1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

Mission
The 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is a special operations force enabler. The mission: to generate combat capability in the form of safe and reliable special mission aircraft. 1SOAMXS is responsible for maintenance on the AC-130U Spooky and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.

The squadron performs on-equipment flight line tasks to include daily launch and recovery, pre- and post-flight serviceability inspections, systems troubleshooting, aircraft system repair and minor modifications. The squadron is organized into two aircraft maintenance units and squadron support staff.

The 4th AMU maintains the AC-130U gunship and supports training and contingency requirements of the 4th and 19th Special Operations Squadrons as well as the initial start-up and maturing of AFSOC’s newest gunship, the AC-130J Ghostrider.

The 1st SOAMXS provides maintenance support at home station and while deployed anywhere around the world. Maintenance personnel consisting of crew chiefs with a complement of systems technicians, augmented by technicians from the 1st Special Operations Maintenance Squadron, normally accompany deployed aircraft.

Lineage.
Constituted as 16 Mobile Reclamation & Repair Squadron on 25 Oct 1943. Activated on 1
Nov 1943. Redesignated as 16 Mobile Reclamation & Repair Squadron, Heavy, on 17 Jul 1944.
Inactivated on 21 Nov 1945. Disbanded on 8 Oct 1948. Reconstituted, and redesignated as 16 Aircraft
Generation Squadron on 31 Jul 1985. Activated on 1 Oct 1995. Redesignated as 16 Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron on 1 Oct 2002; 1 Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on 16 Nov
2006.

Assignments.
VIII Air Force Service Command, 1 Nov 1943 (attached to VIII Air Technical Service
Command [Provisional] 20 Jul-12 Aug 1945); 3 Air Division, 12 Aug-21 Nov 1945. 16 Logistics (later,
16 Maintenance; 1 Special Operations Maintenance) Group, 1 Oct 1995-.

Stations.
Wattisham, England, 31 Dec 1943; Hitcham, England, 1 May 1944-21 Nov 1945. Hurlburt
Field, FL, 1 Oct 1995-.

Service Streamers.
World War II European-African-Middle Eastern Theater.

Campaign Streamers.
None.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers.
None.

Decorations.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" Device: 1 Jun 1997-31 May 1999; 1
Jul 2003 – 30 Jun 2005; 1 Jul 2006-30 Jun 2007. Meritorious Unit Awards: 1 Jul 2007-30 Jun 2009; 1
Oct 2009-30 Sep 2011; 1 Oct 2011-30 Sep 2013; 1 Oct 2013-30 Sep 2015. Air Force Outstanding Unit
Awards: 1 Jul 1999-30 Jun 2001; 1 Jul 2001-30 Jun 2003; 1 Jul [2005] – 1 Jun 2006.



Emblem.
Approved on 11 Jul 1996.

Units