USAF Patch Bomb 2 AEG Air Expeditionary Group B 52 RAF Fairford a

USAF Patch Deployed 2 AEG Air Expeditionary Group Bomb Operation Allied Force B 52H KC 135 B 1B RAF Fairford 1999 Embroidered on twill cut edge 88mm by 75mm three and one half inches by three inches.

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History 

2 AEG Air Expeditionary Group was activated from 2 Bomb Wing in September 1998 and deployed to Diego Garcia British Indian Ocean Territories BIOT on CALMC Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile alert for operations against Iraq should that be necessary in efforts to force Iraq to allow UN weapons inspectors to continue their work to eliminate Iraqs WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction. 2 AEG undertook combat missions during Operation Desert Fox to strike military and security targets in Iraq that contribute to its ability to produce store maintain and deliver WMD with its B 52 Stratofortress bombers dropping CALMC AGM 86C while Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from Navy ships from 16 to 19 December 1998. The B 52 bombers were supported by 2 AEG KC 10 tankers for air refuelling.

Following Operation Desert Fox a number of aircraft and personnel were redeployed to RAF Fairford where 2 Air Expeditionary Group was reactivated in February 1999 to control Operation Noble Anvil USAFs commitment to Op Allied Force missions over the former Yugoslavia with 20 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron with B 52H bombers 77 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron with B 1B Lancer bombers and 22 EARS Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron equipped with KC 135R Stratotankers. 

20 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron formed in February from elements of 2 BW Bomb Wings 11 20 and 96 BS Bomb Squadrons from Barksdale AFB and 23 Bomb Squadron from 5 Bomb Wing Minot AFB equipped with B 52H bombers. The bombing campaign commenced on 24 March 1999 with B 52H aircraft armed with CALCM Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles and continued with daily missions. 22 EARS Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron formed at RAF Fairford on 31 March 1999 with the arrival of the first KC 135 Stratotankers from 366 Wing at Mountain Home AFB and grew to five aircraft flying daily refuelling missions for the bombers.

B 1B Lancer bombers arrived at RAF Fairford on 1 April 1999 forming 77 Expeditionary Bomb Squadron which carried out daily missions with Mk 82 bombs. 20 EBS switched to freefall bombing forming strike packages with B 1B Lancers attacking targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Further aircraft rotated through during the operation. The degradation of Serbian positions during the campaign resulted in Serbia signing a peace agreement with NATO on 9 June 1999.

Once it became clear that Serbia had complied with the terms of the settlement and withdrawn from Kosovo the USAF units returned to CONUS with 20 Expeditionary Bomb Squadrons B 52H bombers departed RAF Fairford for the US on 23 June 1999.

This patch dates from 1999.