1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Maryland
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The states largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, the state is named after Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of Charles I of England. George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the colonial grant. Maryland was the state to ratify the United States Constitution. Maryland is one of the smallest U. S. states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles and is comparable in overall area with Belgium. It is the 42nd largest and 9th smallest state and is closest in size to the state of Hawaii, the next largest state, its neighbor West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland. Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders, contributing to its nickname America in Miniature. The mid-portion of this border is interrupted by Washington, D. C. which sits on land that was part of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties and including the town of Georgetown. This land was ceded to the United States Federal Government in 1790 to form the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state and the counties east of the bay are known collectively as the Eastern Shore. Close to the town of Hancock, in western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state. This geographical curiosity makes Maryland the narrowest state, bordered by the Mason–Dixon line to the north, portions of Maryland are included in various official and unofficial geographic regions. Much of the Baltimore–Washington corridor lies just south of the Piedmont in the Coastal Plain, earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent and small due to the states distance from seismic/earthquake zones. The M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011 was felt moderately throughout Maryland, buildings in the state are not well-designed for earthquakes and can suffer damage easily. The lack of any glacial history accounts for the scarcity of Marylands natural lakes, laurel Oxbow Lake is an over one-hundred-year-old 55-acre natural lake two miles north of Maryland City and adjacent to Russett. Chews Lake is a natural lake two miles south-southeast of Upper Marlboro. There are numerous lakes, the largest of them being the Deep Creek Lake. Maryland has shale formations containing natural gas, where fracking is theoretically possible, as is typical of states on the East Coast, Marylands plant life is abundant and healthy. Middle Atlantic coastal forests, typical of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain, grow around Chesapeake Bay, moving west, a mixture of Northeastern coastal forests and Southeastern mixed forests cover the central part of the state
3.
Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard
4.
Maryland Air National Guard
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The Maryland Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Maryland, United States of America and a reserve component of the United States Air Force. It is, along with the Maryland Army National Guard, an element of the Maryland National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Maryland Air National Guard are not actively in the United States Air Force chain of command until federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Maryland though the office of the Maryland Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Maryland Air National Guard is headquartered in Baltimore, and its commander is Brigadier General Allyson Solomon. Under the Total Force concept, Maryland Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Maryland ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The 175 WG has two active USAF gaining commands, the Air Combat Command for its aircraft and United States Air Forces in Europe for its 235th Civil Engineer Flight. The Maryland Air National Guard traces its origins to 29 June 1921, on that date the 104th Observation Squadron was federally recognized in Baltimore. It became the first post-World War I National Guard unit to be equipped with its own aircraft,13 Curtiss JN-4 Jennies, the unit was based at Logan Field in Baltimore. The 104th was initially assigned as division aviation for the 29th Infantry Division and their annual summer training encampments were at Langley Field, Virginia and Detrick Field, Maryland. In addition to Jennies, the 104th flew a variety of aircraft during the interwar period. Shortly before the U. S. entry into World War II, along with the rest of the Maryland National Guard, the 104th was mobilized for federal service on 3 February 1941. During the war, the 104th flew anti-submarine patrols out of Atlantic City, in late 1942, the unit was inactivated and its personnel transferred to the 517th Bombardment Squadron, later redesignated the 12th Anti-Submarine Squadron, at Langley Field, Va. In the fall of 1943, the 12th was transferred to California, by this time most of its original National Guard members had been reassigned to other units as individual replacements. In 1946, the 104th was reactivated as the 104th Fighter Squadron at Baltimore Municipal Airport, equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, from 1955 to 1958, the unit was organized as a fighter-interceptor squadron and charged with defending the Baltimore-Washington area against possible Soviet bomber attack. The unit soon converted to F-86 Sabre, and in 1957 relocated to the Glenn L. Martin Company Airport, Maryland gained a second flying unit – and its first group-level headquarters – in 1955 when the 135th Air Resupply Group was organized at Harbor Field. The 135th was one of a handful of Air Force special operations units in existence at the time, equipped with Curtiss C-46 Commando transports and SA-16 Albatross seaplanes, its mission was the covert infiltration, resupply, and extraction of special forces. Redesignated as the 135th Air Commando Group in 1963 and then the 135th Special Operations Group in 1968 and it remained at Harbor Field until 1960, when it too relocated to the Martin Company Airport. A second group headquarters was added in 1962, when the 175th Tactical Fighter Group was established in October, the 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which had heretofore operated as an independent squadron, became a part of the new group
5.
Warfield Air National Guard Base
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Warfield Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Maryland Air National Guard 175th Wing. It was named in honor of Major General Edwin Ted Warfield III, former adjutant general of Maryland, in 1982, martin State Airport, MD, is home to the 175th Wing of the Maryland Air National Guard. Nearly 1,500 full-time and traditional members are employed by the Maryland Air National Guard, the 175th Wing has state and federal missions to augment active forces and provide assistance to state authorities during natural disasters, civil disturbances and other emergencies. In peacetime, the 175th Wing prepares for wartime taskings, natural catastrophes, the unit must maintain the capability to meet mobility standards and worldwide deployment when directed by competent authority. This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/
6.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
7.
175th Wing
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The 175th Wing is a unit of the Maryland Air National Guard, stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland. The 104th Fighter Squadron, assigned to the wings 175th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the 104th Observation Squadron and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. It is the oldest unit in the Maryland Air National Guard, having over 90 years of service to the state, the wing comprises two operations groups, The 175th Operations Group is the wings flying unit, and includes a fighter squadron and an operations support squadron. The 175th Cyberspace Operations Group is the cyber unit. The wing also includes support units, including security forces, engineers, communications, logistics, approximately 1,500 full-time and traditional part-time members of the Maryland Air National Guard are assigned to the 175th Wing. The 175th Wing has both federal and state missions, federal, In peacetime, the 175th Wing prepares for wartime taskings and to augment active military forces. In wartime, provides air support and cyberspace operations capability to meet the needs of combatant commanders worldwide. Blue alludes to the sky, the theater of Air Force Operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel, the crossbow symbolizes the fighter mission and the Pegasus denotes the airlift mission. The representation of the Maryland state flag reflects the consolidation of two missions within the wing and also indicates the units home location. Background, Approved by Air Force on 23 August 1996 and this insignia superseded one previously approved by the Air Force for the 175th Fighter Group following that units re-designation as the 175th Wing. On 1 October 1962, the Maryland Air National Guards 175th Tactical Fighter Group was federally recognized and activated by the National Guard Bureau, the 104th TFS becoming the groups flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 175th Headquarters, 175th Material Squadron, 175th Combat Support Squadron, equipped with F-86H Sabres, the 175th TFG was operationally gained by Tactical Air Command. On 13 May 1968 the 175th Tactical Fighter Group was federalized and ordered to active service and it was transferred to Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico along with the NY ANG 139th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron as well as the 104th TFS. At Cannon AFB, the Groups mission was to act as a unit for the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing which were deployed to the Vietnam War. At Cannon, the squadron trained active Air Force pilots in forward air controller duties, the unit did not deploy overseas. The units were returned to New York and Maryland state control on 20 December 1968 when the TAC 4429th Combat Crew Training Squadron was activated with regular active-duty Air Force personnel. In 1970 the 175th TFG was realigned from a Tactical Fighter mission when the F-86H Sabres were transferred after being with the 104th TFS for thirteen years, the 175th was one of the last ANG units to fly the F-86
8.
135th Airlift Squadron
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The 135th was active as a flying organization from 10 September 1955 to 30 September 2013. After 2013, it remained active but without assigned personnel or aircraft, operated combat-ready aircrew and aircraft to mobilize, deploy and provide intra-theater C-27J aircraft in support of U. S. interests worldwide. Supported theater commanders’ requirements for combat delivery capability through tactical airland/airdrop operations, symbolism, Ultramarine blue and golden yellow are the Air Force colors and symbolize that the unit is a part of the Air Force. The escutcheon portrays the coat of arms of the State of Maryland, the crossed jousting lances reflect the military preparedness of the squadron and allude the Maryland state sport. Background, Designed by Lt Col Ronald James and approved for the 135th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 3 October 1990, re-designated for the 135th Airlift Squadron in 1992. The motto, Baltimores Best was suggested by Master Sgt, lee Cherry and arose from the unit having been recognized by the Baltimore Is Best Committee on 18 February 1987. This insignia superseded one approved by the Air Force for the squadron in October 1960, the Maryland Air National Guards introduction to the world of special operations began when Air Force leaders decided to phase out active duty air commando units in 1954. Despite the decision, there was still a need to maintain a number of crews. The 135th Air Resupply Squadron was established in September 1955 as a new Maryland Air National Guard unit with no previous United States Air Force history or lineage by the National Guard Bureau. The 135th was designated at the time as a special unit that supported USAF unconventional warfare, direct action, strategic reconnaissance. The C-46 was supplemented by SA-16 Albatross amphibious aircraft beginning in 1956, the SA-16 completely replaced the C-46s in late 1958. Training for water landings with the SA-16 was extremely hazardous, to make matters worse, doctrine required pilots to land their aircraft on water at night, with no landing lights. Night water landings were practiced at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southern Maryland, three crewmen were killed when their plane crashed while attempting a water landing in May 1956. Ultimately, the 135ths mission included counterinsurgency, military action, psychological operations, tactical air operations. Exercise Swamp Rat followed a typical training scenario. In October 1959, nine Maryland SA-16s flew to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the paratroopers and their equipment were loaded aboard the SA-16s and dropped near the swamps of Fort Stewart, Georgia. 135th crews then flew missions for the troops and extracted them when their mission was complete. In 1960, it relocated to the side of the Martin Company Airport in Middle River
9.
129th Air Resupply Group
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The 129th Rescue Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, California. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the 129th Rescue Wings mission is to train and prepare to perform its mission of combat search. The unit also works closely with the Coast Guard and various civil agencies on state missions, the primary mission is to prepare for wartime taskings as specified by applicable gaining commands. The peacetime mission is under the control of the Governor of California, upon mobilization, primary specified mission is combat search and rescue. When directed by the California State Office of Emergency Services and/or the Department of Defense and this includes search and rescue assistance to civil authorities, including International Civil Aeronautics Organization signatories, and foreign governments. Federal Mission, To provide manpower, material and equipment resources to conduct and complete combat search, to provide manpower, material and equipment to conduct and complete peacetime search operations. State Mission, To furnish trained personnel to respond to emergencies, such as natural disasters. A silver braid sword with red handle and hand protector divides the gold, superimposed over the sword and both fields is an olive wreath in green. The unit name is in blue on a white scroll, the emblem bears the colors of deep blue and gold for the Air Force and the colors red, white and blue for the United States of America. The sword symbolizes strength in war, the wreath symbolizes the peacetime mission, the deep blue field with the two stars and the gold field signify the nighttime and daytime environments in which the wing operates. Formed on 3 April 1955 as the 129th Air Resupply Group by the California Air National Guard, the 129th was a new organization with no prior history or lineage. It was granted recognition by the National Guard Bureau and was stationed at Hayward Airport, the 129th ARG was initially assigned to the Military Air Transport Service. It was designated at the time as a Psychological Warfare unit which supported USAF unconventional warfare, direct action, strategic reconnaissance, later in 1955, control was transferred to Fourth Air Force, Continental Air Command. The units mission was airlift of personnel and material using C-46 aircraft, in 1958, control was transferred to Eighteenth Air Force, Tactical Air Command with the mission remaining the same. In 1963 the first major change for the 129th occurred. Situations around the world produced a need for specialized units which could insert a small group of trained combat troops on land or sea anywhere at a moments notice, the 129th was tasked as one of the representatives of the National Guard in the Air Forces Air Commando Group structure. The C-46 was replaced with Helio U-10A and U-10D Couriers, the 129th later acquired C-119 Flying Boxcars and its named changed to Special Operations Group
10.
130th Air Resupply Group
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The 130th Airlift Wing is a unit of the West Virginia Air National Guard, stationed at Charleston Air National Guard Base, Charleston, West Virginia. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 130th Airlift Wing provides tactical airlift in support of the United States Air Force and they have a website, The website is, http, //www. 130aw. ang. af. The 130th being re-designated as an Air Commando squadron and becoming the flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 130th Headquarters, 130th Material Squadron, 130th Combat Support Squadron, aircraft assigned to the new group were C-119 Flying Boxcars and U-10D Super Courier combat observation aircraft. The mission of the 130th ACG was primarily Air Commando special operations missions, through the 1960s and into the 1970s the 130th participated in many international missions and received recognition for their performance. This included the 130th being awarded the Spaatz Trophy four times as the Outstanding Flying Unit in the Country, in 1975, the Flying Boxcars were retired, the 130th receiving the far more capable C-130E Hercules transport, and being designated as a Tactical Airlift unit. In December 1990, the 130th Tactical Clinic and the 130th Mobile Aerial Port Squadron had selective members activated and they deployed to RAF Bicester, UK and Dover AFB, Delaware respectively, subsequent to Operation Desert Storm. All members were deactivated by June 1991, the members of the group located in the United Arab Emirates received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with valor. In April 1992, some members and aircraft deployed to Rhein-Main AB. The 130th has deployed several times since this date for Provide Promise, in August 1993, one aircraft and 2 crews were sent to Operation Operation Support Hope for 30 days in Rwanda, Africa. Organizationally, the 130th was expanded to a Wing status in 1995, from January to March 1996, the unit deployed 2 aircraft,6 crews and maintenance support to Daharan, Saudi Arabia, in support of Operation Southern Watch. As of mid-2000, the 130th AW had recently sent several aircraft, while there, wing personnel were heavily involved in Hurricane Mitch relief to Honduras and Nicaragua. Its complement of 8 C-130H aircraft would be transferred to Pope Air Force Base, following an outpouring of community support, money was raised for newspaper and radio ads and to hire analysts familiar with BRAC, all in an attempt to save the unit. Funds were contributed from Yeager Airport, the Kanawha County Commission and the economic development organization. Bill Peters, Jr, former commander of the 130th and chair for Keep Em Flying, following this visit, and taking in all the information that was presented to them during that time, the BRAC commission voted unanimously, 9–0, to keep the unit intact. Being the first Air Guard unit to deploy outside the United States, first Air Guard unit to participate in Operation Bright Star near Cairo, Egypt in 1981. First Air Guard unit to participate in Red Flag exercises in 1981, only Air Guard unit to participate in the 40th year anniversary of D-Day, held in France in 1984
11.
143d Air Resupply Group
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The 143d Airlift Wing is a unit of the Rhode Island Air National Guard, stationed at Quonset Point Air National Guard Station, Rhode Island. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 143d Airlift Squadron assigned to the Wings 143d Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the 152d Observation Squadron and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 143d Special Operations Group was established by the National Guard Bureau, other squadrons assigned into the group were the 143d Headquarters, 143d Material Squadron, 143d Combat Support Squadron, and the 143d USAF Dispensary. The Grumman SA-16 Albatross flown by 143d pilots since 1955 was replaced in 1968 with a version of the Albatross. With twice the cargo capability and range, the HU-16 opened up new avenues of opportunity as was demonstrated in 1970. The unit would work in the Special Operations field for seven years, during which the HU-16 aircraft were eventually retired in 1972. In 1975 as part of a program to upgrade Air National Guard units the 143d was redesignated as a Tactical Airlift Group. In 1980 the 143d Tactical Airlift Group moved from T. F, green airport to its new home at Quonset Air National Guard Base. As global airlifters, Rhode Island Herks were found in all parts of the United States, Europe, Africa, South America, in 1989, the 143d was selected for conversion to the C-130E Model. In 1990 unit volunteers provided support during Operation Desert Shield, in September, unit members flew out of Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany to support operational missions from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The second group of volunteers arrived at RAF Mildenhall, England in January 1991 and was in the theater of operations when Operation Desert Shield turned into Operation Desert Storm. With the defeat of the Iraqi forces and the end of the Gulf War, as part of Air Mobility Command the unit continued to be called upon to support State, Federal, and UN activities throughout the world. On 1 October 1995 the group was elevated to Wing status, in 1998 the Air Force formed the Expeditionary Air Force, smaller sized war fighting packages able to rapidly respond to regional conflicts. The Wing has participated in five AEF cycles, supporting Operation Joint Forge in the Balkans, Operation Southern Watch in Southwest Asia and Coronet Oak in South America. On 11 September 2001, the 143d responded to the again, deploying unit members to Ground Zero, to US bases for homeland security. The 143d AW has supported the Global War on Terror by not only becoming a bridge to and from the theater, the 143d AW also provided and continues to provide the much needed troop support within Southwest Asia and many other areas of the world. In December 2001, the 143d received its first C-130J-30, the Wing became the first in the Air Force to receive the stretch version of the J model
12.
Military Air Transport Service
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The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and it was inactivated and discontinued on 8 January 1966 when the Air Force and Navy set up separate strategic airlift commands. In 1982, the World War II Air Transport Command and the Military Air Transport Service were consolidated with Military Airlift Command, the Military Air Transport Service was activated under United States Air Force Major General Laurence S. Kuter, in order to harness interservice efforts more efficiently. It was an amalgamation of Navy and Army air transport commands, MATS was the first Joint-Service command and Naval aircrews participated in every major MATS airlift operation. During the Berlin Airlift, Naval aviators flew transport aircraft from the United States to European supply depots, in the Korean War, in its original organization, a Rear Admiral commanded the MATS Pacific Division and another rear admiral served as MATS vice-commander. During the 1958 reorganization, senior Naval officers were on the staffs of the commanders of both EASTAF and WESTAF, and at MATS Headquarters. In 1965 conflicting views of the Air Force and Navy triggered by the demands of the Vietnam War led to the returning to separate airlift commands. In turn, MATS was disbanded and superseded in the Air Force by the Military Airlift Command, with the end of World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command found itself in limbo. Senior ATC officers, on the hand, thought that ATC should be developed into a national government operated airline. While the war had firmly established the necessity of a troop carrier mission, when the United States Air Force was established as a separate service in 1947, the Air Transport Command was not established as one of its major commands. The ATC commander and his staff took it upon themselves to convince the new leadership of the newly created Department of Defense that ATC had a mission. Williams had been pressing for the development of a troop carrier airplane when he made his statement. Also, as a measure, MATS would combine the resources of Air Transport Command with those of the Naval Air Transport Service. This way the command would be sanctioned by the Department of Defense, although MATS was under the operational control of the United States Air Force, the United States Navy was a full partner in the command and operational components of the organization. Major naval components of MATS were naval air transport squadrons, vR-3 and VR-6 were assigned to McGuire AFB and VR-22 was assigned to the Naval Air Transport Station at Naval Station Norfolk/Chambers Field, Virginia. Together they constituted MATS EASTAFs Naval Air Transport Wing, Atlantic, on the Pacific Coast, Naval Air Transport Wing, Pacific, consisted of Air Transport Squadron VR-7 and Maintenance Squadron VR-8, both at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California. A detachment of VR-7 was also stationed at Tachikawa Air Base, Naval aviators flew scheduled MATS routes to Newfoundland, Iceland, Scotland, West Germany, Italy, Puerto Rico and Africa. In the Pacific, MATS naval aviators flew to all MATS stations from Hawaii to Japan to South Vietnam, Bangkok, India, Air Force pilots flew Navy MATS planes, just as naval aviators could be found piloting Air Force MATS transport aircraft
13.
C-46D Commando
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The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name Condor III but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company publicity. It was used as a transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces and also the U. S. Navy/Marine Corps. The C-46 served in a role to its Douglas-built counterpart, the C-47 Skytrain. At the time of its mass-production, the C-46 was the second-largest, the type continued in U. S. Air Force service in a secondary role until 1968. The C-46 continues in operation as a cargo transport for Arctic. The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A, page Jr. the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright. The CW-20 was a private venture intended to compete with the four-engined Douglas DC-4, the CW-20 had a patented fuselage conventionally referred to as a figure-eight which enabled it to better withstand the pressure differential at high altitudes. This was done by having the sides of the fuselage creased at the level of the floor that not only separated the two portions but shared in the stress of each, rather than just supporting itself. The main spar of the wing could pass through the section which was mainly intended for cargo without intruding on the passenger upper compartment. Engineering work involved a commitment from the company and incorporated an extensive amount of wind tunnel testing at the California Institute of Technology. The resultant design was a large but aerodynamically sleek airliner, incorporating the cockpit in a glazed dome. The engines featured a unique nacelle tunnel cowl where air was ducted in and expelled through the bottom of the cowl, reducing turbulent airflow, after a mockup was constructed in 1938, Curtiss-Wright exhibited the innovative project as a display in the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. The company approached many airlines in order to obtain their requirements for an advanced airliner, no firm orders resulted, although 25 letters of intent were received, sufficient to begin production. The design of a 24–34 passenger airliner proceeded to stage as the CW-20 at the St. Louis. Powered by two 1,700 hp R-2600-C14-BA2 Wright Twin Cyclones, the prototype, registered NX-19436 flew for the first time on 26 March 1940 with test pilot Edmund T. After testing, modifications were instituted, including the fitting of a single tail to improve stability at low speeds. The first prototype was purchased by the United States Army Air Forces to serve as a master for the series and was designated C-55, after military evaluation, the sole example was returned to Curtiss-Wright and subsequently re-sold to the British Overseas Airways Corporation
14.
Grumman HU-16 Albatross
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Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. An improvement of the design of the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open ocean situations to accomplish rescues and its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4-foot seas, and could land in severe conditions. The majority of Albatrosses were used by the U. S. Air Force, primarily in the search and rescue mission role, the USAF used the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B Albatross was used by the U. S. Air Forces Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, in addition a small number of Air National Guard air commando groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of special forces from 1956 to 1971. Other examples of the HU-16 made their way into Air Force Reserve air rescue units prior to its retirement from USAF service, the U. S. Navy also employed the HU-16C/D Albatross as a search and rescue aircraft from coastal naval air stations, both stateside and overseas. It was also employed as a support aircraft worldwide and for missions from the former NAS Agana. Goodwill flights were common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the early 1970s. Open water landings and water takeoff training using JATO was also conducted frequently by U. S. The HU-16 was also operated by the U. S. Coast Guard as both a coastal and long-range open ocean SAR aircraft for years until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian. The final USAF HU-16 flight was the delivery of AF Serial No, 51-5282 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio in July 1973 after setting an altitude record of 32,883 ft earlier in the month. The final US Navy HU-16 flight was made 13 August 1976 when an Albatross was delivered to the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, the final USCG HU-16 flight was at CGAS Cape Cod in March 1983, when the aircraft type was retired by the USCG. The Albatross continued to be used in the service of other countries. The Royal Canadian Air Force operated Grumman Albatrosss with the designation CSR-110 rather than the US standard of HU-16, in 1970, Conroy Aircraft marketed a remanufactured HU-16A with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines as the Conroy Turbo Albatross, but only one prototype was ever built. Many surplus Albatrosses were sold to operators, mostly to private owners. These aircraft are operated under either Experimental-Exhibition or Restricted category and cannot be used for commercial operations, in the early 1980s Chalks International Airlines owned by Merv Griffins Resorts International had 13 Albatrosses converted to Standard category as G-111s. This made them eligible to be used in scheduled airline operations, the G-111s were operated for only a few years and then put in storage in Arizona. Most are still parked there, but some have returned to regular flight operations with private operators
15.
