352nd Special Operations Wing

The 352nd Special Operations Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command based at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. It serves as the principal United States Air Force special operations organization for the European theater and supports related missions in areas assigned to United States European Command, United States Africa Command, and United States Central Command. Its work combines aviation, special tactics, maintenance, command-and-control, and medical-support capabilities for missions that may require rapid movement, low visibility, and close coordination with American or partner special operations forces. The wing’s lineage reaches back to the Second World War. Its earliest predecessor, the 2nd Air Commando Group, was activated in Florida in April 1944 and deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater later that year. Equipped with a mixture of fighters, transports, liaison aircraft, and other light aviation assets, the group supported British long-range penetration forces and Allied operations in Burma. Its missions included resupply, troop movement, reconnaissance, attacks on enemy transportation and airfields, fighter escort, close air support, and parachute operations. After Japan’s defeat, the group was prepared for operations connected with the planned invasion of Japan, but the end of the war led to its return to the United States and inactivation in November 1945. The lineage also incorporates the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing, a Cold War organization created to operate the SM-62 Snark intercontinental cruise missile. The 702nd was activated at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, in 1959 and placed missiles on alert the following year. The Snark program was short-lived: operational evaluations exposed substantial readiness limitations, and the system was judged obsolete after the introduction of more capable ballistic missiles. The wing was inactivated in June 1961. A third major predecessor was the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing, established in 1969. It conducted rescue operations during and after the Vietnam War, supported strategic missile installations, and maintained rescue detachments across the Western Hemisphere and Europe. It later became the 39th Special Operations Wing and served as the air component of Special Operations Command Europe. During the 1991 Gulf crisis, much of its personnel deployed to Turkey for Operation Elusive Concept. The 39th was inactivated in 1992, while its European special operations functions were carried forward by the 352nd Special Operations Group. The 352nd group became active in December 1992 and moved from RAF Alconbury to RAF Mildenhall in February 1995. During the 1990s and early 2000s, it supported humanitarian, peace-enforcement, combat, and evacuation missions, including operations in the Balkans, northern Iraq, and Africa. Its responsibilities included airland and airdrop missions, establishing landing zones, controlling close air support, recovering personnel, evacuating civilians, and providing medical assistance. In 1996, its forces supported Operation Assured Response, evacuating more than 2,000 noncombatants from Liberia during a period of instability. The group also participated in the response to the 1996 crash of a United States Air Force transport aircraft carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. The organization was redesignated as the 352nd Special Operations Wing in March 2015. The wing now coordinates aviation and special tactics capabilities through subordinate organizations including the 752nd Special Operations Group, the 352nd Special Operations Maintenance Group, the 7th Special Operations Squadron, the 67th Special Operations Squadron, the 321st Special Tactics Squadron, and the 352nd Special Operations Support Squadron. Aircraft associated with its current mission set include the CV-22B Osprey and MC-130J Commando II, while the wing received the Dornier C-146A Wolfhound in December 2024. Its continuing role is to plan and execute infiltration, exfiltration, resupply, air assault, casualty response, and other special operations missions for United States and allied forces.

