49th Wing The 49th Wing ( 49 WG ) is a United States Air Force unit , assigned to Twelfth Air Force , Air Combat Command . It is stationed at Holloman Air Force Base , New Mexico . Overview . The 49th Wing supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide to support peacetime and wartime contingencies . The wing provides combat - ready Airmen , F - 22 Raptor s , and trains MQ - 1 Predator and MQ - 9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators . Additionally , the wing deploys combat - ready and mission - support forces supporting Air Expeditionary Force operations , Global War on Terrorism and peacetime contingencies ; the T - 38A aircraft ; and provides support to over 18 , 000 personnel to include training pilots in F - 22 Raptor operations . The wing has a proud history of service in Korea , Southeast Asia , Southwest Asia and NATO - led Operation Allied Force . History . Origins . The history of the 49th Wing begins with its activation at Misawa Air Base , Japan on 10 August 1948 . With the end of World War II , the United States Army 32d Engineering Construction Group under the command of Captain Davis K . Stark occupied and began rebuilding the former Imperial Japanese Navy Air Base at Misawa , Japan . In January 1946 , the 49th Fighter Group became the first United States Army Air Forces unit assigned to the rebuilt base . In 1948 , with the adoption of the Hobson Plan , the United States Air Force 49th Fighter Wing was activated , with the 49th Fighter Group as its combat group . The initial mission of the 49th Fighter Wing was the air defense of Northern Honshu and Hokkaido . It ' s 7th Fighter Squadron , 8th Fighter Squadron and 9th Fighter Squadron s were initially equipped with P - 51D Mustang s , later being upgraded to the new F - 80C Shooting Star jet fighter . Korean War . With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 , the 49th Fighter - Bomber Wing was one of the first USAF units dispatched to Korea from Japan , its tactical squadrons began operations with P - 51D Mustangs . Initially under its parent wing , the 49th was reassigned to the 8th Fighter - Bomber Wing during July through September , and finally the 6149th Tactical Support Wing during October and November 1950 . Korean War squadrons of the 49th were the 7th , 8th and 9th Fighter - Bomber Squadrons . The 49th ' s first task in South Korea was to cover the evacuation of civilians from Kimpo and Suwon . Next , it flew close air support missions to help slow the advancing North Korean armies . Later , it turned to the interdiction of enemy troops , supplies and communications . Phasing out its F - 51s for Lockheed F - 80C Shooting Stars jets , the 49th FBW moved to Taegu AB ( K - 2 ) on 1 October 1950 , becoming the first jet fighter outfit to operate from bases in South Korea . It received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its combat operations during the first five months of the war . When the Chinese Communist Forces ( CCF ) Intervention Campaign gained momentum in 1950 – 1951 , the group again concentrated on ground support missions . It converted to Republic F - 84G Thunderjets , June – September 1951 , one squadron at a time , while the others continued combat operations . The 49th FBG earned another DUC for its contribution to the success of the 1st UN Counteroffensive Campaign ( 1951 ) . Afterwards , it engaged primarily in air interdiction operations against the main enemy channel of transportation , the roads and railroads between Pyongyang and Sinuiju . Also , it flew close air support missions for the ground forces and attacked high value targets , including the Sui - ho hydroelectric plants in June 1952 and the Kumgang Political School in October 1952 . On 27 July 1953 , the 49th FBG joined the 58th FBG to bomb Sunan Airfield for the final action of F - 84 fighter - bombers during the Korean War . The unit was one of the most decorated Air Force units in the war , having earned two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit citations and another eight battle honors . Such accomplishments earned the wing a niche in United States Air Force history . The wing remained in Korea for a time after the armistice . It was reassigned to Misawa AB , Japan on 2 November 1953 and provided air defense for Japan through 1957 . United States Air Forces in Europe . On 15 April 1957 the detached 49 Fighter - Bomber Group became a paper unit , and the wing assumed the fighter - bomber mission the group had been performing , continuing it to 15 September 1957 , when the wing prepared to move to Europe . Worldwide DOD Budget restrictions during FY 1958 affected PACAF as well as USAFE and the 49th FBW based in Japan had to be retired . The 49th Fighter - Bomber Wing was reassigned to Etain - Rouvres Air Base , France where it absorbed the assets of the former host unit , the 388th FBW . As the 388th was originally formed in December 1942 , and the 49th was formed in November 1940 , the older wing ' s heritage was preserved by transferring its lineage to Etain . The transfer was a strict designation change with no personnel , equipment or aircraft being transferred . All 388th FBW wing units , personnel , equipment and aircraft were redesignated to the 49th FBW and the mission of the 49th FBW was exactly the same as the 388th ' s . The fighter squadrons were redesignated the 7th , 8th and 9th Fighter - bomber