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
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Naval Air Station Patuxent River, also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Marys County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. Commissioned on 1 April 1943, on land acquired through eminent domain. The Cedar Point community included several churches, a post office, some of the old homes now serve as quarters for Navy personnel stationed there. C. and the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cedar Point was selected due to its location on the coastline, well removed from air traffic congestion. The onset of American involvement in World War II spurred establishment of the new air station, rear Admiral John Henry Towers, Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, requested approval and authorization to begin construction on December 22,1941. Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, gave approval on 7 January 1942, many residents were forced to sell land that had been in their families for generations. Some families had roots in the going back 300 years. These included traditional farming, crabbing and fishing families and there were protests, National wartime urgency was however felt in Washington at the time to take precedence, and the process of eminent domain went through. Rail service ended in 1965, and the line was subsequently scrapped, a highway extension to the new air station was required by the project—250,000 tons of material were transported by either truck or water routes during a year of construction. Marines first arrived and took over security, during construction, housing needs far outstripped supply, and barracks were built for workers on the station. The station was formally commissioned U. S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, in a ceremony presided over by RADM John S. McCain, Sr. then chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Patuxent River was referred to as the most needed station in the Navy. The base also served as the facility for the V-22 Osprey. VQ-4 provided long-range, very-low-frequency communications relay between the National Command Center and the ballistic missile submarine fleet, cooperation with the British also led to transatlantic visits to PAX River by RAF squadrons. Research and development at NAS Patuxent River forged ahead in the 1970s, helicopter programs also achieved major milestones during the 1970s. The Naval Air Test Center at NAS Patuxent River took part in development and testing for new roles. The final flight of the acceptance trials for the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra gunship were made at NATC Patuxent River. On 1 April 1976, Patuxent Rivers air field was named after pioneering aviator VADM Frederick M. Trapnell, keynote address speaker, ADM Frederick H. Michaelis, Chief of Naval Material, noted, All who fly in Navy blue remain indebted to Vice Admiral Trapnell. This field will serve as a reminder of that debt
16.
John F. Kennedy
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Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party, and his New Frontier domestic program was largely enacted as a memorial to him after his death. Kennedy also established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, Kennedys time in office was marked by high tensions with Communist states. He increased the number of American military advisers in South Vietnam by a factor of 18 over President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in Cuba, a failed attempt was made at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro in April 1961. He subsequently rejected plans by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to orchestrate false-flag attacks on American soil in order to gain approval for a war against Cuba. After military service in the United States Naval Reserve in World War II and he was elected subsequently to the U. S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 until 1960. Kennedy defeated Vice President, and Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon in the 1960 U. S, at age 43, he became the youngest elected president and the second-youngest president. Kennedy was also the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president, to date, Kennedy has been the only Roman Catholic president and the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22,1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested that afternoon and determined to have fired the shots that hit the President from a sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald two days later in a jail corridor, then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded Kennedy after he died in the hospital. The FBI and the Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin, the majority of Americans alive at the time of the assassination, and continuing through 2013, believed that there was a conspiracy and that Oswald was not the only shooter. Since the 1960s, information concerning Kennedys private life has come to light, including his health problems, Kennedy continues to rank highly in historians polls of U. S. presidents and with the general public. His average approval rating of 70% is the highest of any president in Gallups history of systematically measuring job approval and his grandfathers P. J. Kennedy and Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald were both Massachusetts politicians. All four of his grandparents were the children of Irish immigrants, Kennedy had an elder brother, Joseph Jr. and seven younger siblings, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted. Kennedy lived in Brookline for ten years and attended the Edward Devotion School, the Noble and Greenough Lower School, and the Dexter School through 4th grade. In 1927, the Kennedy family moved to a stately twenty-room, Georgian-style mansion at 5040 Independence Avenue in the Hudson Hill neighborhood of Riverdale, Bronx and he attended the lower campus of Riverdale Country School, a private school for boys, from 5th to 7th grade. Two years later, the moved to 294 Pondfield Road in the New York City suburb of Bronxville, New York. The Kennedy family spent summers at their home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in September 1930, Kennedy—then 13 years old—attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. In late April 1931, he required an appendectomy, after which he withdrew from Canterbury, in September 1931, Kennedy attended Choate, a boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, for 9th through 12th grade
17.
Vietnam War
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It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war. As the war continued, the actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role. U. S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, in the course of the war, the U. S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam and they viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States. The U. S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and this was part the domino theory of a wider containment policy, with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism. Beginning in 1950, American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina, U. S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962. Regular U. S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965, despite the Paris Peace Accord, which was signed by all parties in January 1973, the fighting continued. In the U. S. and the Western world, a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture, the war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs, and altered North–South relations. Direct U. S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973, the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million. Some 240, 000–300,000 Cambodians,20, 000–62,000 Laotians, and 58,220 U. S. service members died in the conflict. Various names have applied to the conflict. Vietnam War is the most commonly used name in English and it has also been called the Second Indochina War and the Vietnam Conflict. As there have been several conflicts in Indochina, this conflict is known by the names of its primary protagonists to distinguish it from others. In Vietnamese, the war is known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ. It is also called Chiến tranh Việt Nam, France began its conquest of Indochina in the late 1850s, and completed pacification by 1893. The 1884 Treaty of Huế formed the basis for French colonial rule in Vietnam for the seven decades
18.
C-7A Caribou
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The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged bush aircraft. The de Havilland Canada companys third STOL design was a big step up in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, the Caribou, however, was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility aircraft. The Caribou was primarily a military transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, U. S. certification was awarded on 23 December 1960. Ansett-MAL, which operated a single example in the New Guinea highlands, other civil Caribou aircraft entered commercial service after being retired from their military users. Today only a handful are in civil use, with assistance from Canadas Department of Defence Production, DHC built a prototype demonstrator that flew for the first time on 30 July 1958. Impressed with the DHC4s STOL capabilities and potential, the U. S. Army ordered five for evaluation as YAC-1s and went on to become the largest Caribou operator. The AC-1 designation was changed in 1962 to CV-2, and then C-7 when the U. S. Armys CV-2s were transferred to the U. S. Air Force in 1967, U. S. and Australian Caribou saw extensive service during the Vietnam War. The aircraft could carry 32 troops or two Jeeps or similar light vehicles, the rear loading ramp could also be used for parachute dropping. Under the Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966, the Army relinquished the fixed wing Caribou to the United States Air Force in exchange for an end to restrictions on Army rotary wing operations, on 1 August 1967 the troop carrier designations were changed to tactical airlift. Some U. S. Caribou were captured by North Vietnamese forces, following the war in Vietnam, all USAF Caribou were transferred to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard airlift units pending their replacement by the C-130 Hercules in the 1980s. Other notable military operators included Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, the Royal Australian Air Force retired its last Caribou, A4-140, on 27 November 2009. The aircraft, which was manufactured in 1964, was donated to the Australian War Memorial, DHC-4 Caribou STOL tactical transport, utility transport aircraft. CC-108 Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the DHC-4 Caribou, yAC-1 This designation was given to five DHC-4 Caribou, sold to the United States Army for evaluation. AC-1 United States Army designation for the first production run of 56 DHC-4 Caribou, cV-2A United States Army AC-1 redesignated in 1962. CV-2B This designation was given to a production run of 103 DHC-4 Caribou. C-7A/B These designations were applied to all 144 Caribou transferred to the U. S. Air Force by the U. S. Army, DHC-4A Caribou Similar to the DHC-4, but this version had an increased takeoff weight
19.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
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The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac and it is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over forty variants and versions of the Hercules, including a civilian one marketed as the Lockheed L-100, the C-130 entered service with the U. S. in the 1950s, followed by Australia and others. During its years of service, the Hercules family has participated in numerous military, the C-130 Hercules is the longest continuously produced military aircraft at over 60 years, with the updated Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules currently being produced. The new transport would have a capacity of 92 passengers,72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers in a compartment that was approximately 41 feet long,9 feet high. Unlike transports derived from passenger airliners, it was to be designed from the ground-up as a transport with loading from a hinged loading ramp at the rear of the fuselage. A key feature was the introduction of the Allison T56 turboprop powerplant, as was the case on helicopters of that era, such as the UH-1 Huey, turboshafts produced much more power for their weight than piston engines. Lockheed would subsequently use the engines and technology in the Lockheed L-188 Electra. The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter also had a ramp, which made it possible to drive vehicles onto the plane. The ramp on the Hercules was also used to airdrop cargo, the new Lockheed cargo plane design possessed a range of 1,100 nmi, takeoff capability from short and unprepared strips, and the ability to fly with one engine shut down. Fairchild, North American, Martin, and Northrop declined to participate, the remaining five companies tendered a total of ten designs, Lockheed two, Boeing one, Chase three, Douglas three, and Airlifts Inc. one. The contest was an affair between the lighter of the two Lockheed proposals and a four-turboprop Douglas design. The Lockheed design team was led by Willis Hawkins, starting with a 130-page proposal for the Lockheed L-206, both Hibbard and Johnson signed the proposal and the company won the contract for the now-designated Model 82 on 2 July 1951. The first flight of the YC-130 prototype was made on 23 August 1954 from the Lockheed plant in Burbank, the aircraft, serial number 53-3397, was the second prototype, but the first of the two to fly. The YC-130 was piloted by Stanley Beltz and Roy Wimmer on its 61-minute flight to Edwards Air Force Base, Jack Real, kelly Johnson flew chase in a Lockheed P2V Neptune. After the two prototypes were completed, production began in Marietta, Georgia, where over 2,300 C-130s have been built through 2009. The initial production model, the C-130A, was powered by Allison T56-A-9 turboprops with three-blade propellers, deliveries began in December 1956, continuing until the introduction of the C-130B model in 1959. Some A-models were equipped with skis and re-designated C-130D, four-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers replaced the Aeroproducts three-blade propellers that distinguished the earlier A-models
20.
