332d Air Expeditionary Wing The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing ( 332 AEW ) is a Provisional Air Expeditionary WIng of Air Combat Command , currently inactive . It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 . The Wings 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group ( 332 EOG ) , is the direct descendant organization of the World War II 332nd Fighter Group , the Tuskegee Airmen . The title Tuskegee Airmen refers to all who trained in the groundbreaking Army Air Forces African - American pilot training program at Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Airfield , Alabama between 1941 and 1945 . It includes pilots , navigators , bombardiers , maintenance and support staff , instructors and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air . Overview . The 332 AEW conducted a number of missions . The F - 16 aircraft were responsible for maintaining air supremacy in the skies over Iraq . Additionally , the A - 10 and F - 16 aircraft performed close air support missions as required . The C - 130 unit provided required airlift within Iraq and to other US Central Command bases as necessary . The HH - 60 Pave Hawks performed combat search and rescue missions . Finally , the MQ - 1 Predators and MC - 12W Liberty aircraft provided tactical surveillance and reconnaissance within Iraq . Additionally , the unit operated the Air Force Theater Hospital and served as the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility . The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing ' s heritage is tied to the famous 332d Fighter Group led by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II . Its mission and traditions were carried out by the airmen at Joint Base Balad , Iraq . With the motto " Tuskegee Airmen . . . The Legend Continues , " the wing pioneered modern warfare tactics using advanced weapons systems such as the F - 16 Fighting Falcon , A - 10 Thunderbolt II , and the MQ - 1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ) for close air support and traditional and non - traditional intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance missions . Units . At Joint Base Balad ( JBB ) , the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing consisted of the following major groups : History . Established in July 1947 under the United States Air Force ' s Wing / Base reorganization ( Hobson Plan ) , with the 332d Fighter Group becoming the operational component of the wing , controlling its flying resources . the 332d Fighter Wing replaced the 447th Composite Group and 580th Air Service Group . The new wing participated in firepower demonstrations , gunnery training , and operational missions to maintain combat proficiency . The African - American segregated unit was inactivated in July 1949 as a result of Executive Order 9981 . EO 9981 abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces . The 332d ' s personnel and equipment were re - assigned to other units . Air Expeditionary Wing . In August 2002 , the Air Combat Command ( ACC ) 332d Air Expeditionary Group at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait , was authorized to expand to a Wing . The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing was activated as a provisional organization on 12 August 2002 by ACC , with the 332d AEG becoming the Wing ' s flying organization . A support organization was also activated as part of the 332 AEW , consisting of the 332d Expeditionary Maintenance Group ; 332d Expeditionary Mission Support Group ; 332d Expeditionary Medical Group , and the 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Group . Employing A - 10 Thunderbolt IIs , F - 16 Fighting Falcons , HH - 60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and HC - 130 Hercules aircraft the 332d AEW initially participated in Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) , playing a critical role in the defeat of the Taliban regime and later providing key air support for Afghanistan ' s provisional government . After the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) the 332nd was moved to Tallil Air Base , Iraq . To better position airpower within the theater of operations , the 332nd AEW was moved to Balad AB , Iraq , in February 2004 . In June 2008 , the base was officially renamed Joint Base Balad . The new name was indicative of the joint nature of operations by all branches of service at the base . During the height of operations , the 332d AEW contained nine groups — including four geographically separated groups at Ali AB , Sather AB , Al Asad AB , and Kirkuk AB — as well as numerous detachments and operating locations scattered throughout Iraq . The wing had as many as two F - 16 fighter squadrons , a Predator UAV squadron , a C - 130 squadron , a combat search and rescue squadron ( HH - 60s ) , a MC - 12 Liberty squadron , and a Control and Reporting Center . At its peak strength , the 332 AEW consisted of over 8 , 000 personnel , including 1 , 800 Airmen of the 732d Air Expeditionary Group ( 732 AEG ) , which provides oversight for Airmen who are operationally assigned to U . S . Army units at over 60 forward operating locations throughout Iraq . During the drawdown of forces from Iraq , the 332nd AEW provided intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance , combat search and rescue , armed overwatch and close air support to one of the largest logistics movements since World War II . In support of the re - posture of U . S . forces , the wing continued to support U . S . Forces - Iraq after forward deploying to an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia in November 2011 so Joint Base Balad could be returned to the government of Iraq . And as the last U . S . convoy left Iraq on 18 Dec . 2011 , it was the 332nd AEW ' s F - 16s and MQ - 1B Predators in the skies providing overhead watch .