89th Airlift Wing

The 89th Airlift Wing (89 AW) of the United States Air Force is based at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility and has an operational force of over 1,000 personnel. The 89 AW provides global Special Air Mission (SAM) airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the President, Vice President, Combat Commanders, senior leaders and the global mobility system as tasked by the White House, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Air Mobility Command.

Mission
"Transporting our nation's senior civilian and military leaders to locations around the globe...during peace, crisis, and conflict... and providing combat ready forces to theater combatant commanders."

Units

 * 89th Operations Group (89 OG)
 * 1st Airlift Squadron - C-32, C-40
 * 99th Airlift Squadron - C-20, C-37


 * 89th Maintenance Group (89 MXG)


 * 89th Airlift Support Group (89 ASG)
 * 89th Aerial Port Squadron (89 APS)
 * 89th Communications Squadron (89 CS)


 * Presidential Airlift Group (PAG) - VC-25 (Air Force One)

History
The 89th provided transition training for pilots from 1942 to 1944. It trained replacement crews in March-April 1944. The wing trained in the Reserve for troop carrier operations from June 1949 to May 1951. It was briefly called into active service in May 1951 to provide personnel to other units during the Korean War.

The 89th again trained in the Reserve for fighter-bomber operations from June 1952 to November 1957. From January 1966, it served as a special mission airlift wing charged with providing worldwide airlift for the Executive Department and high-ranking dignitaries of the U.S. Government and of foreign governments, as directed. (In taking over the special airlift mission, it replaced the 1254th Air Transport Wing, which had previously undertaken the task at Andrews from 1 October 1948 to 1966.) It assumed an additional mission of controlling all T-39 administrative airlift within the United States from 1975 to 1978 and continued maintenance support to 1984. It gained a helicopter squadron in July 1976 and added rescue and medical evacuation (in the Washington, D.C. area) to its mission. In October 1976, the wing began training C-12 pilots for units in Alaska and Germany, and for duty with defense attaché offices and military assistance units.

The 89th was reduced in size in 1977 through transfer of many aircraft and inactivation of units, and became a group on 30 September 1977. Redesignated in 1980 as a selectively manned wing. In addition to primary mission of airlifting the President, Vice-President, cabinet members, other high U.S. government officials, and foreign dignitaries, the wing frequently participated in humanitarian missions at home and abroad. It provided transport for personnel and supplies to Southwest Asia from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, the 89th airlifted home 20 former prisoners of war from Iraqi captivity. It became host wing of Andrews Air Force Base in July 1991 and subsequently relinquished that responsibility to the 316th Wing in 2006.

Lineage

 * Established as 89th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 10 May 1949
 * Activated in the Reserve on 27 Jun 1949
 * Ordered to active service on 1 May 1951
 * Inactivated on 10 May 1951


 * Re-designated as 89th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 26 May 1952
 * Activated in the Reserve on 14 Jun 1952
 * Inactivated on 16 Nov 1957


 * Re-designated as 89th Military Airlift Wing, Special Mission, and activated on 27 Dec 1965
 * Organized on 8 Jan 1966, assuming personnel and equipment of 1254th Air Transport Wing (Inactivated)
 * Status changed from Wing to Group, 30 Sep 1977
 * Re-designated as: 89th Military Airlift Group on 30 Sep 1977
 * Status changed from Group to Wing, 15 Dec 1980
 * Re-designated as: 89th Military Airlift Wing on 15 Dec 1980
 * Re-designated as: 89th Airlift Wing on 12 Jul 1991.

Assignments

 * First Air Force, 27 Jun 1949-10 May 1951; 14 Jun 1952-16 Nov 1957
 * Military Air Transport Service (later, Military Airlift Command), 27 Dec 1965
 * 76th Airlift Division, 1 Jul 1976
 * 76th Military Airlift Wing, 30 Sep 1977
 * 76th Airlift Division, 15 Dec 1980
 * Twenty-First Air Force, 1 Oct 1985
 * Eighteenth Air Force, 1 Oct 2003-Present

Components
Groups
 * 89th Troop Carrier (later, 89 Fighter-Bomber; 89 Operations) Group: 27 Jun 1949-10 May 1951; 14 Jun 1952-16 Nov 1957; 12 Jul 1991-Present
 * Presidential Airlift Group: 1 Apr 2001-Present

Squadrons
 * 1st Helicopter Squadron: 1 Jul 1976-12 Jul 1991
 * 1st Military Airlift Squadron: 12 Sep 1977-12 Jul 1991
 * 98th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 Jan 1966-1 Sep 1977
 * 99th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 Jan 1966-12 Sep 1977; 1 Oct 1988-12 Jul 1991
 * 1400th Military Airlift Squadron: 1 Apr 1975-15 Mar 1978
 * 1401st Military Airlift Squadron: 1 Apr 1975- 15 Mar 1978
 * 1402d Military Airlift Squadron: 1 Apr 1975-15 Mar 1978.

Stations

 * Hanscom Field, Massachusetts, 27 Jun 1949-10 May 1951; 14 Jun 1952-16 Nov 1957
 * Andrews AFB, Maryland, 8 Jan 1966-Present

Aircraft

 * C-47 Skytrain (1942–1944)
 * C-45 Expeditor (1949–1950, 1955–1957)
 * C-46 Commando (1949–1952, 1956–1957)
 * T-6 Texan (1949–1950)
 * T-7 (1949–1954)
 * T-11 (1949–1952)
 * P-51 Mustang (1952–1954)
 * T-28 Trojan (1953–1956)
 * T-33 Shooting Star (1953–1957)
 * P-80 Shooting Star (1953–1957)
 * TC-47 (1955–1957)
 * F-86 Sabre (1957)
 * C-119 Flying Boxcar (1957)
 * C-118 Liftmaster (1966–1972)
 * VC-118 The Independence (1966–1974)
 * C-121 Constellation (1966–1968)
 * VC-121 (1966)
 * C-131 Samaritan (1966)
 * VC-131 (1966–1979)


 * C-135 Stratolifter (1966–1968, 1975–1992)
 * VC-137 Stratoliner (1966–2001)
 * C-140 (1966–1972)
 * VC-140 (1966–1987)
 * VC-6 (1966–1985)
 * U-4 (1966–1969)
 * VC-135 (1968–1992)
 * VC-9 (1975–2005)
 * T-39 Sabreliner (1975–1978)
 * UH-1 Iroquois (1976–Present)
 * CH-3 Jolly Green Giant (1976–1988)
 * C-12 Huron (1976–1993)
 * C-20 (1983–present)
 * VC-25 (1990–present)
 * C-21 (1993–1997)
 * C-32 (1998–present)
 * C-37 (1998–present)
 * C-40 Clipper (2002–present)