513th Air Control Group The 513th Air Control Group ( 513 ACG ) is an Air Reserve Component ( ARC ) of the United States Air Force . It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force , Air Force Reserve Command , stationed at Tinker Air Force Base , Oklahoma . The 349th AMW is an associate unit of the 552d Air Control Wing , Air Combat Command ( ACC ) and if mobilized the wing is gained by ACC . Its World War II predecessor , the 3d Combat Cargo Group was a United States Army Air Forces combat organization . It served primarily in the China Burma India Theater and Pacific Ocean Theater of World War II . In 1948 , the group was redesignated as the 513th Troop Carrier Group . Overview . In March 1996 the United States Air Force re - activated the 513th Air Control Group as an Airborne Warning and Control System ( AWACS ) Reserve Associate unit executing the command and control mission in concert with active duty airman . The 513th partners with its Active Duty Associate host , the 552d Air Control Wing . The 513 ACG ' s mission is to provide theater and Air Force commanders with trained aircrews and maintenance personnel and systems for airborne surveillance , warning and control of U . S . and allied military aviation assets . The 513th ' s subordinate units include the 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron ( AACS ) , which includes the 513th Operations Support Flight ( OSF ) , the 513th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ( AMXS ) , and the 513th Maintenance Squadron ( MXS ) . History . Constituted and activated in India in 1944 . Supported ground forces during the battle for northern Burma and the subsequent Allied drive southward . Flew Allied troops and materiel to the front , transporting gasoline , oil , vehicles , engineering and signal equipment , and other items that the group either landed or dropped in Burma . Also evacuated wounded personnel to India . Moved to Burma in June 1945 . After the liberation of Burma , the group hauled critical supplies such as gasoline to China . From late 1945 , it continued airlift missions as needed in China until April 1946 when inactivated . Redesignated 513th Troop Carrier Group ( Special ) . Activated in Germany on 19 November 1948 . Assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe . Using C - 54 ' s , transported food , coal , and other supplies during the Berlin airlift , Operation Vittles . Inactivated in Germany in October 1949 . Activated in the US on 8 November 1955 . Assigned to Tactical Air Command and equipped with C - 123 aircraft . From November 1955 to November 1958 , participated in numerous tactical exercises and operations , including troop drops and airlift in support of construction of the Distant Early Warning ( DEW ) Line stations in the American Arctic . From April 1966 to January 1976 , provided intra - theater airlift in support of US Air Forces in Europe , European Command , and North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations and exercises , using C - 130s and crews rotating to Europe from Tactical Air Command and Military Airlift Command wings based in the United States and C - 124s and crews from Air Force Reserve groups . Maintained and operated EC - 135s as an airborne command post and acted as host organization for American units at RAF Mildenhall to February 1992 . In addition , the group collected samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions . Beginning March 1996 , trained to fulfill an air control mission through the use of airborne warning and control system ( AWACS ) aircraft . Took part in worldwide contingency operations and counter - drug missions . From March 1996 to April 1997 , the 513th Air Control Group was assigned to the U . S . Air Force Reserve ' s 507th Air Refueling Wing . In 1997 , the 513th was transferred to the active duty 552nd Air Control Wing . Despite this transfer , the 513th remained a part of the Air Force Reserve . It is currently the only reserve unit to fly the E - 3 Sentry AWACS aircraft .