4707th Air Defense Wing

Origin The wing was organized at the beginning of February 1952 as part of a major reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC) fighter units responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. The wing replaced the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts five days later and assumed control of the 33rd's operational elements. The wing's 564th Air Base Group assumed support responsibilities for Otis rom the inactivating 33d Air Base Group and 33d Maintenance & Supply Groups. The operational squadrons transferred from the 33d FIW were the 58th and 59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons at Otis and the 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. The 58th and 60th FIS flew North American F-86 Sabre aircraft, while the 59th was equipped with Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft. The wing mission was to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness to defend the northeastern United States. Shortly after joining the wing, the 58th Squadron converted from F-86 to F-94 aircraft. The same month the 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron activated at Grenier to replace the 133rd, which was inactivated and returned to the control of the ANG. and was assigned the 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which had previously been assigned to another wing. Another result of this reorganization is that the wing assumed the radar detection, warning, and control mission and assigned six aircraft control & warning squadrons (AC&W Sq) to perform this mission. Two of these squadrons, the 113th and 119th AC&W Sqs were federalized ANG squadrons, which were returned to state control in December, In the spring of 1953, five new AC&W Sqs were activated at Grenier for transfer to stations in Canada. These squadrons were all reassigned to Northeast Air Command shortly after their activation. The 4707th was also assigned an additional radar unit two months later. Project Arrow and replacement In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars. As a result of Project Arrow, the 15th Fighter Group (Air Defense) replaced the 518th Air Defense Group at Niagara Falls, replaced the 564th Air Defense Group at Otis. Because Project Arrow called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters, the 60th Squadron at Westover returned to Otis and was replaced at Westover by the 337th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which took over its personnel and aircraft. Later in 1955, the wing assumed command of two other fighter squadrons, the 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Laurence G. Hanscom Airport, Massachusetts, and the 324th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which activated at Westover. Both squadrons flew F-86D aircraft. The wing was reassigned to the 26th Air Division in March 1956 Shortly thereafter, ADC reactivated fighter wings at its large installations and the 4707th was discontinued later that year with its equipment and personnel being reassigned to the unit it had originally replaced, now designated the 33d Fighter Wing (Air Defense). ==Lineage==