350th Electronic Systems Wing - History

History

The 350th ELSW, formerly the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Wing, traces its history back to the early establishment of information superiority in the United States Army Air Forces. The newly defined role of the aircraft for reconnaissance purposes resulted in the birth of multiple observation groups in the USAAF.

The 26th Observation Group, the direct lineage of the 350 ELSW, was activated 1 September 1941, and assigned to the 1st Air Force. The group, stationed at Fort Devens, Mass., flew various types of missions, including photographic, reconnaissance, tow target, and coast artillery spotting. This was done in cooperation with units along the Eastern seaboard.

The group was later re-designated the 26th Reconnaissance Group, and took part in the Carolina and Tennessee Maneuvers in the fall of 1941 and 1942 in support of Army field training exercises. In both exercises, observation aircraft were used to detail strategic ground positioning and provide an opportunity to train senior commanders and staff in the operational elements of combat.

With Pearl Harbor deeply entrenched in the minds of military leaders, it was clear there was a greater need for coastal surveillance and anti-submarine patrols. The 26th Reconnaissance Group, stationed out of Reading Army Airfield, Pa., was given that responsibility for the northeastern North American sector of the Atlantic Ocean.

Various aircraft, including the O-46 and O-52 Owl, flew anti-submarine patrols off the East Coast after the United States entered World War II. Other more notable aircraft that flew reconnaissance missions with modifications to their existing frames included the P-39 and B-25, which was designated as the F-10 after being modified for photographic reconnaissance work.

The 26th Reconnaissance Group was inactivated on 27 June 1949, at its station in Buffalo, N.Y., and then re-activated in the summer of 1985. The re-designation of the group to the 350th Tactical Electronics Group took place on 31 June 1985; however, it officially remained inactive until this year.

The group has now been re-designated as the 350th Electronics Systems Wing, delivering and sustaining transformational capabilities for operational-level command, control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information dominance.

The 350th Electronics Systems Group, formerly the Operational Command and Control Systems Group, acquires and sustains operational-level command and control assets including the Air and Space Operations Center and Theater Battle Management Core Systems.

The 850th Electronic Systems Group, formerly the Combatant Commanders Command and Control Systems Group, acquires, fields and sustains the warfighter’s global sensing, communication and decision-making capabilities, including missile warning and defense sensors, global command and control systems, space control sensors and battle management systems.

The 950th Electronic Systems Group, formerly the Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group develops, acquires, and integrates Network-centric intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance information and decision-support systems to fuse data at multiple security levels for Air Force, joint and coalition warfighters. The 950th ELSG was recognized with the AF Outstanding Unit Award for the period of 1 April 2006, to 31 March 2008.