The first B-50As were delivered in June 1948 to the Strategic Air Command's
43d Bombardment Wing, based at
Davis-Monthan AFB,
Arizona. The
2d Bombardment Wing at
Chatham AFB,
Georgia also received B-50As; the
93d Bombardment Wing at
Castle AFB,
California and the
509th Bombardment Wing at
Walker AFB,
New Mexico received B-50Ds in 1949. The fifth and last SAC wing to receive B-50Ds was the
97th Bombardment Wing at
Biggs AFB,
Texas in December 1950.
The mission of these wings was to be nuclear-capable and, in wartime, be able to deliver the
atomic bomb on enemy targets if ordered by the president.
[15]
The
301st Bombardment Wing at
MacDill AFB,
Florida received some B-50As reassigned from Davis-Monthan in early 1951, but used them for non-operational training pending the delivery of B-47A Stratojets in June 1951.
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