329th Armament Systems Group

The 329th Armament Systems Group was a United States Air Force unit that combined a long historical lineage as a fighter group with a modern systems-development mission. Its immediate predecessor, the Air Combat Support Systems Group, was activated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in January 2005 during Air Force Materiel Command’s organizational transformation. That transformation replaced traditional directorates and program-office structures with wings, groups, and squadrons. In May 2006, the systems group was consolidated with the inactive lineage of the 329th Fighter Group and was redesignated the 329th Armament Systems Group on 15 May 2006. The group’s historical lineage began during the Second World War. Constituted in June 1942 and activated in July of that year, the 329th Fighter Group operated primarily as a training organization rather than as an overseas combat group. It initially served as an Operational Training Unit, providing the personnel and organizational framework used to create and support satellite fighter groups. It later became a Replacement Training Unit for Lockheed P-38 Lightning pilots preparing for deployment to overseas theaters. Its headquarters and squadrons moved among military airfields in Washington and California, and the organization was disbanded in March 1944 during a broad Army Air Forces reorganization that replaced many conventional training formations with more functionally structured base units. The lineage returned to active service during the Cold War. In 1955, under Air Defense Command’s Project Arrow, the unit was reconstituted as the 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. Project Arrow restored the designations of historically notable fighter organizations and paired them with related squadrons where possible. The group assumed an air-defense role in the northeastern United States, operating radar-equipped and rocket-armed North American F-86D Sabres, later supplemented by F-86L aircraft equipped for integration with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system. It also served as the host organization for Air Force units at Stewart. Its operational strength was reduced in 1958, and the group was inactivated in August 1959 after its remaining squadron and support responsibilities were reassigned. In its final form, the 329th Armament Systems Group did not operate as a conventional flying or combat group. It managed and developed equipment and subsystems supporting air combat training, test-range operations, expeditionary activities, munitions handling, explosive-ordnance-disposal support, and electronic-warfare threat simulation. Its systems were intended for United States and allied users. The organization also supported an effort begun in 2007 to examine a common instrumentation architecture for Department of Defense test and training ranges, with the goals of improving interoperability, data movement, accuracy, and secure information exchange. The group was inactivated on 7 September 2007 when the Air Armament Center consolidated its armament-systems organizations into the 308th Armament Systems Wing.

The organization’s lineage began with the 329th Fighter Group, constituted on 24 June 1942 and activated at Hamilton Field, California, on 10 July 1942. Four days later it moved to Paine Field, Washington. The group was assigned the 330th, 331st, and 332d Fighter Squadrons and performed Operational Training Unit duties. Such units were intentionally larger than normal combat formations so that they could provide cadres for newly organized satellite groups. The 329th later performed Replacement Training Unit duties, preparing Lockheed P-38 Lightning pilots for overseas service. During 1942 and 1943, the group and its squadrons operated from dispersed locations in California and Washington. The headquarters moved to Grand Central Air Terminal, California, while subordinate squadrons were based at locations including Inglewood, Santa Ana, Van Nuys, Lindbergh Field, and Ontario. The group was joined temporarily by the 337th Fighter Squadron, while other squadron assignments changed as the training and air-defense requirements evolved. By late 1943 and early 1944, the headquarters and several squadrons were concentrated at Ontario Army Air Field. The group was disbanded on 31 March 1944, and its personnel and equipment were transferred to a numbered Army Air Forces base unit as part of a reorganization intended to make the training structure more flexible and release manpower for overseas assignments. The lineage was revived in the Cold War under Air Defense Command. The group was redesignated the 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense), activated at Stewart Air Force Base, New York, on 18 August 1955, and assigned to the 4707th Air Defense Wing. This activation formed part of Project Arrow, which restored selected World War II fighter-group designations. The group absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 4700th Air Defense Group and received the 330th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was also associated with the group as part of the effort to reunite historically related fighter organizations. At Stewart, the group conducted air defense for the northeastern United States. Its aircraft included radar-equipped North American F-86D Sabres armed with Mighty Mouse rockets. Beginning in 1956, upgraded F-86D and F-86L aircraft incorporated data-link equipment that allowed interaction with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment air-defense network. The group also acted as Stewart’s host organization and carried support responsibilities for other Air Force activities at the base. The 331st Squadron departed in 1958, reducing the group to a single operational squadron. That squadron was inactivated in July 1959, and the group was inactivated the following month, with its support duties transferred to another base organization. The group was redesignated the 329th Tactical Fighter Group in 1985 but remained inactive. A new, unrelated-in-function systems organization was constituted as the Air Combat Support Systems Group in November 2004 and activated at Eglin Air Force Base on 27 January 2005. Its creation reflected Air Force Materiel Command’s transformation, which reorganized traditional directorates into wings, groups, and squadrons. On 3 May 2006, the systems group was consolidated with the 329th Fighter Group lineage, and on 15 May it became the 329th Armament Systems Group. The final organization developed air-combat test and training systems, expeditionary support equipment, munitions-handling equipment, armament subsystems, explosive-ordnance-disposal support equipment, and electronic-warfare threat simulators for United States and allied forces. In 2007 it began examining a common instrumentation system for Department of Defense ranges, intended to improve the exchange, accuracy, speed, and security of range data. The 329th Armament Systems Group was inactivated on 7 September 2007 when the Air Armament Center consolidated its armament-systems units into the 308th Armament Systems Wing.

