118th Wing

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118th Wing
Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville, Tennessee
Tail CodeDark Red tail stripe, "Nashville" in white letters
Insignia
118th Wing emblem

The 118th Wing (118 WG) is a unit of the

MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, it is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command
.

The 105th Tactical Airlift Squadron, assigned to the Wings 118th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the

United States Army National Guard formed before World War II
.

Overview

The 118th Wing

MQ-9 Reaper
Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) mission is to provide close air support (CAS), air interdiction, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and attack to eliminate threats when present. The multi-role capabilities of these RPAs allows Combat Search and Rescue operations and extended time over targets to locate, track, target, strike, and assess time sensitive targets

The plan also calls for the 118th Wing to get a cyber-security unit and expand their intelligence squadron.

Units

  • 118th Operations Group
MQ-9 Reaper
)
  • 118th Mission Support Group
  • 118th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
  • 218th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
  • 118th Medical Group

History

See 356th Fighter Group for additional lineage and history information

World War II

Established on 8 December 1942 at

European Theater of Operations (ETO), and assigned to Eighth Air Force
in England. Engaged in combat operations until May 1945. Returned to the United States during September–November 1945, and was inactivated on 10 November 1945.

Tennessee Air National Guard

A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) vehicle is loaded into one of four C-130 aircraft from the 118th Airlift Wing 4 June 2011 as the Tennessee Army National Guard's 1/181st Field Artillery Battalion headed to Fort Chaffee, Ark. for two weeks of annual training.

Was re-established in 1946 as the Tennessee Air National Guard 118th Fighter Group, receiving federal recognition and being activated on 2 October 1947. Formed at

F-51 Mustangs
.

On 1 September 1950, the group was elevated to a Wing level and was activated as the 118th Composite Wing. It was assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, Continental Air Command, with Wing Headquarters at Berry Field. The 118th Fighter Group was redesignated the 118th Composite Group and along with the 105th Fighter Squadron was absorbed by the 118th Composite Wing. On 1 February 1951, the 118th Composite Wing, 118th Composite Group and 105th Fighter Squadron were redesignated the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Group and Squadron respectively.

The 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) and Group were activated for federal service 1 February 1951. On 13 April 1951, the 118th TRW was reassigned to

McGhee-Tyson Airport at Knoxville, TN, provided air defense for the Atomic Energy Commission at Oak Ridge
, and Detachment 2 was the 4674th Ground Observer Squadron, Smyrna, TN.

1 January 1953, the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing returned to Berry Field with the following assigned units: 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 105th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 155th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Memphis, and the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Little Rock, AR. The units were equipped with the

RF-84F Thunderflash
from 1956 to early 1961.

In April 1961 the Wing converted to an airlift mission flying the

C-124C Globemaster II
transport and received the first of eight of these aircraft 6 April 1967.

Operating from Nashville during the

Andrews AFB, MD. A well-trained group of officers and airmen at Berry Field operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, coordinated the airlift of equipment and personnel by 18 Military Airlift Groups in 15 states. Beginning in December 1965, the 105th MAS flew more than 100 missions to South Vietnam
in a period of approximately a year and a half.

In March 1971, the Wing converted to the

Ninth Air Force
, Tactical Air Command. Ultimately five ANG Tactical Airlift Groups were assigned to the Wing by 9 June 1973: the 145th TAG, Charlotte, NC, the 166th TAG, New Castle, DE, the 167th TAG Martinsburg, WV, the 170th TAG, McGuire AFB, NJ, and the 118th TAG at Nashville. 1 December 1974, the 118th Tactical Airlift Wing was transferred from 9th Air Force, Tactical Air Command (TAC), to 21st Air Force, Military Airlift Command (MAC). On 9 February 1975, the 118th Tactical Airlift Group was inactivated, passing its World War II lineage and history to the 118th Tactical Airlift Wing. In June 1978 the Wing was recognized for its achievements and was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. In 1979, the Wing was enlarged from eight to sixteen C-130A Aircraft.

Since acquiring the C-130 airframe, the unit has supported a worldwide tactical airlift mission. Participation in exercises such as Brave Shield, Brim Frost and Red Flag were accomplished with some of the oldest aircraft in the inventory (1954–1957 A models). Rotations to Panama in support of Volant Oak beginning in 1977 became routine.

Post-Cold War

Operation Desert Storm in southwest Asia and flew a record 7239 flying hours. In 1992, Military Airlift Command (MAC) was reorganized as the Air Mobility Command (AMC). As a part of this reorganization, the 118th Tactical Airlift Wing became the 118th Airlift Wing. With sixteen C-130H aircraft and 1406 personnel at Nashville, the 118th Airlift Wing was one of the largest flying units in the Air National Guard
at that time.

Following 11 September 2001, the operational tempo increased. Over one-third of the Wing was activated for one year or more to supporting the National Homeland Security Plan (Operation Noble Eagle), which included deploying aircraft and personnel to bases inside the United States for several months, then assigned a home station alert mission. Shortly after the Wing completed the Noble Eagle mission, the Wing was selected to deploy to Southwest Asia in support CENTCOM Operations.

Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

In 2003, the 118th deployed ten C-130’s and over 320 personnel to the Middle East in direct support of combat operations at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While living in austere conditions in tents, enduring the desert heat and sand storms, the men and women of the 118th supported combat operations into and out of Baghdad and surrounding areas of Iraq. The 118th was the lead wing in establishing a bare base in support of the largest contingent of C-130’s ever based in a combat environment, over 46 C-130’s located at a single base. The unit supported CENTCOM at various locations in Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The unit returned home at different times in late 2003 as U.S. forces were drawn down and rotated to meet the changing requirements. In late 2003, the Wing again deployed to Uzbekistan supporting Operating Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

BRAC 2005 and the C-130 International Training Center

A 118th Airlift Wing WC-130H at Nashville in January 2010.

As part of

NAS JRB Fort Worth
, TX. Other ECS would remain in place at Nashville. Nashville had a low military value ranking and was near other ANG bases keeping or gaining aircraft.

In October 2007, it was announced that as an amendment to the BRAC 2005 decision, the 118 AW would continue to retain a flying mission, transitioning from an

Keesler AFB, Mississippi.[2] The first class of international C-130 students (from Poland) trained by the 118 AW graduated in October 2008.[3]

Shortly after transitioning to the C-130 International Training Center, the 118th Airlift Wing was again reorganized as the 118th Wing. The 118th is now tasked with supporting global unmanned aircraft intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.

MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) during 2012.[5]

Lineage

  • Constituted as 356th Fighter Group on 8 December 1942
Activated on 12 December 1942
Inactivated on 10 November 1945
  • Re-designated 118th Fighter Group and allotted to Tennessee ANG on 24 May 1946
Extended federal recognition on 2 October 1947
Re-designated: 118th Composite Group in Nov 1950
Re-designated: 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Feb 1951
Ordered to active duty on 1 April 1951
Relieved from active service and returned, without personnel and equipment, Tennessee state control, 1 January 1953
Re-designated: 118th Air Transport Group, 1 April 1961
Re-designated: 118th Military Airlift Group, 8 January 1966
Re-designated: 118th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 March 1971
Status changed from Group to Wing, 9 February 1975
Re-designated: 118th Tactical Airlift Wing, 9 February 1975
Re-designated: 118th Airlift Wing, 1 January 1993
Re-designated: 118th Wing, 1 September 2012

Assignments

  • I Fighter Command, 12 December 1942
Attached to: New York Fighter Wing 30 May – 4 July 1943
Attached to:
Boston Fighter Wing
4 July – 15 August 1943
Attached to:
1st Bombardment (later Air) Division
, 15 September 1944 – 2 November 1945
Gained by: Tenth Air Force, Continental Air Command
Gained by: Tactical Air Command, 1 April 1951
  • 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 15 January 1952
  • Tennessee Air National Guard, 1 January 1953
Gained by: Tactical Air Command
Gained by: Eastern Transport Air Force, (EASTAF), Military Air Transport Service, 1 April 1961
Gained by: Twenty-First Air Force, Military Airlift Command, 8 January 1966
Gained by: Tactical Air Command, 1 March 1971
Gained by: Military Airlift Command, 1 December 1973
Gained by: Air Mobility Command, 1 June 1992
Gained by: Air Education and Training Command, 1 June 2007 – September 2012
Gained by: Air Combat Command, September 2012

Components

  • 118th Operations Group, 1 January 1993 – Present
  • 145th Tactical Airlift (later Airlift) Group, 15 May 1971 – 1 October 1995 (GSU at Charlotte, NC)
  • 164th Air Transport (later Military Airlift, Tactical Airlift, Airlift) Group
    , 1 April 1961 – 1 October 1995 (GSU at Memphis TN)
  • 166th Tactical Airlift (later Airlift) Group
    , 12 May 1971 – 10 January 1995 (GSU at New Castle, DE)
  • 167th Tactical Airlift (later Airlift) Group
    , 1 July 1972 – 1 October 1995, (GSU at Martinsburg, WV)
  • 170th Tactical Airlift Group
    , 1 July 1973 – 1 April 1977, (GSU at McGuire AFB, NJ)
  • 105th Fighter (later Tactical Reconnaissance, Air Transport, Military Airlift, Tactical Airlift, Airlift) Squadron
    , 3 February 1947 – 1 September 1950; 1 December 1952 – Present
  • 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
    , 2 October 1947 – 10 October 1950; 10 July 1952 – 1 April 1961; attached: 1 April 1961 – 1 October 1962 (GSU at Little Rock AFB, AR)
  • 155th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
    , 3 February 1947 – 31 March 1961 (GSU at Memphis MAP, TN)
  • 236th Intelligence Squadron, 2009–Present
  • 359th Fighter Squadron
    , 12 December 1942 – 10 November 1945
  • 360th Fighter Squadron
    , 12 December 1942 – 10 November 1945
  • 361st Fighter Squadron
    , 12 December 1942 – 10 November 1945

Stations

Aircraft

Operations and decorations

  • Combat Operations: World War II
  • Campaigns:
  • Decorations:
Distinguished Unit Citation: Holland, 17, 18, and 23 September 1944.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ Gentry, Niki (11 May 2015). "Tennessee Army National Guard Aircraft Arrive at Joint Base Berry Field". DVIDS. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". NewsChannel 5. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) [permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Olsen, Robin (3 January 2012). "105th Airlift Squadron Celebrates 90th Anniversary". Tennessee Air National Guard. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  4. ^ "118th Wing About Us". Tennessee Air National Guard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  5. ^ "118th Airlift Wing has openings for new mission". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Associated Press. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=118th_Wing&oldid=1205399973"