76th Helicopter Squadron

76th Helicopter Squadron [1]
Active	17 Oct 1952 - 1 Aug 1975 1 May 1993 - 29 Aug 2007
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Search and Rescue
Part of	Air Force Space Command 30th Space Wing 30th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Vandenberg Air Force Base
Decorations	MUC AFOUA
Commanders
Current commander	Major Ronald K. Frantz

The 76th Helicopter Squadron is an inactivated United States Air Force unit that was based at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California assigned to the 30th Operations Group, 30th Space Wing that was tasked to support range operations as well as search and rescue missions. The squadron operated the UH-1N Huey helicopter.

History

Provided search, rescue, and recovery services in central and southern Pacific Ocean areas. Supported space recovery operations for Discoverer, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab programs. Maintained aircraft at Johnson Island during atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. Search, rescue, recovery, and other missions in area of Vandenberg Air Force Base, especially during periods of missile launches.

The unit logged more than 35,000 hours of accident free flying hours. The helicopter squadron has supported high profile rescue and fire suppression missions, including humanitarian relief in the Gulf States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.^[2]

Lineage

• Constituted 76th Air Rescue Squadron on 17 Oct 1952 and activated on 14 Nov 1952

Redesignated 76th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 Jan 1966

Inactivated on 1 Aug 1975

• Redesignated 76th Rescue Flight on 1 Apr 1993 and activated on 1 May 1993

Redesignated 76th Helicopter Flight on 1 May 1998

Redesignated 76th Helicopter Squadron on 1 October 2005

Inactivated on 29 Aug 2007

Assignments

• 11th Air Rescue Group (1952-1954)
• Air Rescue Service (1954-1955)
• 2d Air Rescue Group (1955-1958)
• Air Rescue Service (1958-1967)
• Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center (1967-1975)
• 310th Operations Group (1993)
• 30th Operations Group (1993-2007)

Stations

• Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii (1952-1975)
• Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (1993-2007)

Weapon Systems Operated

• Boeing SB-29 Superfortress (1955-1956)
• Grumman SA-16 Albatross (1956-1957, 1960-1961)
• Sikorsky SH-19 Chicksaw (1957-1960)
• Douglas SC-54 Skymaster (1956-1964)
• Boeing C/HC/KC-97 Stratofreighter (1964-1967)
• Lockheed HC-130 (1966-1975)
• Sikorsky HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant (1972-1975)
• Bell UH-1 Iroquois (1993-2007)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links

• USAF 76th Helicopter Squadron History

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