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U.S. Air Force

Special Operations

Air Force Special Operations Command. The Air Commandos who fly AC-130 gunships, MC-130 Combat Talons, and CV-22 Ospreys in support of special operations forces worldwide. First in. Any time. Any place.

Special Operations
Explore AFSOC Squadrons
1st SOW / 27th SOW / 352nd SOW
Air Commandos Est. 1944
SPEC OPS
HURLBURT FIELD, FL
Special Operations Squadrons
AC-130 / MC-130 / CV-22 / AFSOC
AFSOC
AF Spec Ops Cmd
Hurlburt
Field, Florida
1st SOW
Oldest SOF Wing
Air
COMMANDOS
Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field provides specialized airpower to U.S. Special Operations Command. AFSOC aircrews fly AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, MC-130J Commando II infiltration aircraft, and CV-22B Osprey tiltrotors. They insert and extract SOF teams, provide precision close air support, conduct psychological operations, and perform combat search and rescue in denied territory. The 1st Special Operations Wing is the oldest and most seasoned SOF aviation unit in the Air Force. Air Commandos have operated in every conflict since WWII. Read more
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WWII Air Commandos to GWOT 1944 - Present
BURMA 1944
COCHRAN AND ALISON
1st Air Commando Group
Burma - The Original Air Commandos
1944
Burma Campaign
Cochran
Col Philip Cochran
Gliders
Behind Enemy Lines
CBI
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA
The 1st Air Commando Group was activated in 1944 under Colonels Philip Cochran and John Alison to support British Brigadier Orde Wingate's Chindits operating behind Japanese lines in Burma. Air Commandos flew gliders, fighters, bombers, transports, and light aircraft in one of the most unconventional air campaigns of WWII. They inserted ground forces by glider at night, resupplied them by airdrop, and provided close air support in dense jungle. The Air Commando concept was born and the heritage lives in AFSOC today. Read more
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GWOT
OIF / OEF / GLOBAL
GWOT Special Operations
The Night Belongs to AFSOC
AC-130
Gunship Overwatch
MC-130
SOF Infiltration
CV-22
Osprey Insert
Nightly
SOF RAID SUPPORT
During the GWOT, AFSOC aircraft flew nightly in support of SOF operations across Iraq, Afghanistan, and classified locations worldwide. AC-130 gunships provided overwatch for every major SOF raid, including the Bin Laden operation in Abbottabad. MC-130s infiltrated and exfiltrated teams in denied airspace. CV-22 Ospreys provided rapid insertion with speed and range that helicopters could not match. AFSOC crews operated at night, at low altitude, in the worst weather, into the most dangerous landing zones. The night belonged to them. Read more
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AFSOC
Spec Ops Command
AC-130
Ghostrider
CV-22
Osprey
1944
Air Commando Heritage