3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group
A former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command unit responsible for evaluating simulated bombing runs with automatic tracking radar.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group was a United States Air Force evaluation organization assigned directly to Strategic Air Command headquarters. Rather than manufacturing or selling consumer goods, it operated as a specialized military unit supporting the training and assessment of SAC bomber crews. Its central task was radar bomb scoring: using automatic tracking radar and plotting equipment to reconstruct an aircraft's path during a simulated bombing run, determine the release point and velocity, and calculate the accuracy of the attack. The group's lineage developed from Army Air Forces radar-bomb-scoring organizations created during the transition from the Second World War to the postwar United States military establishment. Radar-directed bombing had used systems such as the SCR-584 tracking radar and OA-294 plotting equipment. These systems allowed ground personnel to follow an aircraft and assess a simulated weapons release even when visual bombing conditions were limited. In 1945, the 206th Army Air Force Base Unit was organized at Colorado Springs to supervise radar bomb scoring detachments, including sites associated with Kansas City and Dallas Love Field. The unit was subsequently redesignated several times and moved between Colorado Springs, Mitchel Field, Andrews Field, and other bases as command relationships changed. After the United States Air Force was established in 1947, the predecessor organization continued to support SAC's expanding bomber-training system. The 263rd Air Force Base Unit scored hundreds or thousands of simulated runs in the immediate postwar period and operated detachments at locations including Andrews, MacDill, Treasure Island, and Denver. On 24 February 1948, the 263rd organization was redesignated the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron when it moved to Carswell Air Force Base in Texas. The squadron controlled geographically dispersed radar-scoring detachments and supported the evaluation of SAC bombing proficiency. The Korean War expanded the operational demands placed on radar bomb scoring organizations. Several 3903rd detachments deployed to Korea in 1950 to support close air support and ground-directed bombing. One deployment experienced a serious procedural error in which a detachment mistakenly bombed its own position after using procedures associated with a newer system. The mobile radar detachments operating in Korea were later transferred to the 502nd Tactical Control Group in October 1951. The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group was established in 1952, using the designation of the earlier squadron. Its headquarters was located at Carswell Air Force Base, and its organizational structure incorporated personnel and functions associated with radar-scoring squadrons and detachments. The group also conducted a two-week SAC course at Carswell for personnel preparing to serve at remote detachments, following more extensive radar training at Keesler Air Force Base. The organization was short-lived under the group designation. On 10 August 1954, its personnel and stations were redesignated as the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group, while subordinate radar bomb scoring squadrons received new designations. The later lineage continued through additional Strategic Air Command radar-scoring organizations, ultimately contributing to the 1st Combat Evaluation Group. The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group therefore represents a historical military evaluation unit rather than a commercial brand, with its significance lying in the development of postwar radar-based bomber training and performance measurement.
History
The lineage associated with the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group began in the final months of the Second World War, when the United States Army Air Forces developed organizations to operate automatic tracking radars for ground-directed bombing assessment. Radar operators used tracking data and plotting equipment to reconstruct an aircraft's flight path and evaluate the notional release of bombs. This approach allowed bomber crews to be scored without requiring a live bombardment of a target. On 6 June 1945, the 206th Army Air Force Base Unit was organized at Colorado Springs, initially in a temporary camp setting. It controlled radar bomb scoring detachments in several locations, including Kansas City and Dallas Love Field. On 24 July 1945, the unit became the 63rd Army Air Force Base Unit and moved to Mitchel Field, New York, where it was placed under the Continental Air Forces. It returned to Colorado Springs in March 1946 and was redesignated the 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit on 8 March. The 263rd unit was assigned to Andrews Field on 17 March 1946. After the Fifteenth Air Force transferred to Strategic Air Command at the end of that month, the radar bomb scoring organization came under SAC control. It recorded 888 simulated bombing runs against a San Diego scoring area during 1946. In 1947, after the creation of the United States Air Force, the organization operated as the 263rd Air Force Base Unit and scored 2,499 runs. A related detachment operated at MacDill Field, Florida. The unit's final day at Andrews Air Force Base was 23 February 1948. On 24 February 1948, the 263rd organization was redesignated the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron and moved to Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. The