• 2007

  Final inactivation

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was inactivated on 7 September 2007 and its functions were folded into the 308th Armament Systems Wing.

• 2006

  Redesignated as 329th Armament Systems Group

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Following consolidation with the 329th Fighter Group lineage, the Air Combat Support Systems Group received its final designation on 15 May 2006.

• 2005

  Air Combat Support Systems Group activated

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  A new systems-development group was activated at Eglin Air Force Base as part of Air Force Materiel Command Transformation.

• 1959

  Air-defense group inactivated

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group and its remaining operational structure were inactivated after Air Defense Command realigned its fighter forces.

• 1955

  Cold War air-defense activation

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The lineage was reconstituted and activated as the 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) at Stewart Air Force Base under Project Arrow.

• 1944

  World War II training group disbanded

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was disbanded on 31 March 1944 during the reorganization of Army Air Forces training units into numbered base units.

• 1942

  329th Fighter Group activated

  [1]329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 329th Fighter Group was activated on 10 July 1942 after being constituted for the Army Air Forces’ wartime fighter-training structure.

A United States Air Force armament-systems organization focused on developing and supporting equipment for air combat testing, training, munitions operations, expeditionary support, ordnance disposal, electronic-warfare simulation, and range instrumentation.

• Test and training systems · 2005

  Air combat test and training systems

  Systems used to support the testing, evaluation, and training of air-combat forces. The group’s work covered equipment and instrumentation intended to make air-combat exercises and developmental activities more realistic and measurable.

• Armament support equipment · 2005

  Expeditionary and munitions support equipment

  Equipment supporting deployed operations, munitions handling, and related armament activities. These capabilities formed part of the group’s systems-development portfolio for United States and allied forces.

• Electronic-warfare training equipment · 2005

  Electronic-warfare threat simulators

  Realistic threat-simulation equipment intended to reproduce electronic-warfare conditions during air-combat testing and training. The systems supported more representative preparation for operations in contested electromagnetic environments.

• Range instrumentation · 2007

  Common range instrumentation system study

  A 2007 study examined a common instrumentation approach for Department of Defense ranges. Its objectives included improving the movement of information among ranges, increasing measurement accuracy and data-transfer rates, and strengthening encryption for transmitted data.

• 2007

  Common Department of Defense range-instrumentation studyStrategy

  Background

  Different test and training ranges required improved interoperability and more efficient handling of measurement and exercise data.

  Action taken

  The group began studying a common instrumentation system intended to improve data transfer, accuracy, transfer rates, and encryption across Department of Defense ranges.

  Aftermath

  The group was inactivated later in 2007 as the Air Armament Center consolidated its armament-systems organizations into the 308th Armament Systems Wing.

  Source

• 2006

  Consolidation with the 329th Fighter Group lineageM&A

  Background

  Air Force Materiel Command was reorganizing its traditional directorates and program offices into wings, groups, and squadrons while also preserving historic unit lineages.

  Action taken

  The Air Combat Support Systems Group was consolidated with the 329th Fighter Group on 3 May 2006 and redesignated the 329th Armament Systems Group on 15 May.

  Aftermath

  The resulting group retained the 329th designation while performing a modern armament-systems development mission at Eglin Air Force Base.

  Source

1. 1329th Armament Systems Groupen.wikipedia.org