The 352nd Special Operations Wing traces its institutional heritage through three principal predecessor organizations: the 2nd Air Commando Group of the Second World War, the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing of the early Cold War, and the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery and Special Operations Wing. The 2nd Air Commando Group was activated at Lakeland Army Air Field, Florida, on 22 April 1944. It was created to provide an integrated combination of light aviation, fighter support, transport, reconnaissance, and logistical capability for Allied forces operating behind Japanese lines in the China-Burma-India Theater. The group trained with aircraft including the O-47, P-51 Mustang, C-47 Skytrain, and L-5 Sentinel before moving personnel and aircraft to India between October and December 1944. In Burma, the group transported troops, food, ammunition, and engineering equipment; delivered supplies to forces in the Chindwin Valley; moved Chinese troops toward China; dropped Gurkha paratroopers during operations connected with the assault on Rangoon; supported Allied river crossings; attacked Japanese airfields and transportation infrastructure; escorted bombers; and performed reconnaissance. Following the collapse of Japanese resistance in Burma, elements were prepared for possible operations associated with the invasion of Japan. Japan’s surrender ended that requirement, and the group returned to the United States and was inactivated on 12 November 1945. The 702nd Strategic Missile Wing represented a very different phase of the lineage. Activated at Presque Isle Air Force Base in January 1959, it was the only United States Air Force wing assigned to the SM-62 Snark intercontinental cruise missile. The wing received its first operational missile in May 1959, and the first Snark entered alert status in March 1960. Testing and readiness exercises revealed that the missile force did not meet expected operational standards consistently. As ballistic missiles became the preferred strategic delivery system, the Snark was declared obsolete and of limited military value. The 702nd was consequently inactivated on 25 June 1961. The 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing was activated in 1970 under the Military Airlift Command’s rescue organization. It conducted rescue missions related to the Vietnam War, provided helicopter support for strategic missile sites, and managed rescue detachments in the Americas and Europe. It moved its headquarters to Europe in 1989, was redesignated the 39th Special Operations Wing, and became associated with Special Operations Command Europe. During the 1991 crisis following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, most of its personnel deployed to Turkey as part of Joint Special Operations Task Force Elusive Concept. The 352nd lineage was formally consolidated from the 2nd Air Commando Group and the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing in 1985. The consolidated organization was redesignated as the 352nd Special Operations Group in September 1992 and activated at the end of that year. It inherited the European air special operations mission previously associated with the 39th Special Operations Wing, which was then inactivated. The group supported operations in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia, including humanitarian assistance, peace-support activity, combat operations, and civilian evacuation. During the 1990s, the group participated in or supported Operations Provide Promise, Deny Flight, Allied Force, Provide Comfort, and Northern Watch. It also deployed elements to Italy in support of NATO’s Implementation Force. In 1996, aircraft and crews responded to the crash of a United States Air Force T-43 carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and other passengers. Later that year, during Operation Assured Response, helicopters and MC-130 aircraft helped evacuate more than 2,000 noncombatants from Liberia. In 2002, the organization participated in Operation Autumn Return, the evacuation of American citizens from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The group was upgraded to wing status on 23 March 2015. The modern wing organizes aviation, special tactics, support, and maintenance capabilities for contingency operations. Its mission includes planning and executing infiltration, exfiltration, resupply, air assault, landing-zone control, close-air-support coordination, and trauma response. RAF Mildenhall remains its base after proposed plans to close the installation were abandoned. The arrival of the C-146A Wolfhound in December 2024 further broadened the wing’s available transport capability.

• 2024

  C-146A Wolfhound assigned

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  A Dornier C-146A Wolfhound was assigned to the wing in December.

• 2015

  Redesignated as a wing

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 352nd Special Operations Group became the 352nd Special Operations Wing on 23 March.

• 1995

  Move to RAF Mildenhall

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group relocated from RAF Alconbury to RAF Mildenhall.

• 1992

  352nd Special Operations Group activated

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group was activated on 1 December as the successor to the European special operations role of the 39th Special Operations Wing.

• 1985

  Lineage consolidation

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 2nd Air Commando Group and 702nd Strategic Missile Wing were consolidated as the 352nd Special Operations Wing.

• 1961

  Snark wing inactivated

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 702nd was inactivated after the Snark program was judged obsolete relative to ballistic missile systems.

• 1959

  702nd Strategic Missile Wing activated

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 702nd Strategic Missile Wing became the Air Force’s Snark missile wing at Presque Isle Air Force Base.

• 1945

  World War II predecessor inactivated

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 2nd Air Commando Group returned to the United States and was inactivated on 12 November.

• 1944

  2nd Air Commando Group activated

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The organization’s principal wartime predecessor was activated in Florida on 22 April 1944.

• 1944

  Deployment to the China-Burma-India Theater

  [1]352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 2nd Air Commando Group moved to India and began operations supporting Allied forces in Burma.

A United States Air Force special operations formation positioned as a regional focal point for rapid, discreet, and expeditionary air support to American and allied special operations forces.

• Tiltrotor special operations aircraft

  CV-22B Osprey

  The CV-22B supports long-range infiltration, exfiltration, personnel movement, and resupply for special operations forces. Its tiltrotor configuration allows it to combine vertical takeoff and landing with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. Within the 352nd organization, CV-22 operations are associated with the 7th Special Operations Squadron.

