USAF / 303d ERQS / Full Squadron History / Jolly Green Giant

The official emblem for the 303d was designed & approved for the Squadron to use by Walt Disney.

The 303d Air Rescue Squadron was constituted on the 1 August 1956 & activated in the Reserve on 8 October 1956 at Long Beach Muni Airport. It operated the SA-16 Albatross amphibious aircraft which would later become the HU-16 until it was replaced in 1965.

A HU-16 Albatross from the 303d ARRS sits on the ramp bathing in the sun.

The Squadron performed SAR, as well as medical evacuation missions, in the southwestern United States & occasionally into Central America, between 1956 & 1985, with the aircraft being the main factor that changed. During this period, also performed escort missions for aircraft deploying to the Pacific.

The Squadron was reassigned 2347th Air Reserve Flying Centre on the 8 October 1956, the 2350th Air Reserve Flying Centre on the 1 October 1958, the Fourth Air Force on the 8 April 1960 & then the Sixth Air Force Reserve Region on the 1 September 1960.

It then moved to March AFB on the 1 November 1960, which became its move for over three decades.

During 1965 the aging HU-16’s was replaced by the HC-97, 1965-1972. It was redesignated as the 303d Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron on 18 January 1966.

Unfortunately this is the fate of many aircraft in the USAF & this HC-97 is waiting in the sun for scraping, an undignified end for a great aircraft. 

It was reassigned to the Western Air Force Reserve Region on the 31 December 1969 which followed with the arrival of the HC-130 in 1972.

It was then reassigned to the 403d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing, which would later become the 403d Rescue & Weather Reconnaissance Wing on the 15 March 1976.

The unit received the new C-130 in 1984 however this was the transport version. This was the first start of a new role for the Squadron, which wouldn’t see dedicated rescue operations for another 13 years.

A nice example of an ARRS patch that was used between 1966 to 1984.

A new role

The Squadron was redesignated as the 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron on the 1 April 1985, which brought on a mission change. Along with transport the Squadron also provided fire-fighting support to the U. S. Forest Service in the western United States.

It was redesignated as the 303d Airlift Squadron on the 1 February 1992, before being inactivated on the 30 June 1993.

Back to Rescue

The Squadron was redesignated as the 303d Rescue Squadron on 1 April 1997 & activated in the Reserve two weeks later on the 15 April 1997 at Portland International Airport operating HC-130’s again.

It was assigned to the 939th Operations Group & trained for CSAR & performed SAR & helicopter aerial refuelling missions primarily in the north-western United States.

It was only active for a short time as it was inactivated on 1 April 2003.

Only used for six years by the HC-130 crews at Portland.

Provisional Squadron

Redesignated as 303d Expeditionary Rescue Squadron & converted to provisional status, on the 22 July 2011 it was assigned USAFE to activate or inactivate at any time on or after 22 July 2011.

An OCP subdued patch from the Squadron with the design from Walt Disney.

It wasn’t inactive very long as c. February 2013 the Squadron was activated at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti as a HH-60G & pararescue/Guardian Angel combat unit assigned to the 449th AEG. It was activated to replace the USMC HMH-464 Detachment A, which had been in Djibouti since 2003 with its CH-53E’s. Its mission is to provide CSAR, personnel recovery, & aeromedical evacuation capability for USAFRICOM, AFAFRICA & Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), to include a rescue alert mission, utilizing the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter.

The plaque hanging on the entrance to the 303rd Rescue Squadron at Camp Lemonier.

The Squadron is made up from all of the HH-60G units (33rd, 41st, 55th, 56th, 101st, 129th, 210th & 305th RQS's) & pararescue/Guardian Angel units within the USAF (31st, 38th, 48th, 57th, 58th, 103rd, 131st, 212th, 304th, 306th & 308th RQS's) who regularly deploy for rotations to Africa.

A Squadron challenge coin from the 101st RQS for a deployment to Djibouti between May-October 2015.

Crew from the 66th RQS prepare a HH-60G for shipment back to Nellis after a deployment in January 2014. (USAF Photo/SrA Tabatha Zarrella)

In December 2022 the 303d recorded the first real-world casualty evacuation by a HH-60W from the 41st RQS with the support from a HC-130J & Guardian Angels from the 347th RQG.