Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

9th Bombardment Wing
9th Strategic Aerospace Wing

The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was established on 25 April 1949, and activated on 1 May 1949. It was redesignated the 9th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, on 1 April 1950, and the 9th Bombardment Wing, Medium, on 02 October 1950. The Wing conducted strategic bombardment training from February 1951 through December 1965, and performed air refueling, May-July 1953, September 1954-December 1965.

In 1953 Mountain Home AFB was transferred to Strategic Air Command which assigned its 9th Bombardment Wing. The 9th relocated to Mountain Home AFB in May 1953, and began flying B-29 bombers and KB-29H refueling aircraft. The 9th began converting to the new B-47 Stratojet bomber and the KC-97 tanker in September 1954, keeping alert bombers ready for war at a moments notice and continuing its mission as a deterrent force throughout the Cold War years of the 1950s and early 1960s. The Wing conducted SAC airborne communications relay missions, December 1962- Marcb 1965, and deployed at Fairford RAF Station, England, May-Jul 1955, at Kadena AB, Okinawa, 3-22 Oct 1955, at Eielson AFB, AK, 18-22 Jan 1956, and at Andersen AFB, Guam, Oct 1957-Jan 1958.

In 1959, construction of three Titan missile sites began in the local area. The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron controlled these sites and was assigned to the 9th Bombardment Wing in August 1962. To prepare for the addition of missiles to its bomber forces, Air Force redesignated the wing as the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing in April 1962.

A few years later, the Strategic Air Command mission at Mountain Home began to wind down, and in November 1964, the Air Force announced that the missile sites would be closed. In late 1965, the Air Force also began phasing out the aging B-47 bomber and announced plans to bring the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing to Mountain Home.

The 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing was redesignated the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 25 June 1966.