587th Tactical Missile Group
The 587th Tactical Missile Group was a United States Air Force unit that operated tactical cruise missiles in West Germany during the Cold War.
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Overview
The 587th Tactical Missile Group was a United States Air Force tactical missile organization active in West Germany during the early Cold War. It was established in 1956 and activated on 15 September of that year at Sembach Air Base, where it formed part of the Air Force’s effort to field mobile, land-based nuclear-capable cruise missiles in Europe. The group was initially assigned to the 701st Tactical Missile Wing and later transferred to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, reflecting changes in the command structure used to administer American missile units in Europe. The group’s operational responsibility centered on tactical cruise missiles, including the TM-61 Matador and related Mace systems. Rather than operating from one consolidated launch complex, it controlled missile elements distributed among several dispersed sites located a short distance from Sembach. The dispersal pattern was intended to improve survivability and operational flexibility in a potential European conflict. The group’s missile mission was carried out through subordinate tactical missile squadrons, including the 11th Tactical Missile Squadron during its initial period and the 822d Tactical Missile Squadron after the command transition in 1958. The 587th Tactical Missile Group was inactivated on 25 September 1962. Its deactivation occurred as the Air Force reorganized its tactical missile forces and moved operational responsibility for the remaining missile squadron directly under the parent 38th Tactical Missile Wing. The group therefore had a relatively short active life, lasting approximately six years, but formed part of the wider United States and NATO deterrence structure in Europe during a period of intense Cold War confrontation. In 1982, the group’s lineage was consolidated on paper with that of the 487th Bombardment Group, a World War II heavy-bomber unit. The consolidated lineage became the 487th Tactical Missile Wing. This administrative action did not mean that the original 587th group continued operating as an independent organization; instead, it linked the unit’s historical record with a later missile wing. The 487th Tactical Missile Wing was activated in 1983 at Comiso Air Station in Sicily and operated BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missiles until its inactivation in 1991 following implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The 587th Tactical Missile Group was a military organization rather than a commercial brand. It had no consumer products, commercial ownership, public listing, or independent corporate website. Its significance lies in its organizational lineage and Cold War operational role: it represented an early United States Air Force effort to deploy tactical cruise missiles from dispersed European bases under a wing-level command structure.
History
The 587th Tactical Missile Group was created during the expansion of the United States Air Force’s tactical missile forces in Europe. It was established in 1956 and activated on 15 September at Sembach Air Base in West Germany. The unit was assigned first to the 701st Tactical Missile Wing and, from 18 June 1958, to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing. Its station placed it within the wider United States Air Forces in Europe network during the Cold War. The group operated tactical cruise missiles from a number of dispersed locations around Sembach. These sites were between approximately 2.6 and 12.5 miles from the main air base. The arrangement enabled missile forces to operate away from a single concentrated installation and reflected the survivability requirements of nuclear-capable forces deployed in a potentially contested European theater. The group’s missile inventory included the TM-61 Matador and Mace tactical cruise missile systems. Its subordinate structure included the 11th Tactical Missile Squadron from 1956 until 1958. After the 11th squadron’s reassignment, the 822d Tactical Missile Squadron became associated with the group until its inactivation. The unit was inactivated on 25 September 1962. The change followed a reorganization of the European tactical missile command structure, under which the operational squadron was assigned directly to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing. The group consequently ceased to exist as an active independent organization, although its lineage was retained by the Air Force. On 11 January 1982, the 587th Tactical Missile Group was consolidated with the 487th Bombardment Group. The latter had been a World War II United States Army Air Forces heavy-bomber group, activated in Nebraska in 1943 and later based in England, where it flew B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses. The consolidation was an administrative lineage action rather than a continuation of the 587th group’s original Cold War organization. The merged lineage was associated with the 487th Tactical Missile Wing. The 487th Tactical Missile Wing was activated on 30 June 1983 at Comiso Air Station in Sicily. It operated BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missiles through the 302d Tactical Missile Squadron and maintained a separate tactical missile maintenance organization. The wing was inactivated around May 1991 following the implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which eliminated a class of United States and Soviet intermediate-range missiles. Although the later wing carried the consolidated lineage of the 587th group, it was a different organization operating in a later strategic and technological context. The 587th Tactical Missile Group should therefore be understood as a historical United States Air Force unit, not as a consumer-facing brand or commercial enterprise. Its principal historical importance is its role in the early European deployment of tactical cruise missiles and its contribution to the lineage later associated with the 487th Tactical Missile Wing.
- 1991
Successor wing inactivated after the INF Treaty
[1]The 487th Tactical Missile Wing was inactivated following implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
- 1983
Successor missile wing activated
[1]The 487th Tactical Missile Wing was activated at Comiso Air Station in Sicily and later operated BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missiles.
- 1982
Lineage consolidation
[1]The 587th Tactical Missile Group was consolidated with the 487th Bombardment Group as part of the lineage of the 487th Tactical Missile Wing.
- 1962
Inactivation
[1]The group was inactivated on 25 September, with its operational missile function reorganized under the 38th Tactical Missile Wing.
- 1958
Transferred to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing
[1]The group moved from the 701st Tactical Missile Wing to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing on 18 June.
- 1956
Group established and activated
[1]The 587th Tactical Missile Group was established in August and activated on 15 September at Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
Products and positioning
A Cold War United States Air Force tactical missile group supporting the European forward deployment and dispersed operation of tactical cruise missiles.
Tactical cruise missile
TM-61 Matador
The TM-61 Matador was a United States tactical cruise missile system operated by the group during its Cold War deployment in West Germany. The group controlled missile elements positioned at dispersed sites around Sembach Air Base rather than at a single centralized launch location.
Tactical cruise missile
Mace
Mace was among the tactical cruise missile systems associated with the group’s operational mission in Europe. It formed part of the Air Force’s early generation of land-based cruise missile capabilities used for forward deterrence during the Cold War.
Brand decisions
1982
Administrative consolidation with the 487th Bombardment GroupM&ABackground
The Air Force combined the historical records of the 587th Tactical Missile Group and the 487th Bombardment Group.
Action taken
The two units were consolidated on paper on 11 January, creating the lineage used for the 487th Tactical Missile Wing.
Aftermath
The consolidated lineage was carried by a later missile wing that operated from Sicily in the 1980s and was inactivated after the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
1962
Reorganization of tactical missile commandStrategyBackground
The Air Force reorganized the command arrangement for the missile force associated with the 587th Tactical Missile Group.
Action taken
The group was inactivated and its operational squadron was assigned directly to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing.
Aftermath
The 587th Tactical Missile Group ceased operating as an independent unit, while its historical lineage was later retained through consolidation with the 487th Bombardment Group.
Recent events
- 1982
Lineage consolidated with the 487th Bombardment Group[1]
M&A
The 587th Tactical Missile Group and the 487th Bombardment Group were consolidated as part of the lineage of the 487th Tactical Missile Wing.
- 1962
587th Tactical Missile Group inactivated[1]
Leadership change
The group was inactivated after responsibility for its operational missile squadron was reorganized under the 38th Tactical Missile Wing.
- 1956
587th Tactical Missile Group activated in West Germany[1]
Other
The United States Air Force activated the 587th Tactical Missile Group at Sembach Air Base as part of its European tactical missile structure.
Sources1 sources
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