62d Operations Group
The 62d Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force's 62d Airlift Wing, providing global strategic airlift, airdrop, evacuation, humanitarian relief, and contingency support with C-17 aircraft.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The 62d Operations Group is a United States Air Force operational unit assigned to the 62d Airlift Wing and based at McChord Field, part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. It is not a commercial consumer brand; its identity is that of a military organization with a long lineage in American air transport and air mobility. The group provides the wing's principal flying capability and contributes to Air Mobility Command's global airlift mission. The organization traces its lineage to the 62d Transport Group, constituted on 20 November 1940 and activated on 11 December of that year. Its early components included the 4th, 7th, and 8th Transport Squadrons, formations with prewar histories that later became airlift squadrons. In 1942 the group was redesignated the 62d Troop Carrier Group and deployed to the European and Mediterranean theaters during World War II. It moved to England and then North Africa, supporting Allied operations in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, southern France, Greece, and the Balkans. Its wartime duties included combat airdrops, glider towing, troop transport, resupply, medical evacuation, movement of prisoners, and clandestine support missions behind enemy lines. Among its notable wartime operations was the November 1942 airdrop of British airborne troops in Tunisia. During the 1943 invasion of Sicily, group aircraft towed gliders toward an objective south of Syracuse, despite darkness, difficult weather, navigation problems, naval gunfire, and anti-aircraft fire. In later operations, the group delivered paratroops and supplies in northern Italy, southern France, and Greece, while also transporting matériel and evacuating wounded personnel. It was inactivated in Italy on 14 November 1945. The group was reactivated in 1946 at Bergstrom Field, Texas, and moved to McChord Field in 1947. During the late 1940s it operated C-46 Commandos and C-82 Packets, supporting exercises, troop movements, flood relief, and the broader airlift effort associated with the Berlin Airlift. Its humanitarian role became especially visible during Operation Hayride in the winter of 1948–49, when C-82 aircraft dropped hay to livestock isolated by severe blizzards across several western states. The group later operated C-54 Skymasters and C-124 Globemaster IIs, carrying personnel, supplies, medical material, and equipment to destinations including the Far East during the Korean War. The C-124 era also included major airborne and international transport missions. In 1954 the unit supported Operation Bali Hai, carrying replacement French personnel to Indochina during the Dien Bien Phu crisis. From the mid-1950s through the 1960s, its parent wing supported construction and resupply of the Distant Early Warning Line in Arctic regions. The group was inactivated in January 1960 during an Air Force reorganization that assigned flying squadrons directly to the wing. The lineage was redesignated the 62d Military Airlift Group in 1985 while inactive and then redesignated the 62d Operations Group on 1 December 1991, when it was activated under the modern wing-operations-group structure. Since reactivation, the group has supported worldwide exercises, military contingencies, humanitarian missions, Antarctic resupply, and operations in Southwest Asia. Its C-17 crews conducted a major combat airdrop into northern Iraq in March 2003, delivering approximately 1,000 soldiers of the 173d Airborne Brigade. The operation was described as the largest combat airdrop since Panama in 1989 and the first of its kind using the C-17. The group also supported Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005, transporting food and water into the affected region and evacuating more than 1,000 residents. In 2006, its aircrews helped evacuate 12,703 United States citizens from Cyprus and Turkey after fighting in Lebanon. Other notable missions included C-17 operations to Antarctica and a 2007 transcontinental flight using a blend of conventional and synthetic aviation fuel. Today, the group operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft through the 4th, 7th, 8th, and 10th Airlift Squadrons. Its mission spans routine global mobility, strategic deployment, airdrop, disaster response, medical and noncombatant evacuation, and support to military operations.
History
The 62d Operations Group's lineage began with the 62d Transport Group, constituted in November 1940 and activated at McClellan Field, California, in December. Its early transport squadrons later became the 4th, 7th, and 8th Airlift Squadrons. Redesignated the 62d Troop Carrier Group in 1942, it went to England and then North Africa for World War II operations. In the Mediterranean theater, the group supported the campaigns in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, southern France, and Greece. It performed combat airdrops and glider operations, transported troops and cargo, evacuated wounded personnel, and delivered supplies to forward forces and resistance groups. After the European war, it continued regional transport and redeployment missions until its inactivation in Italy in November 1945. The group returned to active service in September 1946 and moved to McChord Field the following year. It initially operated C-46 and C-82 transports. Its postwar work included troop movement, flood relief, support for the Berlin Airlift, and the 1948–49 Operation Hayride livestock-relief effort. It later transitioned to the C-54 and C-124. During the Korean War period it moved personnel, blood plasma, ammunition, aircraft parts, and medical supplies to the Far East. It also performed major airborne demonstrations and supported the French military resupply effort during the Dien Bien Phu crisis. The parent wing's Arctic logistics responsibilities expanded during the 1950s, when C-124 aircraft transported millions of pounds of equipment and supplies for the Distant Early Warning Line. The group was inactivated in January 1960 as part of a reorganization that placed its squadrons directly under the wing. Its designation was revived as the 62d Military Airlift Group in 1985, although it remained inactive under that name. On 1 December 1991, the organization was redesignated and activated as the 62d Operations Group. Under the modern Air Force wing structure, it became the flying element of the 62d Airlift Wing. The group has since supported global contingencies, exercises, humanitarian relief, Antarctic operations, and the Global War on Terrorism. In 2003, its C-17 force conducted a historically significant combat airdrop into northern Iraq. In subsequent years, it supported Hurricane Katrina relief, a large evacuation of United States citizens during the 2006 Lebanon conflict, South Pole logistics, and synthetic-fuel testing. Its current flying squadrons operate the C-17 Globemaster III.
