World War II The
squadron was activated at
Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 3 November 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the
380th Bombardment Group. After training with
Consolidated B-24 Liberators, the squadron moved to the
Southwest Pacific Theater in April 1943. The air echelon arrived at
Fenton Airfield, in the Australian Northern Territory by early May. In 1948
Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and
Air National Guard units from ADC. President
Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the 530th was inactivated Reflex placed Stratojets and
Boeing KC-97s at bases closer to the Soviet Union for 90 day periods, although individuals rotated back to home bases during unit Reflex deployments The percentage of SAC planes on fifteen minute
ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike gradually grew over the next three years to reach the goal of 1/3 of SAC’s force on alert by 1960. From 1958, the Stratojet wings of
Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume an
alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. After the
detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, SAC dispersed its B-47s on 22 October 1962. Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with AF Reserve or
Air National Guard units. Squadron B-47s were configured for execution of the
Emergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersal. On 24 October 1962, SAC went to
DEFCON 2, placing all its combat aircraft on alert. As tensions eased, on 15 November 1/6 of the dispersed B-47s were recalled to their home bases. On 21 November, SAC went to DEFCON 3. Dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November the squadron returned to its normal alert posture. The squadron flew the B-47 Until 1965, when the
medium bomber began to be phased out of SAC's inventory. Ground alert for B-47s was terminated on 11 February 1966. The squadron began to send its Stratojets to the
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for retirement. It became nonoperational on 11 June 1966 and was inactivated on 25 June. The squadron was located just across the runway from the
General Dynamics Fort Worth Plant and became the first USAF unit to fly and become operational with the
General Dynamics FB-111A. Its primary mission was the training of all FB-111
aircrews for SAC, but it maintained a combat ready force as well. where it was assigned to the 380th Bombardment Wing. The squadron continued its mission at Plattsburgh until 1 July 1986, when the 530th, which had recently been redesignated the
530th Strategic Bombardment Training Squadron was activated in its place and assumed its mission, personnel and aircraft. A year after activating, the squadron became the
530th Combat Crew Training Squadron. In 1991, the squadron began transferring its aircraft to be modified as F-111G
fighter-bombers. With the exception of museum aircraft, the last FB-111 was gone from Plattsburgh by July 1991, and the squadron was inactivated. ==Lineage==