Squadrons . The stay of the 49th in France was short , as in 1957 , the French Government decreed that all nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958 . As a result , the F - 100 ' s of the 49th TFW had to be removed from France . On 25 August 1959 , the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Spangdahlem AB from the Etain - Rouvres Air Base , France , and assumed host unit duties . On 8 July 1958 the name of the wing was changed to the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing as a result of an Air Force wide redesignation . Its squadrons were renamed Tactical Fighter Squadrons . On 25 August 1959 , the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing relocated to Spangdahlem Air Base , Germany and assumed host unit duties , replacing the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing which was moved to RAF Alconbury England . Tactical Fighger Squadrons of the 49th TFW at Spangdahlem were the 7th , 8th and 9th . The 49 TFW flew F - 100s until 1961 when it converted to the Republic F - 105D / F Thunderchief , commonly known as the " Thud " . The 49th TFW was only the third USAF unit to operate the F - 105 . The 49th received two Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s for F - 105 operations at Spangdahlem . On 9 March 1967 , the Wing began receiving the McDonnell Douglas F - 4D Phantom II . In the late 1960s , the Defense Budget began to be squeezed by the costs of the ongoing Vietnam War . Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara decided to reduce costs in Europe by " Dual Basing " United States military units in Europe by returning them permanently to the United States , and conducting annual deployment exercises in Europe , giving the units a NATO commitment for deployment to bases in Europe if tensions with the Soviet Union warranted an immediate military buildup . The 49th Tactical Fighter Wing was returned to the United States under this policy , being reassigned on 1 July 1968 to Holloman Air Force Base , New Mexico , to serve as the US Air Force ’ s first dual - based , NATO - committed wing . Holloman Air Force Base . At Holloman , the wing continued participation in tactical exercises and firepower demonstrations to maintain combat readiness . It had base host responsibility 1 January 1971 – 1 August 1977 and 15 November 1991 to the present . In the autumn of 1971 the wing ' s four tactical squadrons deployed in Europe . In 1969 , the wing participated in its first dual - basing exercise , Crested Cap I , deploying 2 , 000 personnel and 72 aircraft to NATO bases in Europe . Also in 1972 , the 49th earned the coveted MacKay Trophy for the " most meritorious flight of the year , " for the redeployment from Germany to Holloman after Crested Cap II . The MacKay Trophy recognized the 49th for the fastest non - stop deployment of jet aircraft accomplished by a wing ' s entire fleet . Operation Constant Guard III . On 4 May 1972 , after North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam , the entire wing , except for a rear echelon that remained to run Holloman , deployed at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand . Operation Constant Guard III , ordered in response to the North Vietnamese invasion , was the largest movement that the Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) had ever performed . In nine days , the 49th TFW deployed 72 F - 4D Phantom IIs from Holloman to Takhli . The move included more than 3 , 000 personnel and 1 , 600 tons of cargo . Airmen arriving reported that Takhli was a mess , with missing or broken plumbing fixtures , no hot water , and no drinking water - that had to be trucked in from Korat every day . Bed frames had been thrown out of the hootches into the high snake - infested grass , and mattresses or bedding consisted of sleeping bags at best . The 49th flew combat sorties in South Vietnam , Cambodia , and Laos from 1 July – 24 September 1972 during Operation Linebacker , the bombardment campaign in North Vietnam . During this deployment , Operation Constant Guard , the 49th flew more than 21 , 000 combat hours over just about every battle zone from An Loc to vital installations in the Hanoi vicinity . During five months of combat , the wing did not lose any aircraft or personnel — a testament to the outstanding training and proficiency of all members of the 49th . The unit officially closed out its Southwest Asia duty 6 October 1972 , receiving an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat " V " Device for its participation . The wing returned to Holloman Air Force Base in early October 1972 , and continued rotating tactical components to Europe to support NATO through September 1977 . It also provided USAF fighter lead - in training from February 1974 – December 1976 . F - 15 Eagle era . In October 1977 , the wing ended its " dual - base " commitment to NATO and changed to an air superiority mission with the wing beginning a conversion from the F - 4D Phantom II to the F - 15A Eagle ; the 49th being the second USAF operational wing to receive the F - 15A . The transition was completed 4 June 1978 . Due to the change in equipment , the annual NATO deployments were taken over by the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing , Seymour Johnson AFB , in 1978 , however they resumed ( although not on an annual basis ) in 1981 when the 49th deployed to Ålborg