146th Airlift Wing
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The 146th Airlift Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Oxnard, California. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 115th Airlift Squadron assigned to the Wings 146th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the 115th Observation Squadron and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. It is the oldest unit in the California Air National Guard, having almost 90 years of service to the state, the 146th AWs primary mission is to provide global military airlift capability to a full spectrum of state and federal agencies. MAFFS II was used for the first time on a fire in July 2010, the 146th Airlift Wing was the first to transition to the MAFFS2 system in 2008, and it remains the only unit flying the new system on the C-130J aircraft. During World War II the 373d Fighter Group was assigned to the European Theater of Operations and it was equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts. The Group flew its first combat mission on 8 May 1944 and it then took part in preinvasion activities, e. g. escorting B-26 Marauders to attack airdromes, bridges and railroads in Occupied France. The Group bombed such targets as troops in the Falaise-Argentan area in August 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, the Group concentrated on the destruction of bridges, marshalling yards and highways. It flew reconnaissance missions to ground operations in the Rhine Valley in March 1945, hitting airfields, motor transports. The Group continued tactical air operations until 4 May 1945, returned to the United States and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Theater during the Summer of 1945, the Japanese Capitulation in August led to the Groups inactivation in November 1945. The wartime 373d Fighter Group was re-designated as the 146th Fighter Group and it was organized at Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles, California and was extended federal recognition on 16 September by the National Guard Bureau. The 146th Fighter Group was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, the Group was assigned to the California ANG 62d Fighter Wing. All of the squadrons were initially equipped with F-51D Mustangs, with a mission of air defense of Southern California. The 115th was equipped with B-26 Invader light bombers, gained by Tactical Air Command, other components were the 146th Headquarters, 146th Material Squadron, 146th Combat Support Squadron, and the 1146th USAF Dispensary. At the end of October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base organization, as a result, the 62d Fighter Wing was withdrawn from the California ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950. The 146th Composite Group was assigned to the new wing as its group with the three fighter squadrons. The 115th Bombardment Squadron at Van Nuys Airport was transferred from the 62d Fighter Wing to the new 144th Composite Wing, the 115th was a re-designation of the original California National Guard pre-war 115th Observation Squadron with origins dating to 1917. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the 146th Fighter Wing was federalized on 1 March 1951 and assigned to Tactical Air Command
21.
143d Airlift Wing
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The 143d Airlift Wing is a unit of the Rhode Island Air National Guard, stationed at Quonset Point Air National Guard Station, Rhode Island. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 143d Airlift Squadron assigned to the Wings 143d Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the 152d Observation Squadron and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 143d Special Operations Group was established by the National Guard Bureau, other squadrons assigned into the group were the 143d Headquarters, 143d Material Squadron, 143d Combat Support Squadron, and the 143d USAF Dispensary. The Grumman SA-16 Albatross flown by 143d pilots since 1955 was replaced in 1968 with a version of the Albatross. With twice the cargo capability and range, the HU-16 opened up new avenues of opportunity as was demonstrated in 1970. The unit would work in the Special Operations field for seven years, during which the HU-16 aircraft were eventually retired in 1972. In 1975 as part of a program to upgrade Air National Guard units the 143d was redesignated as a Tactical Airlift Group. In 1980 the 143d Tactical Airlift Group moved from T. F, green airport to its new home at Quonset Air National Guard Base. As global airlifters, Rhode Island Herks were found in all parts of the United States, Europe, Africa, South America, in 1989, the 143d was selected for conversion to the C-130E Model. In 1990 unit volunteers provided support during Operation Desert Shield, in September, unit members flew out of Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany to support operational missions from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The second group of volunteers arrived at RAF Mildenhall, England in January 1991 and was in the theater of operations when Operation Desert Shield turned into Operation Desert Storm. With the defeat of the Iraqi forces and the end of the Gulf War, as part of Air Mobility Command the unit continued to be called upon to support State, Federal, and UN activities throughout the world. On 1 October 1995 the group was elevated to Wing status, in 1998 the Air Force formed the Expeditionary Air Force, smaller sized war fighting packages able to rapidly respond to regional conflicts. The Wing has participated in five AEF cycles, supporting Operation Joint Forge in the Balkans, Operation Southern Watch in Southwest Asia and Coronet Oak in South America. On 11 September 2001, the 143d responded to the again, deploying unit members to Ground Zero, to US bases for homeland security. The 143d AW has supported the Global War on Terror by not only becoming a bridge to and from the theater, the 143d AW also provided and continues to provide the much needed troop support within Southwest Asia and many other areas of the world. In December 2001, the 143d received its first C-130J-30, the Wing became the first in the Air Force to receive the stretch version of the J model
22.
164th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
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The 164th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard 179th Airlift Wing located at Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, Mansfield, Ohio. The 164th is equipped with the C-130 Hercules, the 363d Fighter Squadron was established at Hamilton Field, California in December 1942. Began training on the P-39 Airacobra at Tonopah Army Airfield, Nevada, became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe army of occupation in Germany during 1945. Inactivated in Germany during August 1946, the wartime 363d Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 164th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Ohio Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, Ohio, and was extended federal recognition on 20 June 1948 by the National Guard Bureau, the 164th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 363d Fighter Squadron. The squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and was assigned to the Ohio ANG 55th Fighter Wing, with the formation and federal recognition of the Ohio ANG 121st Fighter Group at Lockbourne Field, near Columbus, the squadron was reassigned. The mission of the 164th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Ohio, parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a country club. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the 164th Fighter Squadron was federalized on 10 February 1951. The 164th, however, was selected to remain in Ohio and continue the air defense mission, being gained by the Eastern Air Defense Force. In September 1953 after the Korean War, the 164th received its first jet aircraft, the squadron only operated the Shooting Star for a year when in October 1954 the equipment was changed to F-84E Thunderjets that had returned from wartime duty in Korea. This ADC alert lasted each and every day until 30 June 1956, in early 1957, the squadron sent their war-weary Thunderjets to storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona and received new F-84F Thunderstreak swept-wing interceptors. On 10 November 1958, the squadron was re-designated as the 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron, during the 1961 Berlin Crisis, the 164th was federalized as part of the 121st Tactical Fighter Wing and Group for a period of twelve months beginning on 1 October. However, due to funding shortages, only 26 F-84Fs of 166th TFS were deployed to Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France, although several ground support units from the 162d and 164th were also deployed. The squadron, however, remained under Federal USAF control until the crisis ended, after the Berlin Federalization ended, the 15 October 1962, the 164th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 179th Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 164th TFS becoming the flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 179th Headquarters, 179th Material Squadron, 179th Combat Support Squadron, the squadron continued normal peacetime training throughout the 1960s. Individual squadron members volunteered for duty during the Vietnam War, however the 164th was not federalized in 1968 as the F-84Fs were not considered front line combat aircraft
23.
Kandahar International Airport
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Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan. It serves as the second main international airport and as one of the largest military bases. The airport was designed and built by the United States in the late 1950s and it was occupied by the Soviets during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan. Following their withdrawal the airport remained in control of Najibullahs government until he stepped down in 1992, thereafter, local warlords and the Taliban took control of the airport until the U. S. -led invasion in late 2001. Since 2007, the airport has been repaired and expanded and it is used for both military and civilian flights. The airport is maintained by the Resolute Support Mission and the Afghan National Security Forces, the 2nd Wing of the Afghan Air Force has a separate base within the airport ground. The Afghan National Police provides security inside the passenger terminal, the airfield itself was built between 1954 and 1962 by American consultants, for a cost of USD15 million. However, with the advent of jet aircraft, such stops were no longer necessary, and the airport saw little use. Since the airport was designed as a base, it is likely that the United States intended to use it in case there was a show-down of war between the United States and former USSR. While the United States was busy building Kandahar International Airport, the USSR was busy in the north, fighting in the Kandahar area was particularly intense. However, Kandahar airport was relatively untouched and its main building was largely intact at the end of the war. The airstrip did suffer extensive damage that was repaired by the United Nations in the mid-1990s to support humanitarian flights. Ariana Afghan Airlines also flew infrequent flights out of Kandahar to Pakistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001, Kandahar Airport was one of the first coalition bases established in Afghanistan. The airport was captured by an air insertion coinciding with a rapid overland push from troops based at Camp Rhino, a perimeter was quickly secured around the terminal building and airstrip, and initially all troops worked and lived in and around the main terminal building itself. The first spartan ablutions were established in the middle of a rose garden out front. The accommodation area began to enlarge down along the airfield to where the current military base is located, the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade became the main U. S. Army Aviation unit at the airport while the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing became the main USAF unit. After June 2009 under Operation Herrick they were replaced by a squadron of Panavia Tornado GR4 aircraft, carrying out air support. 904 Expeditionary Air Wing, the home was RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire until the end of 2011 when the squadrons home station was changed to RAF Brize Norton
24.
Tactical Air Command
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Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command. Tactical Air Command was established to provide a balance between strategic, air defense, and tactical forces of the post–World War II U. S. Army Air Forces followed by, in 1947, the U. S. Air Force. In 1948, the Continental Air Command assumed control over air defense, tactical air, after two years in a subordinate role, Tactical Air Command was established as a major command. World War II showed the effectiveness of air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees. Following the end of World War II, Headquarters United States Army Air Forces had little funding and most wartime personnel had been released from active duty and returned to civilian life. Many USAAF aircraft were being sent to storage or scrapyards, although the tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military air forces were still needed. The big questions were how large and what kind of forces, a major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major divisions within the Continental United States were formed, Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission, Tactical Air Command was formed to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for fighter, light bombardment and these included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carrier aircraft, assault, reconnaissance, and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world, during its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission. TACs original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men, aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars. TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force, on 18 September 1947, the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. At the time, there was only one U. S. Air Forces in Europe tactical air unit available in Europe, TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86 FG. The 36th Fighter Group, flying Lockheed F-80B Shooting Stars, was transferred from Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich. In addition to fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47 Skytrain transports to Europe, transferring them to USAFE
25.
Military Airlift Command
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The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force major command that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. In 1982, the heritage of the World War II Air Transport Command, mACs emblem reflected its predecessors history by incorporating the emblem of MATS into its shield. Under the USAF lineage system, they did not possess a permanent lineage or history and were discontinued upon inactivation, AFCON units were activated under MAC, to which USAF personnel and equipment formerly assigned to MATS MAJCOM units were reassigned effective 8 January 1966. No formal lineage or history between former MATS MAJCOM units and MAC AFCON units was ever made, with the establishment of MAC by the USAF, plans were also made to discontinue the role of the United States Navy within the new command. At first, MAC transports to Vietnam landed regularly only at Tan Son Nhut AB, New air bases opened at Da Nang AB and Cam Ranh AB in January 1966, and later at Pleiku, Bien Hoa and Phu Cat Air Bases, reducing the need for redistribution. Major unit movements by MAC aircraft from the United States usually required further airlifts to operating areas by in-country transports, eventually, however, C-5s could unload at Tan Son Nhut and elsewhere. Primarily, MAC transports carried high-value cargo such as aircraft and equipment parts, while MAC civilian-contract flights transported passengers to and from the combat zone. In the winter of 1965-66, MAC conducted Operation Blue Light, generally, patients requiring hospitalization for thirty days or more were moved to offshore hospitals, others were sometimes evacuated to keep an empty-bed reserve of fifty percent in Vietnam. Military Airlift Command transports carried the more serious cases from Clark AB to the United States, on 30 March 1972, North Vietnam launched an all-out invasion of South Vietnam, which came to be known as the Easter Offensive. The Vietnamization policy of the United States had resulted in the vast majority of US ground combat forces been withdrawn from South Vietnam with PACAFs tactical air units also being reduced. Military Airlift Commands C-141 force, accustomed to operating in and out of Vietnam from offshore were utilized for movement of large amounts of men and materiel to oppose the invasion. Beginning on 21 April, MAC C-141s began shuttling passengers and cargo between Tan Son Nhut AB and the other main bases, principally Da Nang AB, Bien Hoa AB. Planes and crews were based for one or more nights at Tan Son Nhut and this C-141 effort permitted the VNAF and PACAF C-130s to concentrate on drops, unit hauls, and deliveries to forward locations. The rapid American response to the invasion allowed the South Vietnamese forces to defeat the invaders for the moment, by the terms of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, the cease-fire was to become effective in Vietnam the morning of 28 January 1973, Saigon time. American prisoners in North Vietnam were to be released and the last 23,700 American troops withdrawn from Vietnam within sixty days, planning for Operation Homecoming, the return of the Americans held by North Vietnam, was given to the Military Airlift Command. C-141s of the 63d Military Airlift Wing, stationed at Norton AFB, a second C-130 left Tan Son Nhut AB carrying members of the international commission to Hanoi oversee the repatriations. This C-130 arrived at Gia Lam Airport about one hour before the C-130 from CCK arrived, on the ground at Gia Lam the C-130 crew met the airport manager, and went indoors for tea offered by the North Vietnamese. The first of three C-141s flown in from Clark landed soon after and repatriation began, as the first returnee moved from the release desk, one of the C-130 flight engineers quickly moved to clear the way, leading the former prisoner by the arm
26.
