Overview: The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) is a unit of the United States Air Force, operating within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Mission: The primary mission of the 379th AEW is to Generate Combat Airpower.
Organization: The 379th AEW is the largest and most diverse wing within Air Forces Central (AFCENT) and serves as the regional epicenter of power projection.
The 379th AEW executes its mission through a single Expeditionary Air Base Group operating in seamless coordination with a fully integrated Air Staff and Mission Generation Force Elements (MGFE). As a steadfast hub for the Department of Defense, the 379th AEW hosts over 55 mission partners, including key entities such as USCENTCOM Forward Headquarters, the AFCENT Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC), Special Operations Joint Task Force-Central, Space Forces-Central, US Army-Central’s Top Notch Brigade (Air Defense), and an ever-evolving joint and coalition presence.
History: The 379th AEW draws its storied history and lineage back to the greatest sustained aviation campaign in history – the Eighth Air Force’s bombing offensive against Nazi Germany during World War II. While the current wing is a relatively new unit – it was reactivated in April 2002 – it is a direct descendent of the 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy) established Oct. 28, 1942. The 379th was a unit equipped with the B-17 Flying Fortress, the instrument of making daylight precision bombing against our nation’s enemies a reality. Flying in massed formations to maximize both defensive firepower and bombing concentration, Eighth Air Force leaders developed a system to identify the bombers more easily as they assembled in their formations without the benefit of radio communications. Each of the three air divisions of the Eighth Air Force had a different shape painted on the wing and vertical stabilizers of each aircraft. Inside of this shape, a letter from the alphabet designated the bombardment group numbered based on when they first entered combat. As a result, aircraft of the 379th Bombardment Group carried the “Triangle K” insignia. The Group was assigned to the 1st Air Division represented by the triangle, and was the eleventh unit to enter combat indicated by the letter "K."
Awards and Decorations: Among its many distinctions, the 379th Bombardment Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations as well as the unprecedented and unrepeated "Eighth Air Force Operational Grand Slam" distinction. This was an honor bestowed by the HQ, Eighth Air Force in April 1944 in recognition for the Group achieving the best bombing accuracy, greatest tonnage of bombs dropped on target, largest number of aircraft attacking, lowest losses, and lowest mission-abort rate. As the only unit ever so recognized, the 379th AEW remains as proud of its "Grand Slam" legacy today as it was when it won this distinction in aerial combat in the skies over Europe during World War II.
Currently: The 379th AEW encompasses airlift, aerial refueling intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets which support Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and SPARTAN SHIELD.