512th Rescue Squadron The 512th Rescue Squadron ( 512 RQS ) is part of the 58th Special Operations Wing based at Kirtland Air Force Base , New Mexico . It operates UH - 1N Twin Huey and HH - 60G Pave Hawk aircraft conducting search and rescue missions . Mission . Provide Mission - Ready H - 1 and H - 60 Crewmembers to Helicopter Units Worldwide History . World War II . Established in the Middle East during late 1942 to aid British Forces during the Western Desert Campaign . Initially equipped with obsolete B - 17 C / D Flying Fortresses transferred from Tenth Air Force . Replaced with B - 24 Liberator s flown from Florida via South America ; over to then across Central Africa then north to Egypt in early 1943 . Became part of United States Middle East Air Forces ( USMEAF ) , later Ninth Air Force . Operating from bases in British Palestine , Egypt , Libya and Tunisia , attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya , Tunisia , Sicily , and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa . Struck airdromes , marshalling yards , and other objectives in Sicily and Italy after the fall of Tunisia in May 1943 . Reassigned to Fifteenth Air Force in late 1943 , and moved to southern Italy . Squadron flew long range strategic bombardment missions to targets in Italy , France , Germany , Czechoslovakia , Austria , Hungary , and the Balkans to bomb factories , marshalling yards , oil refineries , oil storage facilities , airdromes , bridges , harbors , and other objectives . After the German Capitulation in May 1945 , returned to the United States ; was re - equipped with B - 29 Superfortress bombers and trained under Second Air Force for deployment to the Pacific Theater . However with the Japanese Capitulation in August , the training ended and most personnel demobilized by the end of October . Remained in active status but not fully manned or equipped , and subsequently inactivated in early 1946 due to budget restrictions . The squadron was not fully manned or equipped between 10 November 1945 and 26 March 1946 and was unmanned from , 23 May 1947 – 20 September 1948 . Korean War . Based in Japan at the beginning of the Korean War , the 512 RS , flying RB / WB - 29s , performed daily strategic weather reconnaissance missions over the combat zone , conducted shipping surveillance and visual reconnaissance , and accomplished electronic countermeasures reconnaissance until 20 February 1951 . In the early days of the conflict , the squadron also dropped leaflets . Initially unarmed , and later only lightly armed with two . 50 - caliber machine gun s in the tail turret , the WB - 29s flew daily missions over enemy - held territory . During 27 June through 27 December 1950 , the squadron flew over 200 combat missions , making over 5 , 000 vitally needed weather observations . These missions were exceptionally hazardous because of extremely varying weather conditions and exposure to attack over enemy territory . One of the squadron ' s WB - 29s served as an aerial command post and weather station , giving on - the - spot weather data and directions to incoming bombers on the first B - 29 strike ( 13 July 1950 ) against North Korean installations . On this and several later such missions , the WB - 29 carried Major General Emmett O ' Donnell , Jr . , USAF , Commander , FEAF Bomber Command . The 512 RS was replaced by the 56th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron in February 1951 . Cold War . Reactivated in May 1951 . Practiced electronic countermeasures with B - 29 aircraft from c . 1952 until conversion to B - 47 Stratojet jet medium bombers in 1954 . Between 1954 and 1965 , the 513 Bombardment Squadron flew a long series of simulated combat bombardment missions to maintain readiness as a unit of the Strategic Air Command , testing electronic warfare devices and radar techniques , using B - 47 and EB - 47 aircraft . Inactivated in 1965 with the retirement of the B - 47 . Modern era . Currently the 512th participates in Special Operations contingencies , exercises , and humanitarian rescue helicopter training .