Air Mobility Command
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Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U. S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, the Commander of AMC is Gen Carlton D. Everhart II, with Lt Gen Wayne Schatz Jr as Vice Commander and CMSgt Shelina Frey as Command Chief Master Sergeant. Air Mobility Command was established on June 1,1992 and it was formed from elements of the inactivated Military Airlift Command and Strategic Air Command. AMC melded a worldwide system with a tanker force that had been freed from its strategic nuclear strike commitments by the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Air Mobility Commands mission is to provide global air mobility, the command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. Many special duty and operational aircraft and stateside aeromedical evacuation missions are also assigned to AMC. U. S. forces must be able to provide a rapid, tailored response with a capability to intervene against a foe, hit hard. Rapid global mobility lies at the heart of U. S. strategy in this environment, without the capability to project forces, there is no conventional deterrent. As the number of U. S. forces stationed overseas continue to decline, global interests remain, Air Mobility Command also has the mission of establishing bare air bases in contingencies. To accomplish this mission, AMC established two Contingency Response Wings, and operates the Eagle Flag exercise, in addition to its status as a MAJCOM of the Air Force, AMC is also the Air Force component command of the United States Transportation Command. It provides airlift, special missions, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation for the United States armed forces]], AMC also operates VIP flights such as Air Force One, Air Force Two, and other Special Assignment Airlift Missions. Finally, AMC acts as the manager, on behalf of United States Transportation Command. Principal aircraft assets of the include, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender, C-40 Clipper, C-37 Gulfstream V. As of 2015, the command is preparing for the addition of the KC-46 Pegasus. Additional aircraft in support of high-profile VIP airlift include, VC-25, C-32, C-20 and these units train and exercise frequently and routinely provide augmentative operational support to AMCs active duty forces. Instead, they report to AMC via the National Guard Bureau, civil Reserve Air Fleet AMC has undergone considerable change since its establishment. Focusing on the mission of strategic air mobility, the command divested itself of infrastructure. The Air Rescue Service, intratheater aeromedical airlift forces based overseas, as a result of the Global War on Terrorism, on October 1,2003, AMC underwent a major restructuring, bringing a war fighting role to its numbered air force
27.
Baltimore Municipal Airport
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Baltimore Municipal Airport is a former airport and United States Air Force airfield about 6 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland on an artificial peninsula. Construction began in 1929 with a base and was completed in 1941. It closed on 30 December 1960, the western half of the airport was within the city of Baltimore, whereas the eastern half was in Dundalk, in Baltimore County. Today the former airfield is the site of the Dundalk Marine Terminal, the airport was planned as a replacement for the smaller Logan Field of the 1920s, which was next to the planned site of the new airport. It was built on an artificial peninsula built from dredged harbor silt alongside the old Colgate Creek on the Patapsco Neck peninsula, lower Colgate Creek flowed into the Patapsco River and is today the site of the Dundalk Marine Terminal facility of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. A seaplane facility was opened by Pan American Airlines in 1932, various airlines and Pan Am seaplanes used the facility until World War II. Problems with the harbor silt led to delays and the facilities for land-based aircraft werent ready for use until 1941. Civil traffic was suspended in 1942, when the United States Army Air Corps took over the airfield, the Army Air Corps used Baltimore Army Airfield as a I Fighter Command training airfield. Units assigned to the airfield were the 324th Fighter Group, 353rd Fighter Group, beginning in 1943, it was transferred to the Air Technical Service Command as a repair and maintenance sub-depot for the Middletown Air Depot, located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Prime Minister later met with reporters and addressed a joint session of the United States Congress at the The Capitol. BOAC continued to use Harbor Field as its main U. S, BOAC flying boat service to Baltimore Municipal Airport ended in 1948. Civil airline service returned to Baltimore Municipal Airport in 1946, the airports runways were not long and were limited to smaller planes. Baltimore Municipal Airport was officially renamed Harbor Field in 1950, during the 1950s Baltimore Harbor Field continued to serve private pilots and business aviation. It was also used as a Maryland Air National Guard base after the war, beginning in 1946, the MDANG based its 104th Fighter Squadron at the airport. The squadron was equipped with piston-powered P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, later replaced by F-51 Mustangs. In addition, the Maryland Air National Guards 135th Air Commando Group was based at Harbor Field from 1955 until 1960 and that unit flew twin-engine C-46 Commando and SA-16 Albatross aircraft. The airfield was closed on 30 December 1960, following the departure of the last Air National Guard unit. Construction throughout the 1960s removed the runways and other airport structures, in 2005 the former control tower building, which had become derelict, was torn down
28.
HU-16A Albatross
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Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. An improvement of the design of the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open ocean situations to accomplish rescues and its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4-foot seas, and could land in severe conditions. The majority of Albatrosses were used by the U. S. Air Force, primarily in the search and rescue mission role, the USAF used the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B Albatross was used by the U. S. Air Forces Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, in addition a small number of Air National Guard air commando groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of special forces from 1956 to 1971. Other examples of the HU-16 made their way into Air Force Reserve air rescue units prior to its retirement from USAF service, the U. S. Navy also employed the HU-16C/D Albatross as a search and rescue aircraft from coastal naval air stations, both stateside and overseas. It was also employed as a support aircraft worldwide and for missions from the former NAS Agana. Goodwill flights were common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the early 1970s. Open water landings and water takeoff training using JATO was also conducted frequently by U. S. The HU-16 was also operated by the U. S. Coast Guard as both a coastal and long-range open ocean SAR aircraft for years until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian. The final USAF HU-16 flight was the delivery of AF Serial No, 51-5282 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio in July 1973 after setting an altitude record of 32,883 ft earlier in the month. The final US Navy HU-16 flight was made 13 August 1976 when an Albatross was delivered to the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, the final USCG HU-16 flight was at CGAS Cape Cod in March 1983, when the aircraft type was retired by the USCG. The Albatross continued to be used in the service of other countries. The Royal Canadian Air Force operated Grumman Albatrosss with the designation CSR-110 rather than the US standard of HU-16, in 1970, Conroy Aircraft marketed a remanufactured HU-16A with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines as the Conroy Turbo Albatross, but only one prototype was ever built. Many surplus Albatrosses were sold to operators, mostly to private owners. These aircraft are operated under either Experimental-Exhibition or Restricted category and cannot be used for commercial operations, in the early 1980s Chalks International Airlines owned by Merv Griffins Resorts International had 13 Albatrosses converted to Standard category as G-111s. This made them eligible to be used in scheduled airline operations, the G-111s were operated for only a few years and then put in storage in Arizona. Most are still parked there, but some have returned to regular flight operations with private operators
29.
HU-16B Albatross
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Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. An improvement of the design of the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open ocean situations to accomplish rescues and its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4-foot seas, and could land in severe conditions. The majority of Albatrosses were used by the U. S. Air Force, primarily in the search and rescue mission role, the USAF used the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B Albatross was used by the U. S. Air Forces Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, in addition a small number of Air National Guard air commando groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of special forces from 1956 to 1971. Other examples of the HU-16 made their way into Air Force Reserve air rescue units prior to its retirement from USAF service, the U. S. Navy also employed the HU-16C/D Albatross as a search and rescue aircraft from coastal naval air stations, both stateside and overseas. It was also employed as a support aircraft worldwide and for missions from the former NAS Agana. Goodwill flights were common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the early 1970s. Open water landings and water takeoff training using JATO was also conducted frequently by U. S. The HU-16 was also operated by the U. S. Coast Guard as both a coastal and long-range open ocean SAR aircraft for years until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian. The final USAF HU-16 flight was the delivery of AF Serial No, 51-5282 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio in July 1973 after setting an altitude record of 32,883 ft earlier in the month. The final US Navy HU-16 flight was made 13 August 1976 when an Albatross was delivered to the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, the final USCG HU-16 flight was at CGAS Cape Cod in March 1983, when the aircraft type was retired by the USCG. The Albatross continued to be used in the service of other countries. The Royal Canadian Air Force operated Grumman Albatrosss with the designation CSR-110 rather than the US standard of HU-16, in 1970, Conroy Aircraft marketed a remanufactured HU-16A with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines as the Conroy Turbo Albatross, but only one prototype was ever built. Many surplus Albatrosses were sold to operators, mostly to private owners. These aircraft are operated under either Experimental-Exhibition or Restricted category and cannot be used for commercial operations, in the early 1980s Chalks International Airlines owned by Merv Griffins Resorts International had 13 Albatrosses converted to Standard category as G-111s. This made them eligible to be used in scheduled airline operations, the G-111s were operated for only a few years and then put in storage in Arizona. Most are still parked there, but some have returned to regular flight operations with private operators
30.
U-10 Super Courier
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The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light C/STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949. Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company, during the early 1980s, new owners made an attempt to build new aircraft with direct-drive Lycoming engines, to replace troublesome and expensive geared engines. In a further effort to reduce weight, a new landing gear was featured. The new models also featured modest winglets, two models were produced, the H-800 and H-700. A total of 18 aircraft were built, the rights to the Helio Stallion and Helio Courier were acquired by Helio Aircraft of Prescott, Arizona, and will soon be returned to production. Koppen designed aircraft for the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company, including the Ford Flivver, koppen went on to design the Helio Courier. The slats contribute to the Helios outstanding short takeoff and landing capability, the Helio Courier could maintain control at speeds as low as 27 miles per hour. The design of the Helio features a vertical tail surface. The Helio has its main gear placement far forward of the cabin, a tricycle-gear model was produced, but is unsuitable for unprepared rough terrain. Helios are also capable of being equipped with floats, both straight and amphibious floats being offered, with a minimum-control speed of around 28 mph, the Courier is perfectly suited for confined off-airport operations. The first one was certified in July 1954 and powered by the 260 hp Lycoming GO-435-C2B2, the first production Courier C-G001 was previously owned and operated by JAARS as N242B until 2010. In 1957, a Strato Courier set a record over Mexico City, Mexico at 31,200 ft powered by a geared Lycoming GSO-480-A1A5. Various versions were produced up through the 1980s, including turbine-powered variants, the Super Courier saw military service in the United States as the U-10. Over 120 were built, The L-28A, U-10A, U-10B extended range and paratrooper doors, Helios remain very popular among bush pilots in Canada and Alaska and missionaries who fly into rough, relatively unprepared jungle airstrips because of its superior STOL abilities. Some operators use the Helio Couriers for aerial observation, pima County mounts a FLIR camera for law enforcement, and Winged Vision mounts a high definition television camera for coverage of major sports events. Original prototype soon re-named Helio Courier, variant with a Lycoming GO-480-G1D6, purchased by USAF as U-10D,173 built. HT-295 Super Courier or Trigear Courier, h-295 with tricycle undercarriage,19 built. H-295 with lengthened fuselage and Lycoming O-540-A1A5 engine,41 built, prototype with Lycoming GO-435-C2 engine, one built
31.