AB , Denmark in August . NATO deployments to various bases in Western Europe ended in 1990 . Training was refocused on dissimilar air combat tactics for multi - theater operations . History was made during February 1980 , when two pilots from the 49th each flew their F - 15s , in just over 14 hours , establishing a record for the longest flight of a single - seat fighter aircraft . The flights required six aerial refuelings , proving the global power of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing . In July 1980 , the wing acquired the commitment of a primary Rapid Deployment Force unit . This tasking , which lasted for a year , required the wing to be ready to deploy its aircraft , crews , and support personnel on short notice . The wing served with the Rapid Deployment Force until July 1981 , when the tasking was transferred to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing , Langley Air Force Base , Virginia . The 49th won the 1988 William Tell air - to - air meet . The wing outdistanced the nearest competitor by more than 2 , 000 points . The 49th won a variety of awards , including the coveted " Top Gun " for best fighter pilot . It deployed aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia to fly combat air patrol for coalition operations from 20 June – 19 December 1991 . With the introduction of the F - 15C Eagle in the mid - 1980s , the upgraded Eagle began replacing the F - 15A / Bs in service with all of the USAF units that had previously been operating the Eagle with the exception of the 49th TFW . By the time of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 , the F - 15A Eagles at Holloman had been relegated to a training role ; combat deployments of the Eagle were the purview of F - 15C units . F - 117 Nighthawk era . In 1992 , the 49th underwent a number of transitions . As a result of the end of the Cold War , reduced defense budgets were the order of the day . In reviewing it ' s tactical bases and the costs of maintaining them , the Air Force wanted to retire the F - 15As at Holloman , most of which were manufactured in the mid 1970s and were costing more and more to operate . Also as part of the review of all of it ' s bases , the Air Force wanted to move its F - 117A Nighthawk stealth fighters of the 37th Fighter Wing out Tonopah Test Range Airport , Nevada , due to the high operating costs of operating the base in its remote location . As a result , Holloman AFB was chosen to be the new home of the F - 117A and to retire the F - 15A Eagles . Plans were put in place to construct suitable facilities for the F - 117A at Holloman . There was also debate about which unit designation would be adopted at Holloman . The 37th FW was a senior organization to the 49th FW , and initially it was announced that the 49th FW would be inactivated and the 37th would become the new host unit at Holloman . This was changed when General Merrill McPeak , USAF Chief of Staff , determined that the 49th had a more notable history than the 37th , and would remain active while the 37th FW would be inactivated . As a result , the last F - 15A Eagle departed Holloman 5 June 1992 , ending 14 years of Eagle operations . On 9 May 1992 , four F - 117A stealth fighters from Tonopah arrived at Holloman with the 49th Fighter Wing taking over as the only stealth fighter wing in the world . Also , German Air Force F - 4F Phantom II s training was transferred to Holloman , from the closing George AFB , California , the mission being assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron , in May 1992 ( the 9th became an F - 117A squadron in July 1993 , GAF training being assigned to the re - activated 20th Fighter Squadron . After conversion to the F - 117A in May 1992 , The 49th deployed fighters and their crews to Southwest Asia during the 1990s as part of Operation Southern Watch to support United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq , to enforce the no - fly zone over the southern part of that country , and for shows of force . Operation Allied Force . In early 1999 , the wing deployed F - 117 and their crews to Aviano Air Base , Italy and Spangdahlem Air Base , Germany from 21 February – 1 July 1999 , in support of Operation Allied Force , the NATO attempt to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in the former nation of Yugoslavia . In the opening phase of the operation , aimed primarily at Yugoslavia ' s integrated air defense system , NATO air forces conducted more than 400 sorties . During the first two night attacks , allied air forces struck 90 targets throughout Yugoslavia and in Kosovo . F - 117 Nighthawks from the 8th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron participated in air strikes against targets in the Balkans during NATO operations bravely trusting in their aircraft ' s low observable technology struck some of the most valuable and highly guarded targets in Serbia . The F - 117s successfully penetrated the heavily defended areas , which conventional aircraft could not reach . One F - 117 fighter was lost over Yugoslavia on 27 March 1999 , apparently struck by a salvo of SA - 3 Goa surface - to - air missiles . Unknown to NATO , Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F - 117s with their " obsolete " Soviet radars after some modifications that could detect the aircraft when their wheels were down or bomb bay doors were open . A US search