41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing

The 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force, last active in 1989 at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was organized in October 1961 at as the Pacific Air Rescue Center, with responsibility of coordinating Air Force rescue operations in Pacific Air Forces' area of responsibility. In 1962, it began combat search and rescue operations in Southeast Asia. From 1967 it became the headquarters for rescue units in the Pacific, becoming the 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing in 1969.

In 1975 the wing added weather reconnaissance and aerial sampling missions, moving to the United States and assuming its final designation before inactivating in 1989. It is most recently named the 41st Air Expeditionary Group, but has not been active with that name.

The size of Air Rescue Service, steadily declined through the 1950s following the Korean War, reaching a low of three squadrons in 1960. However, starting in 1961, its mission and operations began to expand.^[1] As part of this expansion Air Rescue Service organized the Pacific Air Rescue Center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii in October 1961. The center had no assigned units, although the 33d Air Rescue Squadron at Naha Air Base, Okinawa was attached to it.^[2] It had only 26 persons assigned and it mission was limited to providing a rescue and recovery center for Pacific Air Forces.^[3]

Air Rescue Service had not had the mission of combat search and rescue since the Korean War, but its expansion brought with it a renewed interest in combat rescue. On 10 January 1962, Detachment 3 of the center was established at Tan Son Nhut Airport, with the mission of establishing a search and rescue network to recover American airmen downed in Southeast Asia. The detachment had no aircraft assigned, but depended on Army and Marine aircraft to locate the crash and transport a rescue party there.^[4] Air Rescue Service Kaman HH-43 Huskies began operations at Da Nang and Bien Hoa Air Bases in February 1964.^[5] In October, Detachment 4 of the center was activated to rescue and recover aircrew operating in the Republic of Viet Nam.^[6] Although the Huskies were joined by Grumman HU-16 Albatrosss in 1964, the Albatrosses were not assigned to the center.^[5]

In January 1966, the center was renamed the Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center, when the Air Force's distinction between "air rescue" and "air recovery"^[b] units was eliminated.^[7] At the same time, Detachment 3 was discontinued and the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group was activated and took command of rescue units in Southeast Asia.^{[8] [9]}

On 1 April 1967, the center assumed command responsibility for the first time as it became the equivalent level of organization as a wing.^[10] It resumed responsibility for rescue missions in Southeast Asia when the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group was assigned to the center, along with squadrons in the Pacific area.^{[9] [11]} However, operational control of the 3rd Group was with Seventh Air Force.^[12]

The center became the 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing in February 1969, when Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service renamed its wing level centers as numbered wings. In 1975, elements of the wing participated in the Mayaguez incident.^[13]

In 1975, Air Weather Service ended responsibility for weather reconnaissance and the 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the wing, which became the 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing.^[14] When Twenty-Third Air Force was organized in October 1983 to serve as a focal point within Military Airlift Command for dedicated special operations forces, Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service forces, and other forces under its control, the wing was assigned to it.^[15] and inactivated in August 1989.^[16]

Since its inactivation, the wing has been redesignated twice and converted to provisional status, but has not been active.

• Constituted as the Pacific Air Rescue Center and activated on 2 August 1961^[7] (not organized)

Organized on 8 October 1961

Redesignated Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center on 8 January 1966^[7]

Redesignated 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing on 7 February 1969^[10]

Redesignated 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing on 1 September 1975^[7]

Inactivated on 1 August 1989^[16]

Redesignated 41st Air Rescue Wing (not active)

Redesignated 41st Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 21 October 2005 (not active)

• List of inactive AFCON wings of the United States Air Force
• List of C-130 Hercules operators

• No byline (1 January 2025). "41 Air Expeditionary Group" (PDF). USAF History.com. Retrieved 26 May 2026.