U-6A Bever
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The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, primarily known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application, the United States Army purchased several hundred, nine DHC-2s are still in service with the U. S. Air Force Auxiliary for search and rescue. A Royal New Zealand Air Force Beaver supported Sir Edmund Hillarys expedition to the South Pole, over 1,600 Beavers were produced until 1967 when the original assembly line shut down. Due to its success, the Royal Canadian Mint commemorated the Beaver on a special edition Canadian quarter in November 1999, after the war, de Havilland Canada management turned to the civilian market for work, aware that military contracts were unlikely to guarantee business. Almost without variation, the pilots asked for extra power and STOL performance, in a design that could be easily fitted with wheels. When de Havilland engineers noted that this would result in poor cruise performance, the doors were also made wide enough to allow for a 44 Imperial gallon drum to be rolled up into the aircraft. On September 17,1946, de Havilland officially put together a team consisting of Fred Buller, Dick Hiscocks, Jim Houston and W. Jakimiuk. At the time de Havilland Canada was still a British-owned company and this limited power, so the wing area was greatly increased in order to maintain STOL performance. When Pratt & Whitney Canada offered to supply war-surplus 450 hp Wasp Jr engines at a low price, the result was unbeatable STOL performance for an aircraft of its size. After much testing and with adjustments and improvements, the airplane was ready for the sales circuit. Since de Havilland Canada aircraft were all named after animals, it was decided that the new plane was much like the hard-working beaver. The first flight of the DHC-2 Beaver was in Downsview, Ontario by Second World War flying ace Russell Bannock on August 16,1947, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, a design partner, in April 1948. Initial sales were slow, perhaps two or three a month but as the plane was demonstrated sales started to improve, a key event in the Beavers history occurred the next year, when the US Army started looking for a new utility aircraft to replace their Cessnas. The competition quickly boiled down to the Beaver and the Cessna 195 but the Beaver outperformed the 195 and with the outbreak of the Korean War, soon orders increased from around the world. When production finally ceased in 1967,1,657 DHC-2 Beavers had been built, the Beaver was designed for flight in rugged and remote areas of the world. Its short takeoff and landing capability made it ideal for areas normally only accessible by canoe or foot, because it often flies to remote locations, often in cold climates, its oil reservoir filler is located in the cockpit and oil can be filled in flight. A series of upgrades to the design were incorporated. One major customer introduced the use of flat steps replacing the earlier tubes, in 1987, the Canadian Engineering Centennial Board named the DHC-2 one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century
32.
O-2A Super Skymaster
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The Cessna O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control and psychological operations by the US military between 1967 and 2010. In 1966 the United States Air Force commissioned Cessna to build a variant to replace the O-1 Bird Dog. As with the version, the Skymaster was a low-cost twin-engine piston-powered aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the aircraft. The first O-2 flew in January 1967 and the plane went into production shortly thereafter, performance was degraded due to the added antennas and significant weight increase, but was considered sufficient for the anticipated low-level operation. The USAF took delivery of the O-2 Skymaster in March 1967, by 1970, a total of 532 O-2s had been built, in two variants, for the USAF. During the Vietnam War, the O-2A was introduced as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog, in the air control aircraft. The O-2B was equipped with loudspeakers and a dispenser for use in the psychological operations role. The O-2 was phased out completely after additional night upgrades to the OV-10, a total of 178 USAF O-2 Skymasters were lost in the Vietnam War, to all causes. Following the Vietnam War, the O-2 continued to operate with both U. S. Air Force and Air National Guard units into the late 1980s. These aircraft were transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron 125, the F/A-18 Hornet FRS at NAS Lemoore. These O-2A aircraft were replaced by T-34C Turbomentor aircraft transferred from the Naval Air Training Command. Of the six USN aircraft mentioned above, two were transferred to the U. S. Army in late 1990, USAF O-2As were augmented by the 1990 aircraft transfer from the Navy. Several disassembled USAF O-2s remain in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, Two O-2As were used at Laguna Army Airfield, Arizona as part of testing programs carried out by the Yuma Proving Ground. These were retired in October 2010 and sent to a museum, several USAF O-2 aircraft were later transferred to and operated by the former VNAF South Vietnamese Air Force. During the Salvadoran Civil War, the Salvadoran Air Force received a total of 23 O-2As and 2 O-2Bs from the United States, the first arriving in 1981. They were employed to observe the movements of FMLN formations and direct air strikes against them, playing a major role in forcing the rebel movement to abandon large-scale operations. Near the end of the war in 1990, the acquisition of SA-7 missiles resulted in the loss of two O-2As, while another was destroyed by mortar fire, and two more were lost in crashes. In 1974, Senior Air Operations Officer Cotton Mason inspected 40 USAF O-2s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the best 20 were selected and shipped to Fresno, California
33.
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
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The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is an update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck. The Hercules family has the longest continuous run of any military aircraft in history. During more than 60 years of service, the family has participated in military, civilian, the Hercules has outlived several planned successor designs, most notably the Advanced Medium STOL Transport contestants. Fifteen nations have placed orders for a total of 300 C-130Js, the C-130J is the newest version of the Hercules and the only model still in production. Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J-model features considerably updated technology and these differences include new Rolls-Royce AE2100 D3 turboprop engines with Dowty R391 composite scimitar propellers, digital avionics, and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, the J-model is available in a standard-length or stretched -30 variant. The U. S. Marine Corps KC-130J uses a crew chief for expeditionary operations, the C-130Js cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet long,9 feet high, and 10 feet wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft can also be configured with the cargo handling system. Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out, Lockheed Martin received the launch order for the J-model from the RAF, which ordered 25 aircraft, with first deliveries beginning in 1999 as Hercules C4 and Hercules C5. The standard C-130J had a flyaway cost of US$62 million in 2008, in mid-June 2008, the United States Air Force awarded a $470 million contract to Lockheed Martin for six modified KC-130J aircraft for use by the Air Force and Special Operations Command. The contract led to C-130J variants that will replace aging HC-130s and MC-130s, the HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft completed developmental testing on 14 March 2011. The final test point was air-to-air refueling, and was the first ever boom refueling of a C-130 where the aircraft’s refueling receiver was installed during aircraft production and this test procedure also applied to the MC-130J Combat Shadow II aircraft in production for Air Force Special Operations Command. This capability, designated as Harvest HAWK, can be used in scenarios where precision is not a requisite, the aircraft retains its original capabilities in refueling and transportation. The entire system can be removed within a day if necessary, the Super Hercules has been used extensively by the USAF and USMC in Iraq and Afghanistan. Canada has also deployed its CC-130J aircraft to Afghanistan, C-130Js from several countries have been deployed in support of the US Operation Odyssey Dawn and NATOs Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 Libyan civil war. From the first flight on 5 April 1996 to 30 April 2013,290 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft operated by 13 nations surpassed 1 million flight hours, in January 2013, it was reported that some of Canadas C-130J transports had counterfeit Chinese microchips in their cockpit displays. These parts are likely to fail and result in failures such as blank instrument screens during flight
34.
Alenia C-27J Spartan
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The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardos Aircraft Division. It is a derivative of Alenia Aeronauticas earlier G.222, equipped with the engines. The C-27J has also ordered by the military air units of Australia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Peru. In 1995, Alenia and Lockheed Martin began discussions to improve Alenias G.222 using C-130Js glass cockpit and a more powerful version of the G. 222s T64G engine and four-blade propellers. In 1996, a program began on an improved G.222, named C-27J, in 1997, Alenia and Lockheed Martin formed Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems to develop the C-27J. The design changed to use the C-130J Super Herculess Rolls-Royce AE2100 engine, other changes include a fully digital MIL-STD-1553 systems and avionics architecture, and an updated cargo compartment for increased commonality. The C-27J has a 35% increase in range and a 15% faster cruise speed than the G.222, by 2005, the U. S. Army had identified the need to replace its aging Short C-23 Sherpa lifter. In 2006, LMATTS was dissolved when Lockheed Martin offered the C-130J in 2006 as a contender in the same U. S. Army, Alenia Aeronautica then paired with L-3 Communications, forming the Global Military Aircraft Systems joint venture to market the C-27J, Boeing also joined GMAS. By November 2006, the C-27J completed the U. S. Department of Defenses Early User Survey evaluations, having flown a total of 26 hours, GMAS also announced that the C-27J will be assembled at a facility at Cecil Field, Duval County, Florida. On 22 June 2007, Raytheon formally protested the JCA contract award for the C-27J. The first C-27J was to be scheduled to be delivered to the joint U. S. Army–Air Force test and training program in June 2008, the first flight of a U. S. C-27J occurred on 17 June 2008. As of 2016, orders stand at Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Morocco, Romania, Mexico, United States, Australia, Peru, Chad, Slovakia, the United States received its first C-27J on 25 September 2008. In September 2008, L-3 Links C-27J schoolhouse officially began classes at the Georgia Army National Guard Flight Facility, Robins Air Force Base, by April 2009, the U. S. Army had accepted deliveries of two aircraft and had 11 more on order. By July 2010, the U. S. Air National Guard had received four C-27Js for testing and training, the U. S. Air Force performed the C-27Js first combat deployment in Summer 2011. In August 2011, two C-27Js flown by Air National Guard aircrews, augmented with Army National Guard personnel, began operations at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. Between August 2011 and June 2012, the C-27Js of the 179th Airlift Wing, followed by the 175th Wing executed more than 3200 missions transporting over 25,000 passengers, and 1400 tons of cargo. Via tactical control of the C-27Js, the U. S. Army was able to employ helicopters more efficiently, in February 2012, Alenia warned that it would not provide support for C-27Js resold by the US to international customers in competition with future orders. On 23 March 2012, the USAF announced the C-27Js retirement in fiscal year 2013 after determining other programs budgetary needs, the cut was opposed by the Air National Guard and by various legislators
35.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
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The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1954 and was the first independent Air Force decoration created, the Air Force Longevity Service Award would follow in 1957 with most of the standard Air Force awards established in the early to mid 1960s. The Outstanding Unit Award is awarded to any unit of the U. S, multiple awards of the Outstanding Unit Award are denoted by oak leaf clusters on the ribbon. Until 2004, the Outstanding Unit Award was the senior most unit award in the U. S. Air Force and it is awarded to personnel who were assigned or attached to the unit receiving the award during the period it was awarded for. Non-USAF personnel personnel assigned to USAF units awarded the Outstanding Unit Award are also eligible to wear the ribbon on their uniforms, however, the ribbon does not come in the larger size of unit awards common to the U. S. Army
36.
