513th Air Control Group
A United States Air Force Reserve organization that provides aircrews, maintenance personnel, and airborne surveillance and command-and-control capability through the E-3 Sentry AWACS platform.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The 513th Air Control Group is a United States Air Force Reserve organization headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It is assigned to Tenth Air Force within Air Force Reserve Command and operates as an associate unit of the active-duty 552d Air Control Wing, which belongs to Air Combat Command. When mobilized, the group is gained by Air Combat Command. Its principal role is to provide trained aircrews, maintenance personnel, and operational support for airborne surveillance, warning, battle management, and control of United States and allied aircraft. The group is closely associated with the Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, commonly known as AWACS. Its subordinate organizations include the 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron, the 513th Operations Support Squadron, the 513th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and the 513th Maintenance Squadron. The 513th is described as the only Air Force Reserve unit flying the E-3 Sentry. Rather than functioning as a conventional commercial brand, it is an institutional identity used by a military organization whose capabilities support national defense, contingency operations, training, and coalition air operations. The current organization traces its immediate lineage to a Reserve air-control formation activated in March 1996. Its earlier lineage is substantially older and includes several major United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force transport and command-and-control formations. The World War II predecessor, the 3d Combat Cargo Group, was constituted and activated in India in 1944. It supported Allied forces in the China-Burma-India and Pacific theaters by moving troops, fuel, vehicles, engineering and communications equipment, and other supplies to forward areas, while also evacuating wounded personnel. After moving to Burma in 1945, it later supported supply operations into China before being inactivated in April 1946. The lineage continued through the 513th Troop Carrier Group, including a special designation used during the Berlin airlift. Activated in Germany in November 1948, that formation used C-54 aircraft to carry food, coal, and other essential supplies during Operation Vittles, the Allied airlift sustaining West Berlin. It was inactivated in October 1949. The organization was reactivated in the United States in 1955 with C-123 aircraft and participated in tactical exercises, troop drops, and airlift supporting construction of Distant Early Warning Line stations in the Canadian Arctic. From 1966 through the mid-1970s, the wider 513th lineage supported intra-theater airlift for United States Air Forces in Europe, United States European Command, and NATO operations and exercises. It used C-130 and C-124 aircraft and rotating crews from United States-based airlift units. The formation later maintained EC-135 aircraft as airborne command posts and served as a host organization for American units at RAF Mildenhall until 1992. It also collected atmospheric samples used to detect and identify possible nuclear explosions. In 1987, the wing was redesignated the 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing before being inactivated in 1992. The Air Force reactivated the 513th as an airborne warning and control associate organization in 1996 to help meet increasing operational demands placed on the 552d Air Control Wing. From March 1996 to April 1997, it was assigned to the 507th Air Refueling Wing. In 1997 it moved under the operational command of the 552d Air Control Wing while retaining its Air Force Reserve status. The group has since participated in worldwide contingency operations and counter-drug missions. A 1998 report described a multiyear expansion intended to increase Reserve participation in AWACS aircrew duties and sorties. The group’s identity is therefore rooted in continuity of military lineage rather than consumer-facing products or commercial services. Its historical roles have ranged from combat cargo and humanitarian evacuation to strategic airlift, airborne command posts, nuclear-monitoring support, and modern airborne battle management. The organization remains part of the United States military reserve structure, although its future force structure has periodically been subject to budget and aircraft-retirement proposals.
History
The 513th Air Control Group’s lineage begins with the 3d Combat Cargo Group, established and activated in India in June 1944 during World War II. Operating primarily in the China-Burma-India Theater and later the Pacific Theater, the group delivered Allied troops and supplies to forward areas during the campaign in northern Burma and the subsequent advance south. Its cargo included fuel, vehicles, engineering material, communications equipment, and other items delivered by landing or parachute drop. It also evacuated wounded personnel to India. After relocating to Burma in June 1945, it supported the movement of essential supplies, including fuel, into China. Remaining airlift work in China continued until the group was inactivated in April 1946. In September 1945, the group was redesignated the 513th Troop Carrier Group. A special version of the group was activated in Germany in November 1948 under United States Air Forces in Europe. Equipped with C-54 aircraft, it carried food, coal, and other necessities during Operation Vittles, the Berlin airlift. The formation was inactivated in October 1949. It returned to active service in the continental United States in November 1955, operating C-123 aircraft and participating in tactical exercises, troop drops, and airlift supporting construction of the Distant Early Warning Line in the Canadian Arctic. The group and associated wing lineage underwent several redesignations during the 1950s. A related 513th wing was organized in 1966 and provided intra-theater airlift support for United States Air Forces in Europe, United States European Command, and NATO activities. C-130 and C-124 aircraft and rotating crews supported exercises and operational requirements through January 1976. The formation also operated EC-135 aircraft as airborne command posts and hosted American units at RAF Mildenhall until February 1992. Another specialized mission involved atmospheric sampling to support detection and identification of nuclear explosions. In 1984, the group and wing lineages were consolidated; in 1987, the wing became the 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing. That wing was inactivated in February 1992. The Air Force Reserve reactivated the organization as the 513th Air Control Group in March 1996. It was created as an associate command-and-control unit supporting the active-duty 552d Air Control Wing and its AWACS mission. The group was initially assigned to the 507th Air Refueling Wing and was reassigned in 1997 under the 552d Air Control Wing. Its stated purpose was to help absorb growing mission requirements by adding Reserve aircrews and maintenance personnel to the active-duty force. It participated in worldwide contingency operations and counter-drug missions. The modern group is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base and forms part of the Air Force Reserve’s airborne warning and control structure. Its units support E-3 Sentry operations, mission planning, logistics, aircraft maintenance, and operational readiness. The group’s structure demonstrates the associate-unit model, in which Reserve personnel work alongside active-duty personnel and share aircraft, facilities, and missions. Its lineage combines wartime cargo aviation, humanitarian and strategic airlift, airborne command-post operations, nuclear monitoring, and contemporary airborne surveillance and battle management.
