Established as an expansion of the
1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group, the
550th Guided Missiles Wing was a short-lived unit of the
Air Proving Ground, activated at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Its mission was the supervision and evaluation of guided missile service tests as opposed to pure experimentation of its predecessor unit. As part of the 550th Wing, the former
1st Experimental Guided Missiles Squadron was inactivated; its personnel and equipment reorganized as follows:
Inactivation By January 1950, the Air Proving Ground decided the QB/DB-17 drone mission needed to be separated from the missile testing mission. It recommended the establishment of a separate and permanent drone squadron. Drone support personnel from the 2d Guided Missiles Squadron were subsequently transferred to a new unit, the 3201st Air Base Support Squadron, which was placed under the 3201st Air Base Group at Eglin. By late 1950, Air Proving Ground decided to reorganize the missile testing program. The 550th Guided Missiles Wing was inactivated effective 30 December 1950. The wing moved to Patrick Air Force Base in early December. At Patrick, the resources of the 550th Wing were transferred to the new
4800th Guided Missile Wing, which consolidated all Air Proving Ground activities at the base. The 1st Squadron terminated its gliding bomb mission and was inactivated. The 2d Guided Missiles Squadron was inactivated at Holloman, its resources moved to Patrick and on 10 April 1951 became the
4802d Guided Missiles Squadron. The personnel and equipment at Holloman Air Force Base became a detachment of the 3201st Air Base Support Squadron. The 3d Squadron already at Patrick was inactivated and transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the
4803d Guided Missiles Squadron. ==Lineage==