Wayback Machine
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The Internet Archive launched the Wayback Machine in October 2001. It was set up by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, and is maintained with content from Alexa Internet, the service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the archive calls a three dimensional index. Since 1996, the Wayback Machine has been archiving cached pages of websites onto its large cluster of Linux nodes and it revisits sites every few weeks or months and archives a new version. Sites can also be captured on the fly by visitors who enter the sites URL into a search box, the intent is to capture and archive content that otherwise would be lost whenever a site is changed or closed down. The overall vision of the machines creators is to archive the entire Internet, the name Wayback Machine was chosen as a reference to the WABAC machine, a time-traveling device used by the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, an animated cartoon. These crawlers also respect the robots exclusion standard for websites whose owners opt for them not to appear in search results or be cached, to overcome inconsistencies in partially cached websites, Archive-It. Information had been kept on digital tape for five years, with Kahle occasionally allowing researchers, when the archive reached its fifth anniversary, it was unveiled and opened to the public in a ceremony at the University of California, Berkeley. Snapshots usually become more than six months after they are archived or, in some cases, even later. The frequency of snapshots is variable, so not all tracked website updates are recorded, Sometimes there are intervals of several weeks or years between snapshots. After August 2008 sites had to be listed on the Open Directory in order to be included. As of 2009, the Wayback Machine contained approximately three petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of 100 terabytes each month, the growth rate reported in 2003 was 12 terabytes/month, the data is stored on PetaBox rack systems manufactured by Capricorn Technologies. In 2009, the Internet Archive migrated its customized storage architecture to Sun Open Storage, in 2011 a new, improved version of the Wayback Machine, with an updated interface and fresher index of archived content, was made available for public testing. The index driving the classic Wayback Machine only has a bit of material past 2008. In January 2013, the company announced a ground-breaking milestone of 240 billion URLs, in October 2013, the company announced the Save a Page feature which allows any Internet user to archive the contents of a URL. This became a threat of abuse by the service for hosting malicious binaries, as of December 2014, the Wayback Machine contained almost nine petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of about 20 terabytes each week. Between October 2013 and March 2015 the websites global Alexa rank changed from 162 to 208, in a 2009 case, Netbula, LLC v. Chordiant Software Inc. defendant Chordiant filed a motion to compel Netbula to disable the robots. Netbula objected to the motion on the ground that defendants were asking to alter Netbulas website, in an October 2004 case, Telewizja Polska USA, Inc. v. Echostar Satellite, No.02 C3293,65 Fed. 673, a litigant attempted to use the Wayback Machine archives as a source of admissible evidence, Telewizja Polska is the provider of TVP Polonia and EchoStar operates the Dish Network
37.
Alabama Air National Guard
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The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Alabama, United States of America. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Alabama Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Alabama though the office of the Alabama Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Alabama Air National Guard is headquartered in Montgomery, and its commander is Major General Perry Smith. Under the Total Force concept, Alabama Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Alabama ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. Its mission is to train and equip combat ready aircrews and support personnel to perform aerial refueling. The Alabama Air National Guard origins date to 27 August 1917 with the establishment of the 106th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I American Expeditionary Force, the 106th served in France on the Western Front, then after the 1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the squadron was reformed on 21 January 1922 as the 125th Squadron, Alabama National Guard, received federal recognition as a Corps Aviation unit. Maj. James A. Meissner, a World War I ace who had flown with Capt, eddie Rickenbacker, led the effort to form the unit and served as its first commander. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 106th Observation Squadron was ordered into service on 125 November 1940 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Alabama ANG received federal recognition on 25 November 1946 as the 106th Bombardment Squadron at Birmingham MAP. It was equipped with B-26B/C Invaders and was assigned to Tactical Air Command, on 1 October 1947 the 117th Fighter Group allotted by the National Guard Bureau, extended federal recognition and activated at Birmingham, with the 106th Bomb Squadron being assigned to the unit. The 160th Fighter Squadron at Montgomery was authorized by the National Guard Bureau, the 160th was equipped with the F-51D Mustang and its mission was the air defense of the state. On 15 October 1962, the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was authorized to expand to a level. The 160th TRS becoming the flying squadron. This was obtained from the Air Force and on 12 September 2009, the designation was transferred to the National Guard Bureau by the Air Force and it was allotted to the Alabama ANG
38.
Alaska Air National Guard
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The Alaska Air National Guard is the air militia of the State of Alaska, United States of America. It is, along with the Alaska Army National Guard, an element of the Alaska National Guard, as state military units, the units in the Alaska Air National Guard are not typically in the normal United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Alaska though the office of the Alaska Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Alaska Air National Guard is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, under the Total Force concept, Alaska Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Alaska ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The unit transfers more fuel than any other Air National Guard tanker wing, because nearly all receivers are active duty aircraft and it is a composite wing with multiple missions, including global airlift, air-sea rescue, tactical airlift, and NORAD air defense. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities, 213th Space Warning Squadron, Geographically Separated Unit located at Clear Air Force Station, Anderson, located 40 miles north of Mount McKinley and 80 miles south of Fairbanks. The 213th SWS is responsible for providing tactical warning and attack assessment of a missile attack against the continental United States. Warning data from the unit is forwarded to the North American Aerospace Defense Command inside Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, the only condition, that enough people could be recruited to man the unit. The Alaska Air National Guard was organized 15 September 1952 as the 8144th Air Base Squadron, at its creation, the 8144th included 11 enlisted men and five officers. Its headquarters were located in an office above what was then the bus depot on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. Because the office was so small, the men convened for their first training assembly in a nearby Quonset hut, the units first aircraft, a 1941 AT-6D Texan trainer, arrived in February 1953. Soon five more trainers arrived, operating out of Elmendorf AFB Hangar #3, in keeping with the Air Guards mission to provide national air defense, the pilots began training in earnest for their planned transition to jet fighters. The unit was re-designated as the 144th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 July 1953, in 1969, the 144th Tactical Airlift Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 176th Tactical Airlift Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 176th TAG received federal recognition and was activated on 1 April 1969, the 144th TAS was assigned as the new units operational squadron. In 1986 the 168th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron designation was transferred from the Illinois ANG to the Alaska Air National Guard and it was re-designated as the 168th Air Refueling Squadron, extended federal recognition and reactivated on 1 October 1986. The 168th would operate as a geographically separated unit, at Eielson Air Force Base and it was equipped with KC-135E Stratotankers and assume an air refueling mission, supporting military aircraft over Alaska and the northern Pacific Region
39.
Arizona Air National Guard
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The Arizona Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Arizona, United States of America. It is, along with the Arizona Army National Guard, an element of the Arizona National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Arizona Air National Guard are not typically in the normal United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Arizona through the office of the Arizona Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Arizona Air National Guard is headquartered at the Joint Force Headquarters in Phoenix, under the Total Force concept, Arizona Air National Guard units are an Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Arizona ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The wing consists of three squadrons and more than 70 F-16 aircraft, the 162d conducts international pilot training in support of foreign military sales program. It operates and maintains extensive radar and communications to train student Weapons Directors for postings throughout the Air Force and these unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The Arizona ANG was founded by Barry Goldwater, and its origins date to the formation of the 197th Fighter Squadron at Luke Army Airfield, Glendale and it was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. Today, the Arizona ANG performs an air refueling mission. Its 111th Space Operations Squadron is the first space communications unit in the United States military, after the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Arizona has been activated in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Also, Arizona ANG units have deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, Arizona Air National Guard 161st Air Refueling Wing 162nd Fighter Wing
40.
Arkansas Air National Guard
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The Arkansas Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Arkansas, United States of America. It is, along with the Arkansas Army National Guard, an element of the Arkansas National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Arkansas Air National Guard are not typically in the normal United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Arkansas through the office of the Arkansas Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Arkansas Air National Guard is headquartered at North Little Rock, under the Total Force concept, Arkansas Air National Guard units are an Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Arkansas ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The unit operates the C-130 Tactical Airlift Instructor School, where instructors are trained to they can return to their units. The Arkansas Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the 154th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I American Expeditionary Force, the 154th served in France on the Western Front, then after the 1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units. The unit was reorganized with the establishment of a permanent air service in 1920 as the 154th Observation Squadron on 24 October 1925 and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 154th Observation Squadron was activated for one year of training on 16 September 1940, the unit completed its one-year training and returned to state control, but was recalled to active duty on 7 December 1941 as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Arkansas ANG received federal recognition on 27 May 1946 as the 154th Fighter Squadron at Adams Field, Little Rock. It was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state, on 2 October 1950, the 154th Fighter Squadron, along with detachment B, 237th Air Services Group and the 154th Utility Flight reported to active duty for service in Korea. The unit went to Langley Air Force Base, VA where it was re-equipped with the F-84E fighter, the 154th flew its first combat sortie 2 May 1951. Initially operating out of Itaeke, Japan the unit moved to Taegu. The 154th returned to Arkansas and was relieved from active duty 1 July 1952, on 22 August 1962, the 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 188th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 184th TRS becoming the flying squadron
41.
California Air National Guard
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The California Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U. S. State of California. It is, along with the California Army National Guard, an element of the California National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the California Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of California through the office of the California Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The California Air National Guard is headquartered in Sacramento, and its commander is currently Major General Jon K. Kelk, under the Total Force concept, California Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. California ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. It is under state jurisdiction and its members are employed only within the State of California and it is not subject to be called, ordered or assigned as any element of the federal armed forces. Currently in transition from a KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling mission to an MQ-1 Predator ISR wing, executing global unmanned aerial systems, combat support, and humanitarian missions. The California Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the 115th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I United States Army Air Service. The 115th served in France on the Western Front, constructed facilities and engaged in supply, the Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, liable for immediate state service. If federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, initially the Unit held its meetings at Clover Field, Santa Monica, using Reserve Equipment planes for flying. Later on, the Squadron met at the National Guard Armory, in 1925, several months after its organization, the Squadron moved to permanent quarters at Griffith Park Aerodrome in Los Angeles. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern California ANG received federal recognition on 1 July 1946 as the 62d Fighter Wing at Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys. Its 115th Bombardment Squadron was equipped with A-26 Invader light bombers, on 16 September 1946, its 146th Fighter Group was also formed at Van Nuys, with several fighter squadrons equipped with F-51 Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. The 61sts mission was the air defense of Northern California, the 62d, today, units of the CA ANG perform a homeland defense mission, worldwide airlift missions, aireal firefighting, combat search and rescue, and Unmanned Aireal Reconnaissance missions. After the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, in December 2007, after the grounding of F-15 fighters due to potential structural problems, the California Air National Guard assumed responsibility for defense of the western United States. This was the first time that a single states fighter wing took responsibility of defense for an entire coast, also, California ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed
42.
Colorado Air National Guard
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The Colorado Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the U. S. State of Colorado. It is, along with the Colorado Army National Guard, an element of the Colorado National Guard, the units of the Colorado Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Colorado through the office of the Colorado Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Colorado Air National Guard is headquartered in Centennial, and its commander is currently Major General H. Michael Edwards. The Colorado Air National Guard 120th Fighter Squadron was the first federally recognized Air National Guard unit after the Second World War, under the Total Force concept, Colorado Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Colorado ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. They are able to survive and operate through all phases of trans/post nuclear attack, the Colorado Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the 120th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I American Expeditionary Force. The 120th served in France on the Western Front, then after the 1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, on 27 June 1923 the 120th Observation Squadron, 45th Division, Aviation was mustered into service as part of the Colorado Army National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. Initially composed of eight officers and 50 enlisted members, the unit flew Curtis JN-4Es - an aircraft which proved to be unsuitable for flying at Denver elevations, one year later, the 120th began flying out of Lowry Field. The brand new airfield was named in honor of 2nd Lt. Francis B, Lowry who was shot down and killed near Crepion, France in 1918 while on a photographic mission. Mobilization for World War II took place on January 6,1941,11 months prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the unit, then 19 officers and 116 enlisted members, moved to Biggs Field, Texas. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Colorado ANG received federal recognition on 3 July 1946 as the 86th Fighter Wing at Buckley Field, Denver. Its 140th Fighter Group was also formed at Buckley Field, with the 120th Fighter Squadron equipped with F-51 Mustangs, the 200th Airlift Squadron flies C-21A Learjets with a Special Air Mission for VIP personnel, along with aeromedical evacuation. The 137th Space Warning Squadron at Greeley Employs the Air Forces only strategic survivable, mobile ground system to receive early warning data
43.
