124th Fighter Wing
124th Fighter Wing | |
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Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Boise, Idaho | |
Tail Code | Red "Idaho" Tail stripe; "ID" |
Insignia | |
124th Fighter Wing |
The 124th Fighter Wing (124 FW) is a unit of the
Mission
The federal mission of the 124th Fighter Wing under Title 10 United States Code is to properly equip and train personnel in a high state of readiness for immediate tasking as levied by higher headquarters as part of the Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the
Units
The 124th Fighter Wing consists of the following units:
- 124th Operations Group
- 124th Maintenance Group
- 124th Mission Support Group
- 124th Medical Group
- 266th Range Squadron
History
Air Defense
On 1 July 1955, the
In 1958, the 124th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program, in which interceptors of the 190th FIS were committed to a five-minute runway alert, a task that would last until 1974. In 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated as Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM).
Tactical Reconnaissance
In November 1975, the 124th Fighter-Interceptor Group was transferred from Air Defense Command to Tactical Air Command (TAC). It was re-equipped by TAC with the
The unarmed RF-4C carried high resolution cameras and electronic sensors, which soon proved their worth to thousands of people in Idaho. RF-4C jets tracked flood waters pouring from the ruptured Teton Dam within hours of the dam's collapse in 1976 to show officials where flood waters were headed in time to warn people living in endangered areas. Aerial photographs were also taken immediately after the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake near Challis. The Challis-Mackay region experienced rather thorough damage, with 11 commercial buildings and 39 homes with major damage; while another 200 houses were damaged, minor to moderate. The reconnaissance photos helped emergency response crews locate and evaluate the damage.
The RF-4C was still in service at the time of the 1991 Gulf War,
Electronic Warfare
In 1991, Idaho's Air Guard changed aircraft and mission again, and began its conversion from the RF-4C to the F‑4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel" Electronic Warfare aircraft in June 1991. The Idaho ANG was to be the only ANG unit to operate the F-4G.
The F-4G was designed as an anti-Surface to Air Missile aircraft to jam and attack enemy radars when they were activated. "Wild Weasel" tactics and techniques were first developed in 1965 during the Vietnam War, and were later integrated into the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) a plan used by US air forces to establish immediate air control, prior to possible full-scale conflict.
The F-4Gs were received from the
In April 1993 the squadron's Wild Weasel jets were sent to Southwest Asia to support Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no‑fly zone over southern Iraq. Twice 190th airmen were challenged by illegal Iraqi air defense radar near Basra. The threats were answered – and silenced – with AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) anti-radiation missiles. Less than six months after ending its first Southwest Asia tour, the squadron began a second Southern Watch deployment, followed by two back‑to‑back tours in support of Operation Provide Comfort, enforcing the northern no‑fly zone and protecting Kurds from Iraqi aggression. From 1993 to 1995 there were a total of four deployments to the Gulf. The last such deployment returned to Boise in December 1995. Idaho's airmen served longer in Southwest Asia than any other flying unit in the Air National Guard.
The 124th was named "Best Flying Unit in the Air National Guard" and received the prestigious Spaatz Trophy from the National Guard Association. Idaho airmen and Phantom jets went to Canada and Norway to provide critical tactical reconnaissance capabilities to U.S. and NATO forces
Composite Wing
In the mid-1990s the mission of the 124th changed considerably. On 1 October 1995, the status of the 124th was changed from Group to Wing, and the organization became the 124th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1995.
On 20 April 1996, the Air Force withdrew the last F-4Gs from the 124th FW and the aircraft were consigned to storage at
The 124th also became a composite wing, designated the 124th Wing on 1 September 1996 with the activation of the 189th Airlift Squadron at Boise ANGB. The squadron, assigned to the 124th Operations Group, was a tactical airlift squadron, equipped with Lockheed
Tactical Airlift
Prior to its activation as a squadron in 1995, the 189th Airlift Squadron was initially formed on 1 April 1984 as the 189th Tactical Reconnaissance Training Flight. Its mission was a Formal Training Unit (FTU) for aircrews being assigned to the 124th Tactical Reconnaissance (later Fighter) group flying RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance and later F-4G Phantom II electronic warfare aircraft. On 16 March 1992 it was re-designated as the 189th Fighter Flight. The flight used 190th TFS/FS aircraft for its training mission.
With the retirement of the F-4Gs in 1995, the status of the unit was changed from a flight to a squadron, and it received C-130E aircraft for operational missions. The 189th supported countless deployments all over the world in support of the U.S. Southern Command,
The Airlift Squadron's awards include the Governor's Outstanding Unit Citation 1997, 1999, and 2005 as well as the Adjutant General Award 1998.
The 189th Airlift Squadron was inactivated as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act on 18 October 2009. Many of the members who were part of the squadron were absorbed within the wing. With the inactivation of the 190th, the wing's designation was returned to the 124th Fighter Wing.
Close Air Support
The Warthog, famous for its success against Iraqi armor in the Gulf War, provides close air support to troops on the ground. Idaho's A-10s were deployed during
In 2009, the 124th Fighter Wing was selected a key installation to perform a new Consolidated Install Program for the entire active duty, Guard and Reserve A-10 fleet. A crew of more than 50 full-time personnel performed several important modifications and upgrades to more than 200 A-10 aircraft.
Invasion of Iraq friendly fire incident
As part of the invasion of Iraq and supporting the British portion of that operation called
Lineage
- Designated 124th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and allotted to Idaho ANG, 1955
- Extended federal recognition and activated, 1 July 1955
- Re-designated: 124th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1972
- Re-designated: 124th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 1 December 1975
- Re-designated: 124th Fighter Group, 16 October 1991
- Status changed from Group to Wing, 1 October 1995
- Re-designated: 124th Fighter Wing, 1 October 1995
- Re-designated: 124th Wing, 1 September 1996
- Re-designated: 124th Fighter Wing, 18 October 2009
Assignments
- 140th Air Defense Wing, 1 July 1955
- Idaho Air National Guard, 1 January 1961 – Present
- Gained by: Tactical Air Command
- Gained by: Air Combat Command, 1 June 1982–Present
- 189th Airlift Squadron gained by Air Mobility Command, 1 September 1996 – 18 October 2009
Components
- 124th Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – Present
- 189th Airlift Squadron, 1 September 1996 – 18 October 2009
- 190th Fighter-Interceptor (later Tactical Reconnaissance, Fighter) Squadron, 1 July 1955 – Present
Stations
- Gowen Field (later Boise Air Terminal), Idaho, 1 July 1955
- Designated: Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho, 1991–Present
Aircraft
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References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ Globalsecurity.org
- ^ "News – Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. London.[dead link]
- ^ Payne, Stewart (31 January 2007). "Soldier tells how he tried to rescue colleague". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- History of the Idaho Air National Guard Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO (1980). Archived 13 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine