1st Combat Evaluation Group

The 1st Combat Evaluation Group was a United States Air Force unit assigned to Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. It was established on 1 August 1961 by combining the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group, which evaluated Strategic Air Command aircrews, with the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group. The resulting organization brought together flight-standardization oversight, instrument-flight assessment, radar-based scoring of bombing exercises, and the evaluation of increasingly sophisticated electronic-warfare threats. The group emerged during a major change in SAC operating doctrine. In the late 1950s, SAC moved toward low-level bomber and tanker tactics intended to reduce exposure to Soviet surface-to-air missile defenses. This created a need for realistic scoring and evaluation systems that could measure aircraft performance against simulated air-defense environments. The organization also supported the use of radar bomb-scoring equipment at United States Nike missile defense areas, where Army tracking systems could be used to assess simulated SAC attacks. Its standardization and evaluation responsibilities extended well beyond conventional bomber qualification. The group assessed tanker and bomber flight crews, administered flight checks connected with SAC training awards such as the Fairchild Trophy, and evaluated selected RC-135, U-2, DC-130, CH-3, and SR-71-related programs. A standardization and evaluation school and an Office of History were part of the headquarters structure. The Radar Bomb Scoring Division controlled three principal radar bomb-scoring squadrons—the 10th, 11th, and 12th—along with fixed radar stations and semi-mobile Mobile Duty Locations. These units used automatic tracking and bomb-scoring systems including the AN/MSQ-1 and AN/MSQ-2, later systems in the AN/MSQ-77, AN/TSQ-81, and AN/TSQ-96 families, and eventually the AN/TPQ-43 SEEK SCORE system. During the Vietnam War, the group supported Combat Skyspot operations, in which radar-directed bombing enabled aircraft to deliver attacks under conditions where visual bombing was difficult or impossible. The group also became involved in electronic-combat range development. In the 1970s it evaluated systems designed to simulate radar and missile threats, including the MUTES threat-emitter simulator, TLQ-11 jammer improvements, and the TRAINS threat-reaction analysis system. These activities reflected SAC's broader effort to test not only navigation and bombing accuracy but also the ability of crews and aircraft systems to respond to hostile electronic environments. The organization experienced substantial change as the Vietnam War ended and Cold War force structures evolved. Radar bomb-scoring squadrons were inactivated during the 1960s, while overseas operating locations continued to support combat missions. By the late 1980s, many radar sites and detachments had closed. On 1 July 1989, the Radar Bomb Scoring Division's personnel and assets were redesignated as the 1st Electronic Combat Range Group, while other elements moved to Strategic Air Command headquarters. The 1st Combat Evaluation Group therefore ceased to exist under that designation, leaving a legacy in the United States Air Force's development of standardized aircrew evaluation, radar scoring, and electronic-combat testing.

The unit's institutional ancestry reached back to radar bomb-scoring organizations created after the Second World War. A predecessor, the 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit, transferred from the Fifteenth Air Force to direct Strategic Air Command control around 1946. The 3903d Radar Bomb Scoring Group was subsequently organized from that lineage and the 3903d Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron at Carswell Air Force Base. It became the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group on 10 August 1954. Radar bomb scoring allowed SAC to assess bombing accuracy without requiring live weapons to be dropped on every training mission. Automatic tracking radars followed aircraft and computed simulated release and impact points. By the late 1950s, the system had expanded to fixed sites and mobile detachments. Three radar bomb-scoring squadrons operated numerous AUTOTRACK sites, while special mobile locations could be deployed for particular SAC exercises. Some detachments also supported simulated attacks against Army Nike missile defense areas. SAC's adoption of low-level tactics in response to Soviet missile defenses increased the importance of realistic evaluation. The command developed specialized radar-scoring field equipment for use with Nike systems and pursued more flexible mobile scoring arrangements. In 1960, the radar-scoring organization also merged with an operational evaluation and training group associated with the B-58, broadening its technical and assessment background. On 1 August 1961, the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group and the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group were brought together as the 1st Combat Evaluation Group. Its headquarters at Carswell included a command instrument flight function, a Radar Bomb Scoring Division, a standardization and evaluation school, and an Office of History. The deputy commander for standardization and evaluation oversaw performance assessment for SAC bomber and tanker crews. The group also examined the standardization of RC-135 units at Eielson, Kadena, and Offutt and supported evaluation of U-2, DC-130 drone, CH-3 drone-recovery, and SR-71 programs. The Radar Bomb Scoring Division was organized around three squadrons: the 10th, 11th, and 12th Radar Bomb Scoring Squadrons. They operated fixed stations and semi-mobile Mobile Duty Locations. Each squadron was associated with an RBS Express train, a transportable system intended to move personnel and equipment to temporary assignments. The squadrons were progressively inactivated during 1966 as the Vietnam War altered the deployment pattern of radar-scoring resources. Vietnam-era operations made radar-directed bombing a central part of the group's work. Reeves AN/MSQ-77 Bomb Directing Centrals were produced and deployed from 1965 onward for Combat Skyspot missions involving B-52s, tactical aircraft, and other units. Detachment 15 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base served as an administrative connection between headquarters and operating locations. Group personnel also operated or supported survey and training detachments. Six technicians died near Dong Ha on 5 June 1966 during a preliminary site survey. In the United States, Detachment 7 and later Detachment 50 supported the Busy Skyspot program and long-range tracking on Matagorda Island routes. A B-52 accident occurred on the low-level route on 29 February 1968. The group continued to develop its equipment after the war. Systems from the AN/MSQ-77, AN/TSQ-81, and AN/TSQ-96 families were used in the United States after Vietnam, and the AN/TPQ-43 SEEK SCORE system later replaced much of that equipment. The organization also supported electronic-warfare evaluation. During the late 1970s it tested the MUTES miniature multiple-threat emitter simulator, assessed TLQ-11 jammer improvements, and studied the TRAINS system for analyzing aircraft and avionics responses to ground-based threats. By the end of the Cold War, the fixed radar network and many detachments were no longer required in their earlier form. On 1 July 1989, the Radar Bomb Scoring Division became the 1st Electronic Combat Range Group, carrying over its personnel and assets. Other parts of the former group moved to Strategic Air Command headquarters. This reorganization ended the 1st Combat Evaluation Group as a named unit and shifted its mission toward electronic-combat range support.