Connecticut Air National Guard
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The Connecticut Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Connecticut, United States of America. It is, along with the Connecticut Army National Guard, an element of the Connecticut National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Connecticut Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Connecticut though the office of the Connecticut Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Connecticut Air National Guard is headquartered at Bradley Air National Guard Base, under the Total Force concept, Connecticut Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Connecticut ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. They currently fly the C-130H, a four engine aircraft and its mission is providing cargo. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities, 103d Air Control Squadron Stationed at Orange and is known as Yankee Watch, the mission of the 103d Air Control Squadron is real-time detection, identification and surveillance of air traffic for combat operations and homeland defense. The 103d ACS is the oldest unit of its kind in the United States military, the 118th Airlift Squadrons origins date to August 1917, when the unit was activated as the 118th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas. After little more than individual and unit training at Kelly. After a brief stopover at Garden City, Long Island, New York, they sailed for Europe on 13 January 1918, arriving at St. Maixent, the Fleur-de-lis on the post World War II squadron insignia reflects that service in France. The war ended in November, but the 639th remained in France until May 1919 when it returned to the United States and was demobilized at Mitchell Field, New York, on 6 June 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the National Defense Act of 1921 provided for a number of National Guard Aviation Squadrons and the 43d Aero Squadron was re-designated as the 43d Division Air Service Squadron. As a National Guard unit the squadron became a part of the 43d Division, at that time made up of National Guard Troops from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont. Since there were no airfields in Connecticut capable of handling military type aircraft, however, after the opening of Brainard Field in Hartford in October 1922, efforts were immediately launched to secure the Air Service unit of the 43d Division for the State of Connecticut. Rhode Island, apparently without a deal of argument, soon relinquished its claim. When the squadron was organized on 1 November 1923, there were some 66 officers
44.
Delaware Air National Guard
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The Delaware Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Delaware, United States of America. It is, along with the Delaware Army National Guard, an element of the Delaware National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Delaware Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Delaware through the office of the Delaware Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Delaware Air National Guard is headquartered at New Castle Air National Guard Base, under the Total Force concept, Delaware Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Delaware ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The actual strength on founding day was 15 officers, one warrant officer and 36 enlisted men, the Air Guard carried 60% of the cargo it would be expected to carry if it were an active unit in Federal service. Brig. Gen. William “Bill” Spruance, a member of the Delaware Air Guard. In 1961, after a fatal plane crash as passenger in a T-33, Brig. Gen. Spruance selflessly devoted his time, knowledge and experience in an effort to improve flying. In 1968 during one of his three trips to Vietnam he gave over 100 presentations to over 10,000 people, at 58 bases, shortly thereafter, members of the 166th Tactical Clinic were also called upon, bringing the total Air Guard involvement to over 350. All eight C-130 Hercules aircraft were deployed with the Air Guard to the Persian Gulf, the Air Guard merged with the 1670th Tactical Airlift Provisional, part of the largest composite U. S. Air Force Wing in the entire Persian Gulf area. The unit flew missions carrying personnel and fuel bladders critical to destroying the Iraqi Republican Guard and they were also one of the first crews that flew into Kuwait International Airport to begin rebuilding. In May, they moved a significant portion of the Shiite Muslim refugees to a camp in Saudi Arabia السعودية, in January and February personnel from the 166th Civil Engineering Squadron were also tasked with the 100% enlargement of the mortuary facility at Dover Air Force Base. Brig. Gen. Ernest Talbert served in combat zones in Southwest Asia as a C-130 pilot in support of Operation Desert Storm, on 11 Nov 2005 he became the first African-American general in the history of the Delaware National Guard. Upon his retirement as Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Delaware Air National Guard on 11 Jan 2009, General Talbert has upheld his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Delaware against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The Delaware Air National Guard units returned on 31 May 1991, the Delaware Air National Guard was called upon again during the Afghanistan War. Its units have deployed to the Afghan region several times since 2001, col. Patrick Houtman received the Distinguished Flying Cross for taking evasive action at low altitude after a surface-to-air missile was launched against his C-130 aircraft. Col. Houtman was the first Delaware Air National Guard member to receive this decoration, col. Gregory Carr and Master Sgt
45.
District of Columbia Air National Guard
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The District of Columbia Air National Guard is a militia and Air Force reserve organization of the District of Columbia, United States of America. It is, along with the District of Columbia Army National Guard, as militia units, the units in the District of Columbia Air National Guard are not in United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized by the president. The District of Columbia Air National Guard is headquartered in Washington D. C. the District of Columbia Air National Guard is unique among the United States Air National Guard. Because Washington, D. C. lacks an Air Force installation with a runway, under the Total Force concept, District of Columbia Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. District of Columbia ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 121st Observation Squadron was ordered into service on 1 September 1941 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern DC ANG received federal recognition on 26 October 1946 as the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews Army Airfield, Maryland. It was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of Washington, on 2 November 1946 the 113th Fighter Group was allotted by the National Guard Bureau, extended federal recognition and activated. The 121st was assigned to the 113th as its operational squadron, on February 1,1952, the 8205th Air Base Squadron was activated as part of the DC ANG. The units mission was to receive, maintain, and store equipment as well as provide trained personnel for the soon-to-be formed 231st Airways, however, the unit was discontinued on August 26,1952, when it merged with the 231st AACS. Under a variety of names, since 1986 the 231st Combat Communications Squadron, today, the District of Columbia Air National Guard primary mission is training of air combat and operational airlift crews for national defense. The 113th also provides a response force of fighters for the defense of the District of Columbia area 24/7. Members of the 113th also assist local and federal law enforcement agencies in combating trafficking in the District of Columbia on a case by case basis. After the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, on 11 September 2001, the wing was given authorization for its pilots to shoot down threatening aircraft over Washington DC. During one of missions, on 11 May 2005 the squadron scrambled to intercept an aircraft that wandered into the no-fly zone around the White House. Customs officials had also scrambled a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the Customs aircraft gave way when the F-16s arrived flew on the wing tips of the little plane
46.
Florida Air National Guard
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The Florida Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Florida and, as part of the air force militia of the United States, is part of the Air National Guard. On a state level, along with the Florida Army National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Florida Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. FL ANG units remain under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Florida though the office of the Florida Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. This jurisdictional model of answering to state, commonwealth or territorial governors applies to all Air National Guard units in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U. S. The Florida Air National Guard is headquartered at St. Francis Barracks, in St. Augustine, Florida ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. The 101 AOG is operationally-gained by Air Combat Command, the 114 SPCS is operationally gained by Air Force Space Command. The 202 RHS is operationally gained by Air Combat Command. S, armed services, other Department of Defense activities and combat support agencies, other U. S. Government agencies, and the state of Florida. The 290 JCSS is associated with the U. S, transportation Commands Joint Enabling Capabilities Command and the Joint Communications Support Element. As a USAF organization, the squadron is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command, the 131 TF is operationally gained by the Air Force Weather Agency. The 159 WF is operationally gained by the Air Force Weather Agency and these unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. A National Guard Bureau document dated 16 March 1946, gave permission to request an Army Air Forces unit allotment. Months later, Florida accepted the 159th Fighter Squadron with a strength of 50 officers and 303 enlisted men. The unit was established at Imeson Airport in Jacksonville and Governor Millard F, caldwell formally accepted the unit on 30 August 1946. Full federal recognition of the unit was granted on 9 February 1947, in 1954, the 159th relinquished their F-51s for F-80 Shooting Stars and in 1956 upgraded again to F-86 Sabres. Both organizations remained operationally gained by the Air Defense Command and in 1960 transitioned to the F-102 Delta Dagger, in 1968, ADC was renamed Aerospace Defense Command and remained the 125 FIGs gaining command. That same year, the 125 FIG and its F-102 aircraft relocated from the soon-to-be closing Imeson Airport to a newly constructed military installation at the new Jacksonville International Airport and this was followed by another aircraft transition in 1974 to the F-106 Delta Dart. With the disestablishment of ADC in October 1979, operational claimancy of the 125 FIG was shifted to Tactical Air Command, the same year, the 125th also transitioned from the F-16 to the F-15 Eagle, the aircraft that it continues to fly today. The units initial mission was to train active duty and Air National Guard pilots to fly the F-15 Eagle in its F-15A/B and F-15C/D variants in the air dominance role
47.
Georgia Air National Guard
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The Georgia Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U. S. state of Georgia. It is, along with the Georgia Army National Guard, an element of the Georgia National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Georgia Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Georgia though the office of the Georgia Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Georgia Air National Guard is headquartered in Atlanta, and its commander is Brigadier General Jesse Simmons. Under the Total Force concept, Georgia Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Georgia ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The Georgia Air National Guard has 3,000 airmen and officers assigned to two flying wings and six geographically separated units throughout Georgia, Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center, Savannah IAP, Savannah Provide the most realistic training environment possible for today’s war fighter. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the Georgia Air National Guard origins date to 1 May 1948 with the establishment of the 128th Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Georgia Air National Guard. The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 840th Aero Squadron, the 840th was a non-flying Air Service support unit, formed in Texas. Deployed to England in May 1918, then serving in the area behind the Western Front in France as an aircraft repair squadron beginning in August. Remained in France after the November 1918 Armistice, returning to Langley Field, the 128th Observation Squadron was one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 128th Observation Squadron was ordered into service on 15 September 1941 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Georgia ANG received federal recognition on 20 August 1946 as the 128th Fighter Squadron at Marietta Army Airfield. The 128th was equipped with F-47N Thunderbolts, and its mission was the air defense of the state, also on 20 August, the 158th Fighter Squadron was activated at Chatam Army Airfield, Pooler, also equipped with F-47Hs. Also, on 20 August 1946, the 54th Fighter Wing at Marietta Army Airfield, the 54th Fighter Wing was a command and control organization for units in the Southeastern region of the United States. The 54th controlled Air National Guard units in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, on 9 September 1946, the 116th Fighter Group, also at Marietta AAF was activated, becoming an intermediate Command and Control organization for the 54th FW. The 1166th assumed control of both the 128th and 158th Fighter Squadrons, at the end of October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base Hobson Plan organization. As a result, the wing was withdrawn from the Georgia ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950, the 116th Fighter Wing was federalized on 10 October 1950 due to the Korean War
48.
Guam Air National Guard
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The Guam Air National Guard is the air force militia of Guam, an Unincorporated Territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Guam Army National Guard, an element of the Guam National Guard, as territorial militia units, the units in the Guam Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Guam though the office of the Guam Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Guam Air National Guard is headquartered at Andersen Air Force Base, under the Total Force concept, Guam Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Guam ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. Territorial missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The Guam Air National Guard has a strength of about 450 women and men and this article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/
United States
Maryland
Air National Guard
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