- 2003
C-17 combat airdrop in Iraq
[1]Group aircrews helped deliver about 1,000 airborne troops into northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- 1991
Reactivated as 62d Operations Group
[1]The organization was redesignated and activated as an operations group on 1 December.
- 1960
Troop Carrier Group inactivated
[1]The group was inactivated on 15 January during an Air Force organizational restructuring.
- 1955
Distant Early Warning Line logistics
[1]The group began Arctic transport missions supporting construction and resupply of the DEW Line.
- 1954
Operation Bali Hai
[1]C-124 aircraft transported replacement French personnel to Indochina during the Dien Bien Phu crisis.
- 1949
Operation Hayride
[1]C-82 aircraft dropped hay to livestock isolated by severe winter conditions across several western states.
- 1948
Project Yukon and Berlin Airlift support
[1]The group conducted an Alaska deployment and provided personnel support for the Berlin Airlift effort.
- 1947
Moved to McChord Field
[1]The group relocated to McChord Field, Washington, on 16 June and became the flying component of the newly organized wing.
- 1946
Group reactivated
[1]The organization returned to active service at Bergstrom Field, Texas, on 7 September.
- 1945
World War II group inactivated
[1]The group was inactivated in Italy on 14 November after continuing transport and redeployment work following the end of the European war.
Products and positioning
A globally deployable Air Force airlift organization combining strategic transport, tactical airdrop, humanitarian response, and contingency mobility.
Military airlift aircraft
C-17 Globemaster III
The group's current aircraft is the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, a heavy transport capable of strategic movement, tactical airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation, and operations from comparatively short or austere runways. The group uses the aircraft for worldwide contingency missions, humanitarian relief, evacuation, and delivery of personnel and equipment.
Historical military airlift aircraft
C-124 Globemaster II
The piston-powered C-124 was operated during the early Cold War for long-range movement of troops, supplies, medical materials, and equipment. It supported Korean War logistics, airborne training, international transport, and Arctic construction and resupply missions.
Historical military transport aircraft
C-82 Packet
The Fairchild C-82 Packet was among the group's early postwar transports. It supported Alaska deployments, flood-relief flights, and Operation Hayride, in which hay was dropped to livestock trapped by severe winter weather.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Lebanon-related noncombatant evacuation
Cyprus · Turkey · United States
Aircrews moved United States citizens who had gathered in Cyprus and Turkey while fleeing fighting in Lebanon.
Outcome. The operation transported 12,703 United States citizens and delivered supplies to support evacuees.
- 2005Hurricane Katrina relief
United States
McChord airlift assets carried food and water to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina and transported residents to safety.
Outcome. The effort delivered more than 135,000 pounds of food and water and evacuated more than 1,000 people.
- 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom combat airdrop
Iraq
C-17 aircraft delivered approximately 1,000 soldiers of the 173d Airborne Brigade into northern Iraq.
Outcome. The mission was regarded as the largest combat airdrop since the 1989 invasion of Panama and the first major combat airdrop conducted with the C-17.
- 1948Operation Hayride
United States
The group used C-82 transports to deliver hay to livestock isolated by blizzards in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Outcome. The airlift helped preserve a large share of the affected livestock and became an early prominent example of the group's disaster-relief role.
Brand decisions
2007
Synthetic-fuel flight testingOtherBackground
The Air Force was evaluating alternative aviation fuels for operational certification and supply resilience.
Action taken
A McChord C-17 completed a transcontinental flight using a blend of conventional and synthetic fuel.
Aftermath
The flight contributed to the broader certification effort for the fuel blend across the C-17 fleet.
1991
Reactivation as an operations groupStrategyBackground
The United States Air Force adopted a modern wing structure that separated operational flying groups from other wing functions.
Action taken
The inactive lineage was redesignated as the 62d Operations Group and activated on 1 December.
Aftermath
The group became the flying component of the 62d Airlift Wing and resumed a worldwide air mobility mission.
1942
Transition to troop-carrier operationsStrategyBackground
The organization was preparing for overseas combat service and airborne support during World War II.
Action taken
It was redesignated from the 62d Transport Group to the 62d Troop Carrier Group and organized around troop and glider transport missions.
Aftermath
The group deployed to Europe and the Mediterranean and conducted combat airdrops, glider operations, and forward resupply.
Sources2 sources
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