and rescue team picked up the pilot several hours after the F - 117 went down outside Belgrade . This was the first and so far the only F - 117 to have been lost in action . On 1 April 1999 , Defense Secretary William Cohen directed 12 more F - 117 stealth fighters to join NATO Operation Allied Force , to join the total of 24 F - 117s that were participating in NATO Operation Allied Force . Operation Enduring Freedom . People , airplanes , and equipment of the 49th Fighter Wing played a key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom . The wing ' s F - 117s played a major role , dropping the first bombs against an Iraqi leadership target in Baghdad on 19 March 2003 . Deployed to Al Udeid Air Base , Qatar , on the opening night of the invasion , fresh intelligence was received that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was staying at a specific bunker for the night . USAF planners had a rare opportunity to kill the elusive Iraqi leader . It was reasoned that might bring down his regime without war . The F - 117s would carry the new GPS - guided EGBU - 27 precision guided bomb . The problem was it had never been used in combat and the weapons had arrived at Al Udeid a mere 24 hours earlier . Combat preparation of the fighters began immediately . The plan called for the F - 117s to take off as soon as possible . Two stealth fighters roared northward into the nighttime sky at 3 : 38 a . m . After refueling over the Gulf near Kuwait City , the stealth fighters split up and took separate routes over Iraq to the target area . The sun was starting to come up and the sun was starting to come up by the time the pilots reached Baghdad , however on that morning Baghdad was obscured under low - level clouds . Each of the two F - 117s released two bombs , which plummeted toward the bunker in which Saddam Hussein was believed to be sleeping . Release came at 5 : 30 a . m . , 13 minutes after dawn but only five hours after the pilots first heard that such a mission might be in the offing . The strike caught Iraqi defenses completely off guard . Defensive anti - aircraft fire did not begin until the aircraft had completed the attack and were racing out of the Baghdad area . Although the strike did not kill Saddam Hussein , what it did accomplish was to allow the coalition to seize the initiative . Also the EGBU - 27 immediately became the F - 117 ’ s premier weapon . According to Air Force data , 98 of them were delivered during the conflict , compared to only 11 of the traditional , predominantly laser versions . During Operation Iraqui Freedom , F - 117 pilots flew more than 80 missions and dropped nearly 100 enhanced guided bomb units against key targets . Approximately 300 people deployed with the air package and provided direct support to the F - 117 mission . Hurricane Katrina . The 49th continued to demonstrated its versatility , when on 3 September 2005 , the wing answered a humanitarian call from the gulf coast area of the United States . Responding to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina , the wing deployed fifty - nine Airmen from the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group as part of Joint Task Force Katrina . The BEAR Base team sent 120 short tons of cargo and built a tent city and housekeeping facilities for workers providing Hurricane Katrina relief operations . The 49th continued to demonstrate its versatility when on Sept . 3 , 2005 the wing answered a humanitarian call from the gulf coast area of the United States . Responding to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina , the wing deployed 59 Airmen from the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group as part of Joint Task Force Katrina . Holloman ' s Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources Base team sent 120 short tons of cargo and built a tent city and housekeeping facilities for workers providing Hurricane Katrina relief operations . In 2006 , the Air Force announced that Holloman would cease to be the home of the F - 117A Nighthawk , coinciding with the announcement that the aircraft was set to be retired from service by 2008 . Shortly thereafter , it was announced Holloman was one of the preferred bases to receive the F - 22A Raptor . In the meantime , preparation for the F - 117A retirement and the arrival of the F - 22 ensued and the base partook in a well - known sideline project . It came about in May 2006 , when the 49th Fighter Wing commander , Air Force Public Affairs and Department of Defense representatives announced the filming of the motion picture film , " Transformers , " at Holloman . The 49th Fighter Wing ' s F - 117s were pictured prominently in the movie , both as static backgrounds and as taxiing aircraft . The aircraft ' s big motion picture debut came in June 2007 when the film was released in theaters worldwide . Members of the 49th FW were treated to a special pre - release screen where director , Michael Bay , presented Holloman with an " Oscar " for the base ' s role . Current operations . The next year brought major changes to the 49th Fighter Wing . On June 2 , 2008 , the first two F - 22 ' s were flown to Holloman , marking the day as an important date in the wing ' s history . The 5th generation fighter aircraft was officially welcomed during a Total Force Integration Announcement Ceremony , June 6 , 2008 , attended by then Chief of Staff of the