582d Helicopter Group

The 582d Helicopter Group is a United States Air Force group headquartered at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. Its present role is to provide a unified aviation headquarters for helicopter squadrons supporting the three Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile wings: the 90th Missile Wing at F. E. Warren, the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The organization operates within Twentieth Air Force, under the command structure responsible for the United States land-based strategic missile force. Although the group’s current identity dates from 2015, its lineage reaches back to the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron, activated at Hamilton Field, California, on 15 December 1943. During the Second World War, the unit trained with Consolidated OA-10 Catalina amphibious aircraft and deployed to the Southwest Pacific. It conducted combat search-and-rescue missions for aircrews forced down over the sea or in enemy-held territory, operating from stations across New Guinea and supporting efforts connected with the liberation of the Philippines. The squadron also cooperated with Philippine guerrilla forces by delivering supplies and evacuating personnel. Its wartime service earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, the organization remained in the Pacific. It served with occupation forces at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, before moving to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in 1950. During the Korean War period, its aircraft provided rescue and escort coverage for bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter operations, including offshore standby missions for aircraft operating near hostile territory. The unit was expanded to group level in 1952 as the 2nd Air Rescue Group. In 1955 it moved to Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, where it became the senior Air Force rescue headquarters for the Pacific for a period. The group was inactivated in June 1958, and its component squadrons were assigned directly to the Air Rescue Service. The lineage was revived for a different operational purpose in the nuclear enterprise. On 1 August 2014, the provisional 20th Air Force Helicopter Operations Group was established at F. E. Warren to bring aviation-focused coordination to helicopter units that had previously been assigned to individual missile wings. The arrangement followed an Air Force Global Strike Command force-improvement initiative. In December 2014, the historic organization was redesignated as the 582d Helicopter Group, and it was activated on 6 January 2015. The 37th, 40th, and 54th Helicopter Squadrons became its initial subordinate units. The group’s helicopters support missile-field security, maintenance, transportation, emergency response, and other operational requirements associated with geographically dispersed ICBM installations. For decades these missions were performed primarily with Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters. The planned Common Vertical Lift Support Platform was cancelled in 2013, leaving the UH-1 in service longer than originally expected. Beginning in 2024, Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters began arriving for the missile-support mission. The 582d therefore represents both a contemporary strategic-support organization and a historical lineage that includes wartime rescue aviation, postwar Pacific rescue command, and modern helicopter operations supporting the United States nuclear deterrent.

The organization’s lineage began on 15 December 1943, when the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron was activated at Hamilton Field, California. After becoming fully staffed, it moved to Gulfport Army Air Field, Mississippi, where it received Consolidated OA-10 Catalina amphibious aircraft and completed operational training. The squadron deployed to the Southwest Pacific in 1944. Its first recorded mission in the theater involved rescuing five crew members from a downed B-24 Liberator in Geelvink Bay, New Guinea. During the rest of the war, squadron flights operated from dispersed coastal stations in New Guinea and elsewhere in the Pacific. Aircraft availability and spare-parts shortages complicated maintenance, and the unit sometimes used Navy PBY Catalina components or aircraft to keep its rescue capability operating. In late 1944, a provisional rescue composite group combined the squadron with a rescue boat unit. The organization also established contact with Philippine guerrilla forces and supported them with supplies, equipment, and medical assistance while preparing to recover downed Allied airmen. The squadron’s combat rescue work was exceptionally hazardous. Crews operated lightly armed aircraft in poor weather, landed in rough seas, and sometimes collected survivors while exposed to enemy fire. In one period, the unit conducted open-sea rescues that saved 23 people and evacuated 53 others from enemy-controlled territory. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation in 1945 for this service and later received a second citation, along with recognition from the Philippine Republic. Two Boeing SB-17 rescue aircraft were added in June 1945; these aircraft could not land on water but could drop rescue boats near survivors. Following the war, the unit served with occupation forces at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It moved to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in May 1950 and operated under the broader Air Rescue Service structure while supporting Thirteenth Air Force activities. During the Korean War era, its aircraft provided offshore escort and rescue coverage for bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, and fighters operating near hostile areas. In 1952, the organization expanded into the 2nd Air Rescue Group, with its lettered flights converted into air rescue squadrons. It moved to Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, in 1955 and became the senior Air Force rescue headquarters for the Pacific for a period. The group was inactivated on 24 June 1958. The lineage was reactivated for strategic helicopter operations more than five decades later. Before 2014, helicopter units supporting the missile wings were subordinate to the operations groups of those wings. The provisional 20th Air Force Helicopter Operations Group was established at F. E. Warren on 1 August 2014 to test a unified aviation headquarters. The initiative was intended to improve coordination and provide a clearer aviation focus for helicopter crews supporting the ICBM mission. On 11 December 2014, the historic organization was redesignated as the 582d Helicopter Group, and it was activated on 6 January 2015 within Twentieth Air Force. The 37th, 40th, and 54th Helicopter Squadrons became its initial units. In its modern form, the group coordinates helicopter support for the missile wings at F. E. Warren, Malmstrom, and Minot. These operations include support to missile-field security, maintenance, emergency response, transportation, and other requirements associated with the nuclear deterrent. Bell UH-1 helicopters performed the mission for many years. After the cancellation of the Common Vertical Lift Support Platform in 2013, the UH-1 remained in service while a replacement was developed. The Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf, based on the Leonardo AW139 and built under license by Boeing, began arriving for the mission in 2024.

