Air Force Reserve Command activates 24th Helicopter Squadron
On 6 December 2024, the 24th Helicopter Squadron was activated under the 908th Flying Training Wing at Maxwell AFB (AL).
With the activation of the 24th Helicopter Squadron, formerly known as Detachment 3 of the 58th Operations Group, which was officially activated during a ceremony at Maxwell on 31 January 2024, the Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf Formal Training Unit (FTU) now has a mature status before becoming Fully Operational Capable (FOC).
Being a real heritage squadron, The 24th HS’s story began in December 1939 as the 24th Bombardment Squadron (Light), established at Maxwell Field. Over its decades-long history, the squadron evolved through roles as a reconnaissance unit, a Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS), and a Special Operations Squadron (SOS), contributing to missions in World War II’s China-Burma-India Theater and beyond.
In 2020, the squadron was deactivated, but its heritage endured. In the next eighteen months, the Grey Wolf FTU squadron will welcome its first cohort of students for the MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter, where they will build on foundational skills learned in basic helicopter courses, refining them into mission-ready capabilities focuses on complex operational scenarios, including night landings, low-altitude manoeuvres and precision targeting. In the past, the squadron was nicknamed 'The Golden Jaguars'. At this time, it is unknown to Scramble if they will use the same name again.
Credit photo: USAF