Air Force , Gen . T . Michael Moseley . The ceremony served a dual purpose : to welcome the new airframe and to announce that the Air Force Reserve ' s 301st Fighter Squadron from Luke AFB , Ariz . , would come to Holloman to form a classic association with the 7th and 8th Fighter Squadrons . The Total Force Integration between active - duty and reserve Airmen would later be official with the stand up of the 44th Fighter Group , 44th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 301st Fighter Squadron on April 9 , 2010 . An Air Force announcement in July 2009 brought another vital mission to the wing . Holloman was selected as a new location for an additional Remotely Piloted Aircraft Formal Training Unit , allowing the base to once again move to the forefront of unmanned aerial vehicle technology as it had in the past . The 49th Fighter Wing FTU would become the Air Force ' s second MQ - 1 Predator and MQ - 9 Reaper Formal Training Unit . On Oct . 26 , 2009 , three RPA squadrons officially stood up under the 49th Fighter Wing — the 29th Attack Squadron , 6th Reconnaissance Squadron and 16th Training Squadron — along with the 849th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron , charged with maintaining Holloman ' s RPAs . In early 2010 , the 49th Fighter Wing again exemplified its ability to respond in a moment ' s notice when a 7 . 0 - magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti , leaving thousands dead and many more homeless . Units from across the base were tasked to prepare personnel and assets to deploy in the relief effort , later known as Operation United Response . The 49th Materiel Maintenance Group , 49th Civil Engineer Squadron and 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron worked around - the - clock to prepare potable water and equipment to send to the country . Additionally , the 849th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was asked to provide two RQ - 1 aircraft and a team of crew chiefs and avionics personnel to support the ongoing relief effort . Because it was primarily an RPA training squadron , this was the first time the 849th was tasked with a real - world mission . The contingent from Holloman teamed up with members from the 432nd Maintenance Group at Creech AFB , Nev . , to provide intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance to the troops on the ground assisting the Haitians . Even amongst ongoing Haiti relief operations , the 49th FW continued to support the war efforts down range . On Feb . 26 , 2010 , the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group began the movement of approximately 150 truckloads of assets , which were used to directly support joint and coalition forces in Afghanistan . Holloman ' s BEAR Base supplied 480 , 000 square feet of AM - 2 matting that was used to expand the expeditionary aircraft operations throughout Afghanistan . The AM - 2 matting provided was the equivalent of eight football fields and was valued at more than $ 15 million . Logisticians and engineers with the 49th also provided expeditionary base facilities and equipment to establish three 550 - person encampments , valued at $ 10 million , for joint service forces in the area of responsibility . Also in February 2010 , the 49th Fighter Wing was the host unit of Red Flag 10 - 3 , an advanced aerial combat exercise where air crews from the U . S . and other allied nations trained in realistic aerial war scenarios at Nellis Air Force Base , Nev . With the 49th Fighter Wing now supporting multiple unique missions , it was announced in early 2010 that the wing ' s name would change to the 49th Wing to more accurately portray the diverse wing . The designation from a fighter wing to a wing became official June 25 , 2010 , during a change of command ceremony where Col . David " Kooler " Krumm became the first 49th Wing commander . F - 16 Training School . In 2012 , it was announced that the 7th Fighter Squadron was to move its hundreds of F - 22 support personnel and aircraft to Tyndall Air Force Base , Florida , in the spring of 2013 to comply with the Air Force ' s F - 22 fleet consolidation plan . In August 2013 , it was announced however , that the United States Congress enacted a freeze on U . S . Air Force structure changes , including aircraft transfers . As a replacement for the F - 22 , Holloman was supposed to receive two F - 16 Fighting Falcon training squadrons from Luke Air Force Base , Arizona and assume the mission of the F - 16 Training School , but this move was also postponed due to the congressional freeze . The plan is to retain the 7th Fighter Squadron name at Holloman Air Force Base , with the transferred F - 22A aircraft , personnel equipment and mission to be assigned to a re - activated 95th Fighter Squadron , a historical squadron within Tyndall ' s history . Holloman will receive two squadrons ( 56 aircraft ) of F - 16s from Luke as the 56th Fighter Wing there takes over the F - 35A Lightning II training mission . Holloman is to take over the F - 16 training mission by October 2015 , with the first aircraft arriving in April 2014 . The F - 16s will accompany the unmanned aerial vehicle schoolhouses already in place at Holloman . All MQ - 1 Predator and MQ - 9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators come to Holloman to receive their training before proceeding to their operational duty assignments .