312th Aeronautical Systems Group The 312th Aeronautical Systems Group ( 312 ASG ) is a component of the United States Air Force 312th Aeronautical Systems Wing . It is stationed at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio and is assigned to Air Force Material Command ( AFMC ) . The unit ' s World War II predecessor unit , the 312th Bombardment Group , operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as an A - 20 Havoc light bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force . The group also flew the B - 32 Dominator on several evaluation combat missions at the end of the war . It was awarded both the United States Distinguished Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its combat service in New Guinea ; the Western Pacific ; Leyte , and Luzon . Overview . The 312th Aeronautical Systems Group has responsibility for program execution to develop , acquire , field and modernize capabilities ; and support for life - cycle management of the Fighter Attack portfolio for the United States and coalition partners . Unit responsibilities also include identifying , coordinating and implementing horizontal integration / capability planning across weapons systems in support of the Global Strike and Global Persistent Attack concept of operations . History . World War II . The 312th Bombardment Group was activated on 15 March 1942 at Bowman Field ( Fort Knox ) Kentucky . It was redesignated 312th Bombardment Group ( Dive ) in July 1942 and trained in the United States for several months with A - 3 , A - 31 , A - 36 , and P - 40 aircraft . The unit was deployed to the Southwest Pacific , October – December 1943 , and assigned to Fifth Air Force . It was again redesignated as the 312th Bombardment Group ( Light ) in December 1943 . It began operations in New Guinea , flying patrol and escort missions . Following its conversion to the A - 20 Havoc , the group attacked airfields , troop concentrations , gun positions , bridges , and warehouses on the northern and western coasts of New Guinea . It moved to the Philippines in November 1944 and provided support for ground troops and struck airfields and transportation facilities . The 312th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for actions against Japanese butanol plants in Formosa , 25 March – 4 April 1945 . The 312th was selected to carry out field operation testing of the Consolidated B - 32 Dominator in mid - 1945 and made test flights over Luzon and Formosa in June 1945 . The B - 32 had been in development since before World War II , but a protracted development period delayed production versions of the aircraft until 1945 . The first two B - 32s arrived on Luzon on 2 May , with a third aircraft arriving the next day . The first combat mission took place on 29 May 1945 . It was a strike against a Japanese supply depot in Luzon ' s Cayagan Valley . All three of the Dominators were to take part , but one aborted on takeoff . The other two proceeded to the target . There was no enemy opposition , and bombing runs were made from an altitude of 10 , 000 feet , and both aircraft returned without incident . This raid was followed by a series of attacks on Japanese targets in the Philippines , in Formosa , and on Hainan Island in the Tonkin Gulf . The only opposition encountered during these missions was some rather inaccurate flak . The tests were thus deemed a success , and plans were made to convert the entire 386th Bombardment Squadron to B - 32s . The 312th BG was scheduled to move to Okinawa as soon as the conversion of the 386th BS to the B - 32 was completed . Redesignated as the 312th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) in July 1945 , the unit moved to Okinawa in August 1945 and received six more aircraft . After the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown , Combat operations were flown with the B - 32 in spite of the de facto cease - fire that had been called following the bombing of Nagasaki . During this time , the B - 32s flew mainly photographic reconnaissance missions , most of which were unopposed . However , on 17 August a group of 4 B - 32s flying over Tokyo were fired on by radar - directed flak and were attacked by Japanese fighters . The American aircraft escaped with only minor damage , claiming one confirmed fighter kill and two probables . During a reconnaissance mission over Tokyo on 18 August , two B - 32s were attacked by Japanese fighters . The American gunners claimed two kills and one probable , but one aircraft was badly shot up and one of her crew was killed with two being injured . This was to prove to be the last combat action of World War II . The last Dominator mission of the war was flown by four B - 32s on 28 August in a reconnaissance mission to Tokyo . The mission was a disaster , although not because of any enemy action . 42 - 108544 lost an engine on takeoff and skidded off the runway . All 13 men aboard perished when the aircraft exploded and burned . On the way back from the target , 42 - 108528 lost power on two of its four engines . The plane ' s pilot ordered the crew to bail out , but two men were killed . After VJ - Day , the surviving B - 32 aircraft were ordered to return to the United States , ending the test program . The 312th remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States . It was inactivated on 6 January 1946 . Cold War . The 312th trained in the reserve from , 1947 , being redesignated as the 312th Bombardment Group ( Very Heavy ) , and equipped with B - 29 Superfortress es . It was inactivated in 1949 . It was reactivated in 1954 and trained to maintain proficiency in fighter - bomber operations with conventional weapon s to September 1955 , then switched to training to maintain combat proficiency with atomic weapon s . From April 1956 – October 1957 , the wing rotated tactical squadron s to France , six months at a time . Inactivated when parent 312th Fighter - Bomber Wing adopted Tri - Deputate organization and assigned all flying squadrons directly to the Wing .