Skip to main content

37th Bomb Squadron

Armed Force
United States Air Force
 (USAF)
Airfield
Ellsworth AFB
 (KRCA)
, USA
Aircraft
B-1B Lancer
Membership status
Honorary Member
Member since
1987
History

The 37th Bomb Squadron was activated for the first time on 13 June 1917 at Camp Kelly, TX as the 37th Aero Squadron. Equipped with the Avro 504-K. After a period of 14 years of being disbanded (from 1919 to 1933) the 37th reformed at Langley Field, VA as the 37th Pursuit Squadron flying the Curtis P-6 'Hawk'. On 1 March 1935, the squadron was reassigned the 37th Attack Squadron until it was deactivated in 1938. The Squadron reactivated on 1 February 1940 as the 37th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), and receiving the B-18 'Bolo', after one year being replaced by the B-25 'Mitchell' medium Bomber at Barksdale Field, LA, as a part of the 28th Composite Group. Until it was inactivated again in 1945.
 Reactivated as the 37th Bombardment Squadron Light during May 1952, flying the B-26. In 1955 the Squadron was re-designated the 37th Bombardment Squadron Tactical and they where equipped with the B-66 Destroyer, until the Sqn inactivated again in 1958. It wasn't until 1977 until the Squadron was reactivated as part of the 28th Bombardment Wing. Now designated the 28th Bombardment Squadron Heavy, and flying the B-52 Stratofortress from Ellsworth AFB, SD. The squadron inactivated again in 1982, and was reactivated again in 1987 Flying the Supersonic B-1B Lancer. In 1991 the squadron re-designated the 37th Bomb Squadron, the designation it uses until today.

The 37th Bomb Squadron is home to the B-1B Lancer, ready to carry out the mission of the 28th Bomb Wing. Col. Tony Beat, 28th Bomb Wing vice commander; Maj. Clay Culver and Kirk Cakerice, 37th Bomb Squadron; and Capt. Gary Everett, 37th BS, died in the Sept. 19 B-1B crash near Alzada, MT. The 37th Bomb Squadron enhanced their joint service operations with the Navy by participating in a Fleet Exercise 17-21 March 1997. B1-B aircrews flew long-duration sorties to Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, NC, performing bombing manoeuvres which were integrated into Navy strike packages for high-threat environments.

Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron flew 10 non-stop 21-hour missions 14-18 February 2000 as part of a series of Global Power missions. Coronet Spider 28, known at Ellsworth as Tiger Strike, consisted of daily, two-ship sorties that flew a circuit west from Ellsworth to the Alaskan Yukon Range, south to Hawaii, and east over the south-western continental United States back to Ellsworth, for five straight days. Throughout the week, Tiger Strike aircrews flew more than 87,000 nautical miles and took on more than 2.5 million pounds of jet fuel in-flight. Tanker support for these missions involved active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve aircraft from units at Fairchild and McChord Air Force Bases, Wash., Travis AFB, Calif., McConnell AFB, Kan., Grand Forks AFB, N.D., and Bangor, Maine. The 37th BS launched four aircraft daily with the plan that two would act as 'air spares' for the two primary strike aircraft. After the first refuelling, the 'spare' aircraft went on to strike targets in the Utah Test and Training Range before returning to Ellsworth. Then, some 10 hours later they were regenerated as the next days primary strike aircraft in keeping with the intent of the exercise - sustainability and regeneration of strike bombers.

Six Ingleside-based ships, the crew of Inglesides Mobile Integrated Command Facility (MICFAC), and aircraft of the Air Forces 37th Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota took part in RONEX 00-2, an intermediate level exercise designed to put the participants mine warfare training and proficiency to the test. The mine countermeasures Squadron Exercise (RONEX) took place 8-19 May 2000, spanning the Gulf of Mexico from Ingleside to Panama City, FL. This RONEX included many significant firsts, notably the use of Air Force B1-B bombers for mine laying during an exercise in the Gulf of Mexico. Two bombers dropped dozens of inert mines well off the coast of western Florida that were subsequently hunted and recovered by the ships.