67th Special Operations Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 67th Special Operations Sqaudron


caption= 67th Special Operations Squadron Patch

dates= 14 November 1952 - 18 March 1960
10 May 1961 - Present

country= United States

branch=United States Air Force

type= Special Operations

command_structure= Air Force Special Operations Command
352nd Special Operations Group

garrison= RAF Mildenhall

motto= Night Owls

The 67th Special Operation Squadron is an active unit within the 352d Special Operations Group (352 SOG), United States Air Force, United States European Command, and is currently based at Royal Air Force base RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England.

Mission

From their base at RAF Mildenhall, the 67th Special Operations Squadron's Combat Shadow flies single or multi-ship low-level air refueling missions for special operations helicopters, and infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces by airdrop or airland. The MC-130P primarily flies missions at night to reduce probability of visual acquisition and intercept by airborne threats. In addition it is able to serve the same mission as the 7th SOS's MC-130H Talon IIs.

Assignments

The squadron uses the Lockheed MC-130P "Combat Shadow", which is the USAF Special Operations version of the HC-130. The most notable addition to this aircraft is its compatibility with night vision goggles, and as such, it does most of the group's heavy night work. The Combat Shadow also has the unique ability to refuel the group's helicopters in flight, making it a most valuable addition to the group, and to the air force in general.

History

Constituted 67th Air Rescue Squadron on 17 Oct 1952. Activated on 14 Nov 1952 RAF Sculthorpe, England. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 18 Mar 1960 at Prestwick, Scotland. Activated again on 10 May 1961, organized on 18 Jun 1961 at Prestwick, Scotland. Transferred to Moron AB, Spain on 1 Jul 1966. Redesignated 67th Air Recovery Squadron on 1 Aug 1965 and then 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 Jan 1966. On 15 Jan 1970, the 67th ARRS transferred to RAF Woodbridge, UK. On 1 Jun 1988 they were redesignated the 67th Special Operations Squadron. On 1 Apr 1992 they moved to RAF Alconbury, UK. They are still active as the 67th SOS and have flown the HC-130 since 1965 (their aircraft are now designated as MC-130P), currently stationed at RAF Mildenhall, UK

External links

* [http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=224 352d Special Operations Group Factsheet]