492nd Special Operations Wing at Davis-Monthan: Impact on Sierra Vista & Fort Huachuca Airspace
The 492nd Special Operations Wing Is Coming to Davis-Monthan—Here’s What It Means for Us in Southeastern Arizona Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is about to look a little different. Tucson is getting ready to welcome the 492nd Special Operations Wing (492 SOW), a unit with roots going all the way back to World War II. And while this is a big shift for the Air Force, it also has some ripple effects down here in Cochise County —yes, even for folks around Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista . A Quick Look Back The 492nd’s story starts in WWII as the 492nd Bombardment Group . They flew into combat in May of 1944 and suffered some of the heaviest bomber losses in the European Theater. After being pulled from those missions, the group shifted into special operations for the rest of the war. Fast-forward a few decades, and the modern wing has been at Hurlburt Field, Florida, training and supporting Air Force Special Operations Command . Why the Move to Tucson? In 2023, the Air Force annou...