List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force

Standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were proving to be poorly adapted to this mission.

Accordingly, the AAF adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.

In August 1947, the AAF began a service test of the wing base organization model.

[4] The test proved the wing base plan to the satisfaction of the new USAF and was implemented in all combat commands in the summer of 1948.

Beginning in the late spring of 1948 AF Base Units were replaced by wings, groups, and squadrons.

[5] By July 1948 Headquarters, USAF began to allot blocks of numbers to its major subordinate formations, the Major Commands (MAJCOMs), in the same way that it had allotted blocks for AF Base Units.

Eventually, the numbers were expanded as high as 9999 for Continental Air Command reserve units.

[6][b] The term used by USAF to denote wings (and other units) controlled by MAJCOMs varied during the first decade the system was used.

[9] USAF considered MAJCON wings "temporary", though many stayed in existence for a very long time.

[13] ADC had acted similarly in 1955 with Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars, although Project Arrow involved groups and squadrons, not wings.

In July 1950, USAF planners did not foresee that the Korean War would be of long duration.

[16] However, by the following month, it became apparent that the Air Base Squadrons originally deployed to Korea to support tactical units did not have sufficient personnel and equipment.

[16] This proved a temporary expedient, and at the start of December 1950 the permanent wings were deployed to Korea to control their tactical groups already located there, replacing the existing Tactical Support Wings.

SAC also had several MAJCON air refueling wings whose flying squadrons were AFCON units.

[18][19] In October 1969, Tactical Air Command (TAC) joined them and replaced its MAJCON combat crew training wings for fighter and reconnaissance aircraft with AFCON fighter training wings.

"At the same time, the Air Force withdrew the authorization for major commands to create MAJCON organizations.

Although expeditionary wings are activated as needed by MAJCOMs, their numbers are controlled by Hq, USAF and their lineage and honors can be inherited.