• Special operations transport and tanker aircraft

  MC-130J Commando II

  The MC-130J is used for special operations mobility, infiltration, exfiltration, aerial refueling, and delivery of personnel or equipment. It provides the wing with a platform for long-range support of dispersed special operations activity and has been associated with the 67th Special Operations Squadron.

• Light special operations transport aircraft · 2024

  Dornier C-146A Wolfhound

  The C-146A Wolfhound is a light transport aircraft used for flexible special operations mobility. Its assignment to the wing in December 2024 added a comparatively small and adaptable transport option for personnel, equipment, and mission-support tasks.

• Operational capability

  Special tactics support

  Through special tactics and support elements, the wing can establish or control landing zones, coordinate close air support, assist with personnel recovery, and provide trauma care to wounded or injured personnel during special operations.

• 2002Operation Autumn Return

  Côte d’Ivoire

  The 352nd participated in the evacuation of American citizens from Abidjan during a period of political and security instability.

  Outcome. The operation provided a military-supported evacuation option for United States citizens.

  Source
• 1996Operation Assured Response

  Liberia · Sierra Leone · Senegal

  The unit supported a United States noncombatant evacuation operation during instability in Liberia, using helicopters and MC-130 aircraft staged in West Africa.

  Outcome. More than 2,000 noncombatants were transported to safety from multiple locations.

  Source
• 1991Operation Elusive Concept

  Turkey · Northern Iraq

  Personnel from the 39th Special Operations Wing deployed to Turkey after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and supported contingency operations connected with the Gulf crisis.

  Outcome. The deployment reinforced the European special operations air component during the crisis.

  Source
• 1990Operation Provide Comfort

  Northern Iraq

  The organization supported operations connected with humanitarian relief and security assistance in northern Iraq.

  Outcome. The mission formed part of the unit’s broader post-Cold War support for humanitarian and contingency operations.

  Source
• 1990Operations Provide Promise, Deny Flight, and Allied Force

  Balkans

  The 352nd supported successive humanitarian, enforcement, and combat operations in the former Yugoslavia through special operations aviation and related support.

  Outcome. The missions demonstrated the group’s role in European coalition and NATO operations.

  Source
• 1944Burma campaign

  Burma · India · Thailand

  The 2nd Air Commando Group supported Allied operations in the China-Burma-India Theater with resupply, troop transport, reconnaissance, close air support, bombing, fighter escort, and airborne operations.

  Outcome. The group continued operations until the defeat of Japan in the region and was later prepared for a possible invasion of Japan.

  Source

• 2024

  Addition of C-146A Wolfhound capabilityProduct launch

  Background

  The wing required flexible aviation assets for special operations mobility and support.

  Action taken

  A Dornier C-146A Wolfhound was assigned to the wing in December 2024.

  Aftermath

  The aircraft broadened the wing’s available light transport capability.

  Source

• 2015

  Upgrade from group to wingStrategy

  Background

  The organization’s expanding regional responsibilities and subordinate capabilities supported a wing-level structure.

  Action taken

  The 352nd Special Operations Group was redesignated as the 352nd Special Operations Wing on 23 March 2015.

  Aftermath

  The wing became the principal United States Air Force special operations formation associated with the European theater and adjacent regions.

  Source

• 1995

  Relocation to RAF MildenhallStrategy

  Background

  The group reorganized its European basing by moving from RAF Alconbury to RAF Mildenhall.

  Action taken

  The 352nd established RAF Mildenhall as its continuing home station.

  Aftermath

  RAF Mildenhall remained central to the wing’s European special operations role.

  Source

• 1961

  End of the Snark missile missionStrategy

  Background

  Readiness exercises showed that the Snark force did not consistently meet Strategic Air Command effectiveness standards, while ballistic missiles offered a more capable strategic system.

  Action taken

  The 702nd Strategic Missile Wing was inactivated on 25 June 1961.

  Aftermath

  The missile lineage was later consolidated with the 2nd Air Commando Group and ultimately became part of the 352nd special operations lineage.

  Source

1. 1352nd Special Operations Wingen.wikipedia.org