• 1989

  Reorganized as 1st Electronic Combat Range Group

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Radar Bomb Scoring Division's assets and personnel became the 1st Electronic Combat Range Group on 1 July.

• 1979

  TRAINS prototype study completed

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Group personnel completed prototype study and testing of the Threat Reaction Analysis Indicator System.

• 1977

  MUTES prototype evaluated

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group evaluated a prototype miniature multiple-threat emitter simulator for electronic-combat training.

• 1966

  Radar bomb-scoring squadrons inactivated

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 10th, 11th, and 12th Radar Bomb Scoring Squadrons were progressively inactivated during 1966 as wartime deployment patterns changed.

• 1965

  Combat Skyspot equipment deployed

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Reeves AN/MSQ-77 Bomb Directing Centrals began supporting radar-directed bombing operations in Vietnam and related training activities.

• 1961

  1st Combat Evaluation Group formed

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Strategic Air Command merged the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group and the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group on 1 August.

• 1960

  Operational evaluation and training merger

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The radar-scoring organization merged with the 3958th Operational Evaluation and Training Group associated with the B-58.

• 1954

  1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group designation adopted

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 3903d Radar Bomb Scoring Group was redesignated the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group.

• 1946

  Radar-scoring lineage enters Strategic Air Command control

  [1]1st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit transferred from the Fifteenth Air Force to direct Strategic Air Command control, forming part of the later group's institutional lineage.

A Strategic Air Command evaluation and training organization rather than a commercial consumer brand. Its role was to provide objective measurement, standardization, and realistic combat-training support for bomber, tanker, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare operations.

• Training and evaluation capability

  Radar Bomb Scoring

  A radar-based method for evaluating simulated bombing missions. Automatic tracking systems followed aircraft, calculated release and predicted impact data, and provided objective scoring for SAC bomber and tanker training. The capability operated from fixed radar stations, mobile duty locations, and overseas combat operating sites.

• Radar-directed bombing support · 1965

  Combat Skyspot

  A radar-directed bombing capability used during the Vietnam War and in associated training. It enabled aircraft crews to receive bombing guidance when visual conditions were poor or when missions required delivery through cloud, darkness, or other restrictions. The group's personnel and equipment supported operating locations through the headquarters and Detachment 15.

• Electronic-warfare evaluation · 1977

  Electronic-combat threat simulation

  A family of range and analysis activities that simulated ground-based radar, missile, and jamming threats. The group evaluated systems such as MUTES, assessed TLQ-11 jammer improvements, and tested TRAINS to study how aircrews and aircraft avionics reacted to hostile electronic environments.

• 1965Combat Skyspot

  Vietnam and United States training ranges

  The group supported radar-directed bombing operations by deploying and administering AN/MSQ-77 Bomb Directing Centrals and maintaining links between headquarters and forward operating locations.

  Outcome. The capability became an important method for directing bombing when visual bombing was impractical and continued to influence postwar radar-scoring work.

  Source

• 1989

  Convert radar-scoring assets into an electronic-combat range groupStrategy

  Background

  The end of the Cold War reduced the need for much of the earlier fixed radar bomb-scoring network while increasing emphasis on electronic-threat evaluation.

  Action taken

  On 1 July, the Radar Bomb Scoring Division's personnel and assets were redesignated as the 1st Electronic Combat Range Group, and other organizations moved to Strategic Air Command headquarters.

  Aftermath

  The 1st Combat Evaluation Group ceased to operate under its former designation.

  Source

• 1961

  Merge standardization and radar-scoring functionsStrategy

  Background

  SAC required a combined organization capable of evaluating aircrews while also administering radar-based bombing assessment during the shift toward low-level operations.

  Action taken

  The 3908th Strategic Standardization Group and the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group were combined to create the 1st Combat Evaluation Group.

  Aftermath

  The new unit unified flight evaluation, radar bomb scoring, and related training oversight under one headquarters.

  Source

1. 11st Combat Evaluation Groupen.wikipedia.org