanese Home Islands concentrating on oil industry targets , particularly refineries and coal liquidification facilities ( 26 June - 14 August 1945 ) . No B - 29s from the squadron were lost during combat operations over Japan . Squadron remained in Western Pacific , although largely demobilized in the fall of 1945 . Some aircraft scrapped on Tinian ; others flown to storage depots in the United States . The 15th BS was inactivated on 15 April 1946 , then briefly reactivated as a part of the Air Force Reserve between 1 August 1947 , and 27 June 1949 . Combat Talon . The designation was revived and reactivated in Southeast Asia in 1968 . The 15th Special Operations Squadron saw combat and performed special operations missions from 15 March 1968 , to 31 October 1970 , flying the C - 130E ( I ) Combat Talon . The unit was again inactivated , but was consolidated with the 15th Antisubmarine Squadron and the 15th Bombardment Squadron in September 1985 . The 15th SOS was reactivated on 1 October 1992 , to operate the MC - 130H Combat Talon II and assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing . The Combat Talon was first operational as Detachment 1 , 314th Troop Carrier Wing beginning 1 September 1966 , as a support unit for MACV - SOG . On 15 March 1968 , the detachment was designated the 15th Air Commando Squadron , and then the 15th Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968 , and made part of the 14th Special Operations Wing . In Vietnam , the aircraft was used to drop leaflets over North Vietnam ese positions , and to insert and resupply special forces and indigenous units into hostile territory throughout Southeast Asia . Combat Talon crews operated unescorted at low altitudes and at night .