438th Air Expeditionary Wing

The 438th Air Expeditionary Wing (438 AEW) is an active United States Air Force unit operating in Afghanistan and assigned to United States Air Forces Central. The wing trains Afghan Air Force members, including pilots.

Subordinate units

 * 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Kabul International Airport)
 * 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (Mi-17 and Mi-35 training)
 * 439th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (security forces, gender integration, and force support squadron advisors; communications, civil engineering, logistics, force support, security and technical services)
 * 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (maintenance advisors)
 * 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, (C-27A)
 * 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (Pohantoon-e-Hawayee in Kabul) 738th AEAS air advisors assess, train, mentor, equip and assist the AAF's Air University. The squadron is composed of more than 35 Coalition members, includes partners from Canada, Portugal, and the United States. Afghan Air Force personnel at PeH currently include 275 assigned staff members with 31 AAF qualified instructors, seven AAF instructor supervisors and another 16 in instructor qualification training courses. The squadron was activated October 28, 2008.
 * Detachment 1 (Jalalabad)
 * Detachment 3 (Mazar-e-Shariff)
 * 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Kandahar Airfield)
 * 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (Mi-17 training)
 * 442d Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (Mi-17 training)
 * 443d Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (training Kandahar Air Wing Security Kandak)
 * 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Shindand Air Base)
 * 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (fixed wing and rotary pilot training)
 * 445th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (communications)
 * 802d Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (training trainers and maintainers)
 * Detachment 1 at Herat

History

 * For additional history and lineage, see 438th Air Expeditionary Group

Cold War
The 438th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium) was established on 10 May 1949, at Offut AFB, Nebraska. It was activated in the USAF reserve on 27 June 1949. The wing flew C-45, C-46 and C-47 aircraft. It was ordered to active service on 10 March 1951. It was inactivated on 14 March 1951.

The 438th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated at General Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin in the reserves flying F-80 Shooting Stars and later F-86 Sabres on 15 June 1952. It was inactivated 16 November 1957.

The 438th Military Airlift Wing replaced the 1611th Air Transport Wing at McGuire AFB, New Jersey in June 1966, equipped with Lockheed C-141 Starlifters. For the next 30 years, the 438th MAW and transported military cargo, mail and passengers worldwide, particularly in the Eastern United States, Atlantic, European and Mediterranean areas, with frequent special missions to the Arctic, the Antarctic, South America, the Far East, and to Southeast Asia combat areas during the Vietnam War.

On 1 December 1991, the wing was redesignated as the 438th Airlift Wing and implemented objective wing. On 1 June 1992, it was assigned to the new Air Mobility Command.

Post Cold War
On 1 October 1993, the 30th AS was moved without personnel or equipment (w/o/p/e) to the 374th Operations Group, Yokota AB, Japan, replacing the 20th AS as part of the Air Force illustrious units realignment. It was replaced by the 13th Airlift Squadron at McGuire which was transferred without personnel or equipment from the 18th Operations Group, Kadena AB, Okinawa.

A KC-10 air refueling squadron, the 2d ARS, was assigned to the wing from the former 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as part of a major Air Force realignment on 1 October 1994 to have KC-10 bases with two squadrons of 10 aircraft each.

On 1 October 1994, the 438th Airlift Wing was inactivated, being replaced at McGuire by the 305th Air Mobility Wing which was transferred from Grissom AFB, Indiana when Grissom was realigned via a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action to the Air Force Reserve Command as Grissom ARB.

The 438th Air Expeditionary Group was activated after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001. Its people fought in Iraq and trained Iraqis and then moved to Afghanistan to train Afghan airmen at bases around the country.

Lineage

 * Established as 438th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 10 May 1949
 * Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949
 * Ordered to Active Service on 10 March 1951
 * Inactivated on 14 March 1951


 * Redesignated 438th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 26 May 1952
 * Activated in the Reserve on 15 June 1952
 * Inactivated on 16 November 1957


 * Redesignated 438th Military Airlift Wing, and activated, on 27 December 1965
 * Organized on 8 January 1966, assuming personnel and equipment of 1611th Air Transport Wing (MATS) which was discontinued.
 * Redesignated 438 Airlift Wing on 1 November 1991
 * Inactivated on 1 October 1994


 * Redesignated 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, and converted to provisional status, on 4 December 2001.

Assignments

 * Tenth Air Force, 27 June 1949-14 March 1951; 15 June 1952-16 November 1957
 * Military Air Transport Service (later, Military Airlift Command), 27 December 1965
 * Twenty-First Air Force, 8 January 1966-1 October 1994
 * Air Combat Command, to activate or inactivate anytime after 4 December 2001
 * United States Air Forces Central

Components
Former:

Wing
 * 514th Military Airlift (later Airlift) Wing: attached 1 July 1973–1 October 1994

Group
 * 438th Troop Carrier (later Fighter-Bomber, later Operations) Group: 27 June 1949–14 March 1951; 15 June 1952–16 November 1957; 1 November 1991–1 October 1994
 * 903d Military Airlift Group: attached 25 September 1968–30 June 1973

Squadrons
 * 18th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January-15 June 1966 (not operational, 1 February–15 June 1966); 1 August 1968–
 * 29th Military Airlift Squadron:  8 January 1966-31 August 1968 (not operational, 12–31 August 1968)
 * 40th Military Airlift Squadron:  8 January 1966-4 March 1968 (not operational, 1 December 1967–4 March 1968)
 * 45th Military Airlift Squadron: 3 July 1967-31 August 1968 (not operational, 12–31 August 1968)
 * 30th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 April 1967–1 November 1991
 * 6th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 April 1970–1 November 1991


 * Military Airlift Squadron Provisional, 1645th: attached 15 March–3 July 1967
 * Naval Air Transport Squadron VR-3: attached 1 February 1966–1 July 1967.

Stations

 * Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 27 June 1949–14 March 1951
 * Mitchell Field, Wisconsin, 15 June 1952; 5 January 1953–16 November 1957
 * McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 8 January 1966–1 October 1994
 * Undisclosed locations after 4 December 2001
 * Iraq
 * Kabul Air Force Base, Afghanistan, (2007–Present)

Aircraft

 * C-46 Commando, 1949–1951; 1953
 * F-51 Mustang, 1953–1954
 * F-80 Shooting Star, 1954–1957
 * F-86 Sabre, 1957


 * C-130E Hercules, 1966–1968
 * C-135, 1966–1967
 * C-141 Starlifter, 1967–1994