[5] When the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) Intervention Campaign gained momentum in 1950–1951, the group again concentrated on ground support missions.

Afterwards, it engaged primarily in air interdiction operations against the main enemy channel of transportation, the roads and railroads between Pyongyang and Sinuiju.

Also, it flew close air support missions for the ground forces and attacked high-value targets, including the Sui-ho hydroelectric plants in June 1952 and the Kumgang Political School in October 1952.

Worldwide DOD Budget restrictions during FY 1958 affected PACAF as well as USAFE and the 49th FBW based in Japan had to be retired.

[6] The 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing was reassigned to Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France where it absorbed the assets of the former host unit, the 388th FBW.

[6] On 25 August 1959, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Spangdahlem AB from the Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France, and assumed host unit duties.

[7] At Holloman, the wing continued participation in tactical exercises and firepower demonstrations to maintain combat readiness.

[5] In 1969, the wing participated in its first dual-basing exercise, Crested Cap I, deploying 2,000 personnel and 72 aircraft to NATO bases in Europe.

Also in 1969, the 49th earned the coveted MacKay Trophy for the "most meritorious flight of the year," for the redeployment from Germany to Holloman after Crested Cap II.

The MacKay Trophy recognized the 49th for the fastest non-stop deployment of jet aircraft accomplished by a wing's entire fleet.

Operation Constant Guard III, ordered in response to the North Vietnamese invasion, was the largest movement that the Tactical Air Command (TAC) had ever performed.

During this deployment, Operation Constant Guard, the 49th flew more than 21,000 combat hours over just about every battle zone from An Lộc to vital installations in the Hanoi vicinity.

[5] The wing returned to Holloman Air Force Base in early October 1972, and continued rotating tactical components to Europe to support NATO through September 1977.

[5] History was made during February 1980, when two pilots from the 49th each flew their F-15s, 6,200 miles (10,000 km) in just over 14 hours, establishing a record for the longest flight of a single-seat fighter aircraft.

Major "Stormy" Summers and Capt "Vmax" Vanderheyden had six aerial refuelings, proving the global power of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing.

This tasking, which lasted for a year, required the wing to be ready to deploy its aircraft, crews, and support personnel on short notice.

It deployed aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia to fly combat air patrol for coalition operations from 20 June – 19 December 1991.

This was changed when General Merrill McPeak, USAF Chief of Staff, determined that the 49th had a more notable history than the 37th, and would remain active while the 37th FW would be inactivated.

[5] In early 1999, the wing deployed F-117 and their crews to Aviano Air Base, Italy and Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany from 21 February – 1 July 1999, in support of Operation Allied Force, the NATO attempt to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in the former nation of Yugoslavia.

[5] People, airplanes, and equipment of the 49th Fighter Wing played a key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The wing's F-117s played a major role, dropping the first bombs against an Iraqi leadership target in Baghdad on 19 March 2003.

[8] During Operation Iraqi Freedom, F-117 pilots flew more than 80 missions and dropped nearly 100 enhanced guided bomb units against key targets.

[5] The 49th continued to demonstrated its versatility, when on 3 September 2005, the wing answered a humanitarian call from the gulf coast area of the United States.

The BEAR Base team sent 120 short tons of cargo and built a tent city and housekeeping facilities for workers providing Hurricane Katrina relief operations.

Members of the 49th FW were treated to a special pre-release screen where director, Michael Bay, presented Holloman with an "Oscar" for the base's role.

Holloman was selected as a new location for an additional Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Formal Training Unit, allowing the base to once again move to the forefront of unmanned aerial vehicle technology as it had in the past.

[5] In early 2010, the 49th Fighter Wing again exemplified its ability to respond in a moment's notice when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti, leaving thousands dead and many more homeless.

The contingent from Holloman teamed up with members from the 432nd Maintenance Group at Creech AFB, Nev., to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the troops on the ground assisting the Haitians.

Holloman's BEAR Base supplied 480,000 square feet of AM-2 matting that was used to expand the expeditionary aircraft operations throughout Afghanistan.

[5] Logisticians and engineers with the 49th also provided expeditionary base facilities and equipment to establish three 550-person encampments, valued at $10 million, for joint service forces in the area of responsibility.