- 2014
Inactivation proposal challenged
[1]A fiscal year 2015 budget proposal sought to inactivate the group and retire E-3 aircraft; a House Armed Services Committee amendment sought to block the action.
- 1997
Placed under the 552d Air Control Wing
[1]The group moved from the 507th Air Refueling Wing to the command of the active-duty 552d Air Control Wing.
- 1996
513th Air Control Group reactivated in the Reserve
[1]The group was reactivated as an Air Force Reserve AWACS associate organization at Tinker Air Force Base.
- 1992
Airborne command-and-control wing inactivated
[1]The preceding wing organization was inactivated in February.
- 1987
Redesignated 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing
[1]The formation adopted a designation reflecting its airborne command-and-control responsibilities.
- 1966
Airlift wing organized
[1]The 513th lineage resumed as an organized wing providing intra-theater airlift for European and NATO operations.
- 1955
Tactical transport group reactivated
[1]The organization returned to active service in the United States with C-123 aircraft and supported tactical exercises and Arctic airlift.
- 1948
Berlin airlift organization activated
[1]The 513th Troop Carrier Group, Special was activated in Germany and flew C-54 supply missions during Operation Vittles.
- 1946
World War II lineage inactivated
[1]The troop carrier group was inactivated after completing postwar airlift operations in China.
- 1945
Redesignated 513th Troop Carrier Group
[1]The combat cargo organization received the 513th Troop Carrier Group designation as its wartime role evolved.
Products and positioning
A specialized Air Force Reserve associate organization that augments active-duty AWACS forces with trained aircrews, maintainers, and operational support.
Airborne warning and control · 1996
E-3 Sentry AWACS operations
The group’s principal modern capability is the operation and support of Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft. These aircraft provide airborne surveillance, warning, battle management, and command-and-control functions for United States and allied aircraft. The 513th contributes Reserve aircrews, maintenance personnel, operational support, and readiness capacity as an associate unit of the 552d Air Control Wing.
Military command and control · 1966
Airborne command-and-control support
Across its broader lineage, the organization has operated or supported airborne command posts and command-and-control missions. Earlier formations maintained EC-135 aircraft and hosted command-and-control activities in Europe, while the modern group provides personnel and systems support for airborne battle management and surveillance.
Military airlift · 1944
Tactical and strategic airlift
The group’s predecessor organizations performed combat cargo, troop transport, tactical airlift, and strategic relief missions. Historical operations included support for Allied forces in Burma and China, the Berlin airlift, Arctic construction logistics, and intra-theater transport for United States and NATO activities.
Marketing campaigns
- 1996Worldwide AWACS contingency and counter-drug support
Worldwide
Following its Reserve reactivation, the group supported worldwide contingency operations and counter-drug missions through its airborne warning and control role.
Outcome. The group became an enduring Reserve associate component of the 552d Air Control Wing.
- 1955Distant Early Warning Line support
Canadian Arctic
C-123-equipped elements participated in tactical airlift, troop drops, and logistical support for construction of Distant Early Warning Line stations in the Arctic regions of Canada.
Outcome. The group contributed airlift capacity to the construction and support of North American aerospace-warning infrastructure.
- 1948Operation Vittles
West Berlin · Germany
The special troop carrier group used C-54 aircraft to transport food, coal, and other supplies during the Allied airlift sustaining West Berlin.
Outcome. The airlift maintained essential supplies to West Berlin until the blockade ended; the group was later inactivated in 1949.
- 1944China-Burma-India Theater combat cargo operations
Burma · India · China
The 3d Combat Cargo Group delivered troops, fuel, vehicles, engineering equipment, and communications material to Allied forces and evacuated wounded personnel during the Burma campaign.
Outcome. The group continued supporting the Allied advance and later carried essential supplies into China before postwar inactivation.
Brand decisions
2014
Proposed inactivation and E-3 retirementStrategyBackground
The Air Force fiscal year 2015 budget request included structural reductions involving the 513th Air Control Group and seven E-3 Sentry aircraft.
Action taken
The budget proposal called for inactivating the group and retiring seven aircraft. The House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment intended to prevent the inactivation and preserve three aircraft.
Aftermath
The available reference material records the congressional effort but does not establish the final long-term disposition of every aircraft or the proposal’s complete implementation outcome.
1996
Reactivation as an AWACS Reserve associate unitStrategyBackground
The Air Force sought additional capacity for growing airborne warning and control requirements assigned to the 552d Air Control Wing.
Action taken
The 513th Air Control Group was activated in the Air Force Reserve and paired with the active-duty AWACS wing.
Aftermath
The group became a long-term associate organization supporting E-3 Sentry operations, contingency missions, and counter-drug activities.
Sources1 sources
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