| 329th Armament Systems Group | |
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![]() Emblem of the 329th Armament Systems Group |
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| Active | 1942-1944, 1955–1959, 2005- |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Systems Development |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command Air Armament Center |
The 329th Armament Systems Group is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Florida
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Contents
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The group was activated in 1942 under Fourth Air Force as the 329th Fighter Group, with the 330th,[1] 331st,[2] and 332d Fighter Squadrons[3] assigned.[4] At first, the unit was primarily a replacement training group training P-38 Lightning pilots in the final phases of fighter pilot training before shipping overseas.[4][5] In November 1942, the 337th Fighter Squadron returned to the US from Iceland and was assigned to the wing.[6] The group's squadrons were dispersed for most of this period, stationed at various locations in California and Washington.[1][2][3][6] The group also provided cadres for fighter groups, starting in early 1943.[4][1][2][3][6] During 1943, its 330th Fighter Squadron also served as an air defense unit.[1] The group was disbanded in 1944[4] and its personnel and equipment transferred to the 442d AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter)[7] as part of an Army Air Forces (AAF) reorganization in which units not programmed to deploy overseas were replaced by AAF Base Units in order to free up manpower for overseas assignment.
The group was reconstituted in 1955 as the 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated[4] by Air Defense Command (ADC) as part of Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[8] The group replaced the 4700th Air Defense Group[9] at Stewart AFB and absorbed the 4700th's personnel and equipment. The 330th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) was reassigned to the 329th[1], and the 331st FIS replaced[2] the 539th FIS, which moved to McGuire AFB, New Jersey,[10] since another purpose of Project Arrow was to reunite fighter groups with their traditional squadrons.[8] The group was tasked with air defense of upper Northeast United States (1955–1959) flying radar and rocket equipped F-86 Sabres.[11][12] The group also served as the host organization for all USAF units stationed at Stewart and was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfil this mission.[13][14][15]
In December 1956, both of the group's squadrons began to receive upgraded Sabres equipped with data link communications equipment to interface with the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system.[12] The group was reduced to a single operational squadron in August 1958, when the 331st FIS moved and was reassigned.[2] In July of the following year, its remaining operational squadron was inactivated[1] and the group and its support squadrons followed the next month.[4][13][16][15][17]
Modern Era
In 2006, the group was reactivated and consolidated with the Air Combat Support Systems Group as a systems development group at Eglin AFB, Florida.[11]
329th Fighter Group
Air Combat Support Systems Group[11]
Operational Squadrons
Support Units
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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