• 2024

  MH-139A Grey Wolf deliveries begin

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The first new Grey Wolf helicopters began arriving for the Air Force’s ICBM-support mission.

• 2015

  582d Helicopter Group activated

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization assumed its current name and became the permanent headquarters for the missile-support helicopter units.

• 2014

  Provisional missile-support helicopter headquarters formed

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  A provisional group was established at F. E. Warren to unify helicopter support for the three ICBM wings.

• 1958

  2nd Air Rescue Group inactivated

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was inactivated at Wheeler Air Force Base, with its component squadrons assigned directly to the Air Rescue Service.

• 1952

  Expanded into the 2nd Air Rescue Group

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became a group and converted its lettered flights into air rescue squadrons.

• 1945

  Distinguished Unit Citation for wartime rescue operations

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The squadron was recognized for difficult rescue and evacuation missions conducted under severe weather, enemy fire, and logistical constraints.

• 1944

  Deployment to the Southwest Pacific

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The squadron deployed with OA-10 Catalina amphibious aircraft and began combat search-and-rescue operations in the Pacific theater.

• 1943

  2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron activated

  [1]582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was activated at Hamilton Field, California, establishing the lineage later carried by the 582d Helicopter Group.

A specialized United States Air Force aviation organization positioned at the intersection of helicopter operations, strategic missile support, installation security, and emergency response.

• Amphibious rescue aircraft

  Consolidated OA-10 Catalina

  The OA-10 Catalina was the squadron’s principal wartime rescue aircraft in the Southwest Pacific. Its amphibious design allowed crews to land on water and recover airmen directly, although operations were constrained by rough seas, enemy fire, weather, aircraft vulnerability, and shortages of spare parts. Some aircraft were later supplemented or replaced by Navy PBY Catalinas.

• Long-range rescue aircraft · 1945

  Boeing SB-17 Dumbo

  Two SB-17 aircraft joined the unit in 1945. Unlike the amphibious Catalinas, the SB-17 could not land on water, but it carried and dropped Higgins boats close to downed aircrews, allowing survivors to reach flotation and rescue equipment while a recovery effort was organized.

• Utility helicopter

  Bell UH-1 Iroquois

  The UH-1 Huey served for decades in helicopter units supporting the Air Force’s ICBM bases. In the 582d’s modern mission, the type supported missile-field security, maintenance, emergency response, transportation, and related operational tasks. It remained in service after the planned common replacement program was cancelled.

• Strategic-support helicopter · 2024

  Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf

  The MH-139A Grey Wolf is an Italian Leonardo AW139-derived helicopter built under license by Boeing for United States Air Force missions. It is intended to modernize helicopter support for the ICBM fields, improving the fleet’s ability to conduct security, transport, emergency, and operational support missions across widely separated missile installations.

• 1945Philippine guerrilla support and evacuation

  Philippines

  The squadron worked with Philippine guerrilla forces, delivering fuel, arms, ammunition, food, and medical supplies while recovering Allied personnel from enemy-held territory.

  Outcome. The operation supported resistance networks and enabled the evacuation of personnel during the closing phase of the Pacific war.

  Source
• 1944Southwest Pacific combat rescue campaign

  New Guinea · Southwest Pacific

  The unit conducted search-and-rescue missions for Allied aircrews lost over the sea and behind enemy lines while operating from dispersed Pacific bases.

  Outcome. The squadron rescued and evacuated numerous personnel and received major unit awards for its combat performance.

  Source

• 2024

  Transition to MH-139A Grey Wolf helicoptersGeneration change

  Background

  The long-serving UH-1 fleet required modernization for the dispersed ICBM-support mission.

  Action taken

  Boeing-built MH-139A helicopters began arriving for operational use.

  Aftermath

  The new aircraft are intended to improve the group’s mobility and sustainment of missile-field support operations.

  Source

• 2014

  Create a unified helicopter headquarters for ICBM supportStrategy

  Background

  Helicopter units supporting the three missile wings had previously been assigned to the individual wings’ operations groups, creating a less centralized aviation structure.

  Action taken

  Air Force Global Strike Command established a provisional helicopter operations group and then converted the historic lineage into the 582d Helicopter Group.

  Aftermath

  The 37th, 40th, and 54th Helicopter Squadrons became part of a dedicated group aligned with Twentieth Air Force.

  Source

• 2013

  Common Vertical Lift Support Platform cancelledOther

  Background

  The Air Force had considered a common replacement platform for helicopters supporting the missile mission.

  Action taken

  The planned program was cancelled, extending reliance on Bell UH-1 helicopters while a later replacement was developed.

  Aftermath

  The MH-139A Grey Wolf ultimately emerged as the replacement platform, with deliveries beginning in 2024.

  Source

1. 1582nd Helicopter Groupen.wikipedia.org