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Library > Fact Sheets > 451st AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING
451ST AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING
Posted 11/14/2010
Printable Fact Sheet
MISSION
Persistent Powerful Presence
The 451st AEW provides a persistent and powerful airpower presence in the Afghanistan area of operations, to include tactical airlift, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, airborne datalink, combat search and rescue, casualty evacuation and aeromedical evacuation capabilities whenever and wherever needed.
The 451st AEW is located at Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar International Airport, which is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan. Kandahar Airfield is home to a large NATO contingent with more than 40 countries represented on the base.
ORGANIZATION
The 451st AEW consists of three distinct groups:
The 451st Expeditionary Operations Group is responsible for conducting flying and aero-medical evacuation operations for the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing. The group oversees the day-to-day operations of one A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron, one C-130H airlift squadron, an HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue squadron, an airborne datalink capability, MQ-1, MQ-9 squadron and control reporting center. The 451 EOG also has command of rescue and airlift detachments at FOB Bastion. Additionally, the operations group oversees a range of support functions such as airfield management and operations, intelligence, and weather.
The 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Group consists of maintainers working in two expeditionary maintenance squadrons providing world-class flightline, backshop, and munitions support for aircraft across eight different mission data series in the largest maintenance complex in the southwest area of responsibility. Missions include close air support, tactical air support, intelligence/ surveillance/ reconnaissance, tactical airborne gateway, combat search and rescue, and medical evacuation to support joint/coalition/NATO forces promoting democracy and human rights.
The 451st Expeditionary Mission Support Group provides combat mission support with motivated personnel in four squadrons and one flight to include a Civil Engineer Squadron, Communications Squadron, Logistics Readiness Squadron, Security Forces Squadron and Force Support Flight. The 451st EMSG works in support of the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom and is responsible for mission support to a composite wing comprised of tactical airlift, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, airborne datalink, combat search and rescue, casualty and aeromedical evacuation capabilities.
HISTORY
The 451st Air Expeditionary Group was activated in 2002 as part of the Global War on Terrorism, conducting operations from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The group was responsible for air control of the southern region of Afghanistan, launch and recovery operations for the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, the employment of combat search and rescue forces throughout the entire country and ground security and defense of the airfield. Included in the group are safety, logistics, communications, civil engineer. Due to the growth in size and requirements of the USAF mission at Kandahar, the 451 AEG was enlarged to a wing-level organization, redesignated as the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing (451 AEW) and activated as such on July 2, 2009.
The 451st AEW traces its roots back to the 451st Bombardment Group (Heavy) which was activted as a B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment unit assigned to II Bomber Command for training on May 1, 1943. The unit initially deployed to Southern Italy in January 1944 and entered combat in January 1944, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force. After air echelon training in Algeria for several weeks before joining the remainder of the group in Italy, the group engaged in very long range strategic bombing missions to enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
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