73d Space Group

The 73d Space Group is an inactive United States Air Force space surveillance organization. Its last assignment was with Fourteenth Air Force, being stationed at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 26 April 1995.

The Group performed space surveillance. In April 1995 the 73d Space Surveillance Group merged with the 21st Space Wing. From that point the 21st became the largest wing in the United States Air Force with units deployed literally throughout the world.

History

Lineage

• Established as: 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing on 1 November 1966

Organized on 1 January 1967

Inactivated on 30 April 1971

• Redesignated as 73d Space Surveillance Group on 10 February 1989

Activated on 1 March 1989

Redesignated as 73d Space Wing on 1 June 1991

Redesignated as 73d Space Group on 1 May 1992

Inactivated on 26 April 1995

Assignments

• 9th Aerospace Defense Division, 1 January 1967
• 14th Aerospace Force, 1 July 1968 – 30 April 1971
• Air Force Space Command, 1 March 1989
• 1st Space Wing, 1 June 1991
• 14th Air Force, 20 September 1993 – 26 April 1995

Stations

• Ent AFB, Colorado, 1 January 1967
• Tyndall AFB, Florida, 17 July 1967 – 30 April 1971
• Falcon AFB, Colorado, 1 June 1991 – 26 April 1995

Components

• 1st Command and Control Squadron (28 February 1992 – 24 June 1994)
• 1 Deep Surveillance Squadron (later, 1st Surveillance Squadron, 1st Space Surveillance Squadron (1 April 1989 – 26 April 1995)
• 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron (1 October 1992 – 26 April 1995)
• 4th Surveillance Squadron (later, 4th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 October 1990 – 26 April 1995)
• 5 Surveillance Squadron (later, 5th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 October 1990 – 26 April 1995)
• 16 Surveillance Squadron (later, 16th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 September 1991 – 1 October 1994)
• 17 Surveillance Squadron (later, 17th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 31 December 1969; 15 November 1993 – 26 April 1995)
• 18th Surveillance Squadron (later, 18th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 July 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 19th Surveillance Squadron (later, 19th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 October 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 20th Surveillance Squadron (later, 20th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 August 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 73d Operations Support Squadron (15 May 1992 – 26 April 1995)
• 73d Support Squadron (later, 73d Mission Support Squadron (15 May 1992 – 26 April 1995)

Detachments

• Detachment 1, 73d Space Group – San Vito dei Normanni AS, Italy (1 October 1989 – 1 October 1990)^[1]
• Detachment 2, 73d Space Group – RAF Feltwell, United Kingdom (1 October 1989 – 1 October 1990)
• Detachment 3, 73d Space Group – Misawa AB, Japan (1 January 1991 – 1 October 1992)

Emblem

Blazon

Per chevron reversed celeste and azure a plate bearting a torteau radiating seven fillets throughout argent and over-all a fillet forming a nuclear rose of the last seeded of seven electrons gules and leaved of seven flight symbols or, all within a diminished bordure of the like.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Information compiled by Daniel L. Haulman, Phd; Chief, Organizational Histories Branch; Air Force Historical Research Agency

Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)
Air Forces Fourteenth Twenty-Fourth Centers Space and Missile Systems Space Innovation and Development 614th Air and Space Operations 624th Operations Air Force Network Integration Bases Buckley Los Angeles Patrick Peterson Schriever Thule Vandenberg Stations Cape Canaveral Cape Cod Cavalier Cheyenne Mountain Clear Eldorado (closed) Kaena Point New Boston Onizuka (closed)
Wings Combat Communications 689th Information Operations 688th Network Warfare 67th Space 21st 30th 45th 50th 310th 460th
Groups Air Base 61st Combat Communications 3d 5th 201st 226th 254th 281st Cyberspace Engineering Installation 38th Information Operations 318th Network Operations 26th Network Support 690th Network Warfare 67th
Squadrons Combat Communications 3d 5th 23d 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 42d 51st 52d 53d 54th 55th 147th 221st 232d 236th 239th 242d 263d 264th 265th 267th 269th 271st 282d 283d 291st 292d 293d Command and Control 1st 2d 3d 4th 55th Mobile 119th 153d 222d 721st Mobile Space Control 1st 4th 16th 20th 25th 76th 380th Space Launch 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th Space Operations 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 19th 21st 22d 23d 111th 148th AFSPC Space Warning 2d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 137th 213th Others 26th Space Aggressor (AFRC) 527th Space Aggressor (ACC) 3d Space Communications 50th Space Communications 850th Space Communications 1st Space Development 2d Space Development 3d Space Development 3d Space Experimentation 1st Space Surveillance 3d Space Surveillance 5th Space Surveillance 1st Air and Space Test 2d Test Operations 3d Space Test 4th Space Test 55th Space Weather

Aerospace Defense Command (ADC)
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Major weapon systems	Electronic TB-29 EB-57 EC-121 Fighters Propellor: F-47 F-51 P-61 F-82 Subsonic Jet: P-80 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-94 Supersonic Jet: F-101 F-102 F-104 F-106 Missiles AIM-4 AIM-26 AIR-2 CIM-10 Ships Guardian Interceptor Interdictor Interpreter Investigator Locator Lookout Outpost Pickett Protector Scanner Searcher Skywatcher Tracer Watchman Vigil Texas Towers Texas Tower 2 Texas Tower 3 Texas Tower 4
Miscellaneous	Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons) General Surveillance Radar Stations