new squadron inherited and expanded a network of scoring sites. In 1948, Detachment B operated at Treasure Island, California, while SAC recorded more than twelve thousand bomb runs across its radar-scoring system. By September 1949, the squadron also controlled the Denver Bomb Plot detachment. The Korean War brought a field-operational dimension to the unit's work. Detachments C, K, and N reached Pusan, South Korea, in September 1950 to support close air support and other ground-directed bombing missions. The deployment included a notable procedural accident in which Detachment N, using a new system with procedures intended for an earlier system, mistakenly bombed its own position. During the war, lettered detachments were renumbered; for example, Detachment B became Detachment 13, and a Washington detachment became Detachment 12 after moving toward the McClellan area. The Korean mobile radar detachments were withdrawn from that role on 2 October 1951 and transferred to the 502nd Tactical Control Group. The broader radar bomb scoring structure was reorganized in 1951. The 3933rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron was activated at Mather Air Force Base, the 3922nd at Carswell, and the 3944th at Turner Air Force Base. On 12 August 1952, the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group was established at Carswell using the earlier squadron's number. Personnel and headquarters resources associated with the 3933rd were moved to Carswell to support the new group. The group supervised detachments and provided a two-week SAC course for personnel preparing for remote radar assignments, after they completed longer initial radar instruction at Keesler Air Force Base. The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group was inactivated and discontinued on 10 August 1954. Its personnel and stations were redesignated as the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group, and subordinate squadrons received new numerical designations. The group's institutional legacy continued through later SAC and United States Air Force combat-evaluation organizations, including the 1st Combat Evaluation Group. Its history illustrates the postwar Air Force's effort to turn bomber proficiency into a measurable, repeatable training discipline using dispersed radar stations and centralized scoring procedures.
- 1954
Redesignated as the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group
[1]On 10 August, the group was inactivated and its personnel and stations were redesignated under the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group.
- 1952
3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group established
[1]The group was established by 12 August at Carswell, incorporating personnel and functions from existing radar bomb scoring organizations.
- 1950
Korean War detachments deployed
[1]Several detachments deployed to Pusan to support close air support and ground-directed bombing operations.
- 1948
Formation of the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron
[1]On 24 February, the 263rd organization was redesignated the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron at Carswell Air Force Base.
- 1946
Return to Colorado Springs and new designation
[1]The organization returned to Colorado Springs in March and became the 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit on 8 March.
- 1945
Predecessor radar-scoring unit organized
[1]The 206th Army Air Force Base Unit was organized at Colorado Springs on 6 June to control radar bomb scoring detachments.
- 1945
Redesignation as the 63rd Army Air Force Base Unit
[1]On 24 July, the predecessor organization was redesignated the 63rd Army Air Force Base Unit and moved to Mitchel Field.
Products and positioning
A Strategic Air Command evaluation unit specializing in ground-based radar measurement of simulated bombing operations.
Military evaluation service
Radar bomb scoring
The unit's principal function was to measure simulated bombing runs with automatic tracking radar and plotting equipment. Ground stations reconstructed an aircraft's flight path and used the data to assess factors such as bomb-release position, velocity, and overall bombing accuracy.
Remote military operations
Radar bomb scoring detachments
The group controlled dispersed detachments located at or near major Air Force bases and scoring areas. These mobile or fixed stations extended SAC's evaluation network and enabled bomber crews to be assessed during training and, in some cases, operational support missions.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1954
Reorganization into the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring GroupStrategyBackground
The Air Force reorganized its radar bomb scoring structure and changed the designations of the group, squadrons, personnel, and stations.
Action taken
The 3903rd group was inactivated and discontinued on 10 August, with its resources redesignated under the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group.
Aftermath
The radar bomb scoring mission continued under successor organizations.
1952
Creation of a dedicated radar bomb scoring groupStrategyBackground
SAC required a centralized structure to coordinate geographically dispersed radar scoring squadrons, detachments, and training activities.
Action taken
The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group was established at Carswell Air Force Base using the designation of the earlier 3903rd squadron.
Aftermath
The group coordinated radar bomb scoring activities until its 1954 redesignation as the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group.
Sources1 sources
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