66th Air Base Wing The 66th Air Base Wing ( 66 ABW ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Electronic Systems Center , stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base , Massachusetts . It was inactivated on 30 September 2010 . History . On 15 November 1952 , the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was established at Shaw AFB , South Carolina , replacing the federalized Air National Guard 118 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing . The wing was activated on 1 January 1953 . The 66th TRW commanded the functions of both the support groups as well as the flying 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and the squadrons assigned to it . The wing and squadrons trained at Shaw prior to deployment to NATO . The squadrons formed and activated were : On 25 June 1953 the 66th TRW departed Shaw , being reassigned to Sembach Air Base West Germany . Just prior to the wing ' s deployment to NATO , the 303d TRS was reequipped with RF - 80As . Sembach Air Base . Major General B . C . Struther , commander of Twelfth Air Force , welcomed the wing upon its arrival in Europe . The Wing Commander landed at 1509 hours in a T - 33 , bringing the remainder of the wing ’ s aircraft with him : 32 RF - 80 Shooting Stars and 4 additional T - 33s . At Sembach , the 66th TRW had three operational squadrons : the 30th , 302d and 303d TRS . The 30th TRS flew the RB - 26 ' s , while the 302d and 303d flew the RF - 80A . On 30 November 1954 , the 30th TRS received the first Martin RB - 57A Canberra , to replace its World War II vintage RB - 26 Invaders . In August 1955 , the 302d and 303d TRS started to receive the Republic RF - 84F Thunderflash . On 1 January 1957 a fourth squadron , the 19th TRS was transferred from the 47th Bombardment Wing ( SAC ) at RAF Sculthorpe to the 66th TRW . The 47th TRS flew the RB - 45C Tornado , however the squadron remained at Sculthrope and did not physically transfer its assets to Sembach . At Sculthorpe , the 19th TRS transitioned to the Douglas RB - 66 Destroyer aircraft . As 1957 progressed USAFE HQ decided to reorganise its tactical reconnaissance assets . Both the 66th TRW and the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base were flying dissimilar types of aircraft : the RF - 84F and the RB - 66 . This was counterproductive not only in terms of operational efficiency , but also in terms of maintenance and supply . On 6 December 1957 HQ , USAFE transferred the 19th and 30th TRS and their RB - 66 ' s to the 10th TRW . In return the 32d and 38th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at Phalsbourg AB , France were transferred from the 10th TRW which made the 66th TRW a four - squadron RF - 84 wing . However due to space restrictions at Sembach , the 32d and 38th would remain in France , as a separate detachment of the 66th . The 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was inactivated on 8 December 1957 when the group was considered redundant as part of the Air Force tri - deputate reorganization . All of its flying squadrons were assigned directly to the wing . In January 1958 , it was announced that the 66th TRW would transition to the McDonnell RF - 101C Voodoo . However the poor flying weather of the German winter was causing an excessive amount of operational delays due to the inclement weather . The 66th was directed to utilise Nouasseur AB , Morocco to its limits in detachments of USAFE aircraft . At Nouasseur all training missions were accomplished as required . The very favourable North African weather provided the ideal environment in which new pilots could be transitioned on to the squadron aircraft in the minimum of time . In addition , the 66th TRW used Nouasseur to transition all its pilots onto the RF - 101C aircraft . In July 1958 , following the inactivation of the 38th Bombardment Wing , the 66th TRW , was reassigned from Sembach to Laon - Couvron Air Base , France . This move was in accordance with USAFEs plan to realign the posture of various bases in anticipation of the 66th ' s pending aircraft conversion to the RF - 101 . Another reason for the move to France was the unsuitability of Sembach ' s runway , which was barely adequate for the RF - 84 , but absolutely unsuitable for the higher performance RF - 101 aircraft Laon Air Base . On 10 July 1958 , 66th TRW Wing Headquarters was transferred to Laon , however its flying squadrons ( 32d , 38th , 302d and 303d ) were located at Phalsbourg AB until considerable runway improvements , in particular the preparation of runway overruns could be made at Laon . Just prior to the move to France , in a public relations exercise , the 66th TRW engaged in some large - scale oblique photo coverage of all towns and cities within a 30 - mile radius of Laon . The processed photos were presented to the various town and city officials as a means of introducing the newcomers to the community . In early 1959 it was announced that the RF - 84 equipped 302d and 303d TRS were to be inactivated and their places in the 66th taken by the RF - 101 - equipped 17th and 18th TRS from Shaw AFB , South Carolina . These two units arrived at Laon in May 1959 , with the 302d and 303d inactivated on 20 June . All the RF - 84s were ferried to the IRAN facility at Naples for eventual distribution to NATO forces . In January 1959 the announcement was made that the 32d and 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons were to receive the McDonnell RF - 101C " Voodoo " . Many of the pilots of the 302d and 303d squadrons were transferred to the new Voodoo squadrons . These moves made the 66th TRW a four - squadron RF - 101C wing . Routine training operations were flown from Laon for over seven years . On 7 March 1966 , French President Gen Charles De Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO ' s military structure but not leave the political organization . He gave NATO forces one year ( until 1 April 1967 ) to depart France . However there was no space available in Germany to relocate the 66th TRW , so it was decided by HQ , USAF that the Strategic Air Command ' s standby base at RAF Upper Heyford , England , would be transferred to USAFE and the 66th TRW would be relocated to the UK from Laon AB . The relocation of the 66th TFW was completed by November 1966 . On 17 March 1967 , the remaining USAF equipment and personnel were transferred out of Laon and the base was turned over to the French government . RAF Upper Heyford . After two years at Upper Heyford , in 1968 it was announced that the 66th TRW was to convert to the McDonnell Douglas RF - 4C Phantom II in the following year . On 27 March 1969 , the first two Phantoms flew into Upper Heyford . and the 66th became a mixed reconnaissance force . The RF - 101C ' s were assigned to the 18th TRS and were limited to the daylight role . The RF - 4C ' s were assigned to the 17th TRS and were capable of an all weather day and night operation . The advent of the RF - 4C gave the 66th TRW a longer arm in terms of target access . In the event of a ‘ hot ’ war the longer reach of the wing ’ s aircraft would have made many previously inaccessible targets behind the iron curtain easily acquired from the bases in West Germany to which they would have been deployed . The Phantoms did not stay for long , however , as in January 1970 the inactivation of the 66th TRW commenced . On 10 December 1969 , Detachment 1 , 20th Tactical Fighter Wing was established at RAF Upper Heyford as part of congressional budget cutbacks ; a USAFE - wide base realignment / consolidation of units , as the 20th ' s base at RAF Wethersfield had a limited potential for development and was awkwardly close to the expanding London Stansted Airport . The relocation also served the need to reorganize the USAFE base structure after the French withdrawal from NATO and the eviction of non - French military forces from French soil . As part of the budget reductions and to consolidate all of the wing ' s elements at a larger facility , the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing was relocated from RAF Wethersfield to Upper Heyford , replacing and absorbing the 66th TRW . The RF - 4Cs of the 17th TRS were reassigned to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Zweibrücken Air Base in West Germany , and the RF - 101Cs of the 18th TRS were reassigned to the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina . Some support elements of the inactivated 66th TRW , primarily Civil Engineering , were reassigned to Wethersfield , being designated the 66th Combat Support Group . The group was again redesignated 66th Combat Support Squadron ( CSS ) and became the host unit at the station . The 66th CSS performed whatever duties were necessary to keep the base in a usable , operational state . It was inactivated in 1976 when the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Alconbury assumed caretaker responsibilities at Wethersfield . 66th Electronic Combat Wing . On 1 June 1985 , the 66th was reactivated again at Sembach AB , West Germany as the 66th Electronic Combat Wing . The 66th ECW trained ( 43d ECS ) Lockheed EC - 130 Hercules aircrews at Sembach in the Compass Call mission ; administratively controlled ( 42d ECS ) General Dynamics / Grumman EF - 111A Raven aircrews based at RAF Upper Heyford , England , and acted as a command and control coordination function for the 52nd FW F - 4 G & F - 16 C / D Wild Weasel SAM suppression ( SEAD ) mission . The 66th provided tactical and electronic combat operations during Operation Desert Storm . The 66th ECW was inactivated on 31 March 1992 Modern era . In 1994 , the 66th Air Base Wing was designated as the host unit at Hanscom AFB , MA . It was a non - flying wing with a mission to support the numerous organizations assigned to the base . The 66th ABW supported the Electronic Systems Center and provides host base services to over 3 , 000 active duty , Reserve and National Guard military personnel and DoD civilians who work and live at Hanscom Air Force Base . Additionally , the 66 ABW supports over 100 , 000 retired military personnel , annuitants and spouses living in the seven - state New England area . On 26 March 2010 the wing commander , Colonel David “ Iron ” Orr , was relieved of his position by Lieutenant General Ted Bowlds , commander of the Electronic Systems Center . Bowlds found that Orr had held an unprofessional relationship with a subordinate female lieutenant colonel and had exhibited undue favoritism to the officer with regards to a promotion recommendation . In 2010 , ESC reverted to an organization of program offices and the 38th Engineering Installation Wing ( by then a group ) was re - assigned . New Air Force standards caused the 66th Air Base Wing , because of its size to be inactivated and replaced by the 66th Air Base Group on 30 September . Components . Group Squadrons