TACRON Tactical Air Control Squadrons

14,992 · April 22, 2018

US Navy Tactical Air Control Squadrons (TACRON) were established to control and direct air support and superiority assets during amphibious landing operations, primarily aboard AGC Amphibious Command vessels in coordination with TACRON beach parties landed with the troops ashore. Today they are often broken up into detachments and assigned to MEU's and amphibious vessels as necessary to support their operations.

In Navspeak, TACRONS: "Provide detachments to coordinate all air operations in support of amphibious forces. Establish a Tactical Air Control Center and/or Tactical Air Direction Center to centralize control, coordination and integration of amphibious air operations and training. Maintain the capability to temporarily man and operate an existing Air Traffic Control Facility or establish a remote facility ashore to control air traffic in support of contingency operations."

There are currently only four TACRON squadrons (21 & 22, 11 & 12) deployed with the USN Amphibious forces although there were others in the early days which some members may have in their collections. Feel free to add more TACRON patches and items to this topic.

TACRON 21 BLACKJACKS

U.S. Navy air traffic controllers, assigned to Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 21 aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4), follow an aviation crewman to board an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter