Mission

302ND AIRLIFT WING
The 302nd Airlift Wing, Colorado's only Air Force Reserve flying unit, is the largest tenant organization at Peterson Air Force Base. It has approximately 1,200 reservists and 250 full-time employees assigned. The wing is one of nine C-130 Air Force Reserve units with an airdrop and airlift mission located throughout the nation. The wing is assigned 12 C-130H3 Hercules aircraft, which are flown by the wing's 731st Airlift Squadron, and its new associate active duty squadron, the 52nd Airlift Squadron. The mission of the 302nd AW is to provide superior global reach. The primary operational mission of the 302nd AW is tactical airlift and airdrop. The wing also has the specialized mission of Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, as well as an aeromedical evacuation mission, which was added in April of 2008. Any unit assigned to the 302nd AW can be activated and deployed from the United States to any location in the world within 72 hours. There are three groups and a medical element assigned to the 302nd AW. These include the 302nd Operations Group, the 302nd Maintenance Group and the 302nd Mission Support Group. The 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron also serves the wing ensuring its medical readiness.

The 302nd AW is also the second Air Force Reserve C-130 unit to have an active duty Air Force squadron associated with it as part of the Air Force's Total Force Integration initiative. The initiative allows for maximum use of the wing's aircraft, while capitalizing on the high years of experience found in members of the Air Force Reserve. The 52nd Airlift Squadron, assigned to the 19th Airlift Wing, based at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., began associating with the 302nd AW in the fall of 2009, with an expected full operational capable date of 2012.

Organization
The 302nd AW comes under the operational control of the Air Force Reserve Command, headquartered at Robins AFB, Ga. When called to active duty through presidential order, the wing would be gained by 15th Air Force and would become an active-duty unit under Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.

History
Established as the 302nd Troop Carrier Wing on May 16, 1949, the 302nd AW was first activated by the Reserve on June 27, 1949. In the mid-1950s, the wing flew airlift operations in the United States and overseas.

The 302nd AW was called to active duty during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. During the 1960s, wing aircraft and crews performed worldwide airlift missions and participated in numerous tactical exercises. The unit was deactivated on April 1, 1981. In mid-1983, the unit, then designated the 91st Tactical Airlift Group, moved to newly constructed facilities on Peterson AFB and reactivated April 1, 1985. The wing received one of its most challenging tests in 1990-91 with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. More than 600 wing members— including flying, medical and maintenance personnel—deployed to the Persian Gulf, England, and stateside locations to support active duty operations.

At the end of the Gulf War, the 302nd AW supported Operation Provide Comfort, air dropping food and supplies to the Kurdish refugees. The wing supported Operations Provide Relief and Restore Hope in Somalia, Coronet Oak in Panama, Provide Promise's humanitarian airlift to Bosnia and hurricane relief to Homestead AFB, Fla.
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