727th EACS Kingpins

[vTF-77 Command]

727th EACS “Kingpins”

In the autumn of 1950, as the Cold War’s chill settled over the world, a new unit emerged at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. The 727th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, later known as the “Kingpins,” was born to watch the skies and guide the fight. Equipped with radar and radios, its Airmen scanned for threats, their screens glowing in the dim control rooms. Through the 1950s, they stood sentinel, part of the 507th Tactical Control Group, ensuring no enemy slipped through America’s defenses. By 1964, redesignated as the 727th Tactical Control Squadron, they embraced mobile radar systems, ready to deploy wherever the Air Force called.

The Vietnam War tested their resolve. In the late 1960s, the Kingpins, now under the 602nd Tactical Air Control Group, sent detachments to Southeast Asia. From forward bases, they directed air strikes and coordinated fighters, their voices crackling over radios to guide pilots through monsoon-soaked skies. Back home, the 1970s brought new challenges. Redesignated the 727th Tactical Control Squadron (Test) in 1979, they joined the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center, pioneering advanced command-and-control systems. By 1991, as the 727th Air Control Squadron (Test), they refined tactics for a digital battlefield, but peace’s arrival saw them inactivated in 1995.

The Global War on Terrorism rekindled their fire. In 2005, reborn as the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, a provisional unit under Air Combat Command, they became “Kingpin” for good, assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. Deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2005, they orchestrated air operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom, their radars tracking friend and foe alike. By 2011, at Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE, they supported Operation New Dawn’s end, pivoting to Arabian Gulf air defense. Their mission grew, covering Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel, directing strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

In 2021, the Kingpins made history at Al Dhafra. For Women’s History Month, an all-female team—dubbed “Queenpin”—ran a three-hour mission shift, from radar operators to intel analysts, led by Col. Kristen Thompson. Airmen from the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the UK united, proving women’s prowess in command and control. That April, the squadron relocated to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, after a decade in the UAE, continuing to provide real-time air battle management. By 2023, under Lt. Col. Daniel Longstreet, they stood ready, their legacy celebrated in patches and nose art.

The Kingpins’ story spans decades, from Cold War radar vans to modern digital networks. They’ve earned a Meritorious Unit Award and multiple Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, their emblem—a crowned chess piece—approved in 1981, symbolizing strategic mastery. As the 728th Battle Management Control Squadron prepares to take their mantle at Robins AFB, the 727th EACS remains a linchpin, weaving airpower into victory, their eyes ever on the skies.
 

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