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

Stations

Weapon Systems Operated

References

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

  1. ↑ "{title}". Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "{title}". Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

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