134th Fighter Squadron
134th Fighter Squadron | |
---|---|
Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont | |
Nickname(s) | The Green Mountain Boys |
Equipment | F-35A Lightning II |
Insignia | |
134th Fighter Squadron emblem | |
530th Fighter Squadron emblem | |
Tail Code | VT[note 1] |
The 134th Fighter Squadron (134th FS), nicknamed the Green Mountain Boys, is a unit of the
A 134th Observation Squadron was active at
History
The 134th Observation Squadron was constituted in the National Guard in 1921 as the 134th Squadron (Observation) and assigned to the III Corps. Placed on the deferred list on 2 July 1923 and transferred to the Organized Reserve as a Deferred National Guard unit. Concurrently re-designated as the 553rd Observation Squadron and assigned to the 328th Observation Group (III Corps). Withdrawn from allotment to the National Guard and the Third Corps Area on 17 September 1927 and demobilized.[3][4][5]
Although this unit trained near the current Burlington International Airport, and shares the same numerical designation as the 134th Fighter Squadron, the unit was never consolidated with the 134th Fighter Squadron by the Air Force Historical Research Agency or the National Guard Bureau and does not share any lineage or history with the current Vermont Air National Guard.
World War II
Trained with
The squadron supported Allied ground forces in northern
Converted to
Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945. Returned to the U.S. in December 1945.
Inactivated in early 1946.
Vermont Air National Guard
The wartime 530th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 134th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the
The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed and federally recognized. The organizers of the squadron were MG Murdock Campbell, the Adjutant General, Col Albert Cate, Air Advisor, and LtCol William M. Bowden became the first commander of the newly formed unit. The 134th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 530th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units.
The 134th was equipped with
In 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by
Air Defense Command
The mission of the 134th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Vermont. With the surprise invasion of
With the end of the Korean War,
With the increased availability of jet aircraft after the Korean War, the squadron's aircraft were upgraded to the
On 25 June 1960, Air Defense Command inactivated the
The 134th was reorganized as the 158th Fighter Interceptor Group in mid 1960 and was placed under the United States
During the 1950s and early 1960s, better training and equipment, and closer relations with the Air Force greatly improved the readiness of Group. The Vermont Air National Guard received the ADC Operational Readiness award in October 1962, for having the greatest degree of readiness of any F-89 unit in the country. In 1965, the 134th received Mach-2 supersonic
In 1971 the 158th embarked on an intensive recruiting program that made Vermont one of the top units in the country in total strength. During this period the Vermont ANG began to actively recruit women into all open career fields. Maryanne T. Lorenz was the first woman officer and SSgt Karen Wingard left active duty with the Air Force to become the first enlisted woman to join the Green Mountain Boy unit. She later became First Sergeant of the 158th Mission Support Squadron, received her commission, and was later appointed commander of that squadron.
The 158th Fighter Interceptor Group became the 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group (158 DSEG) in June 1974, with the unit receiving twenty
Tactical Air Command
With the disestablishment of Aerospace Defense Command in 1979, the 158th was subsequently transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a gaining command under Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC), which assumed the mission of the former ADC.
In 1980, the 158th began a transition to the
The 158th Tactical Fighter Group deployed to the
The 158th Civil Engineering Squadron dedicated its new building on 14 December. Fifty-two members of the CE Squadron deployed to Panama on a humanitarian mission in January 1994. They constructed a six-room masonry block school building and a single story wood frame building to be used as a hospice by the local hospital.
In the mid eighties the USAF decided to re-equip the Air National Guard units with more modern equipment as part of the "Total Force" concept. In the earlier decades the ANG always had to be thankful to receive older USAF jets. With the introduction of the F-16 this changed. The F-4D Phantoms were retired in 1986 and the first
From 1989–1997, the 134th Fighter Squadron's mission was air defense, having aircraft on 5-minute alert, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Locations of these alert aircraft included Burlington, Maine, Virginia and South Carolina. The location of the Vermont ANG was much more specific in their relation to NORAD that they were tasked with this defense as a primary role. Therefore, the block 15 lacked the Beyond Visual Range capability. However, this changed in the course of 1990 with the upgrade of their aircraft to the block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter) version. This meant a serious leap in performance and capability of this squadron in their defensive role. As a result, the Vermont ANG has one of the highest rates of interceptions of Russian bombers that were coming in over the North Pole, except for some Alaskan USAF units.
Many times Vermont F-16's were called upon to fly to a point just short of Iceland and escort Soviet bombers as they flew off the coastline of the United States. The 158th FW has also assisted with aircraft experiencing in-flight malfunctions and hijackings.
Air Combat Command
F-16C (1994–2019)
In March 1992, with the end of the Cold War, the 158th adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan, and the unit was re-designated as the 158th Fighter Group. In June, Tactical Air Command was inactivated as part of the Air Force reorganization after the end of the Cold War. It was replaced by Air Combat Command (ACC).
In 1994 the scope of the squadron was again enlarged with the introduction of the block 25 version of the F-16. The 134th FS was one of the first ANG units to receive the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. At first the mission of the squadron remained relatively the same. But with the introduction of these aircraft a more multi-role mission profile became possible with the squadron being tasked to undertake deployments to the Middle East.
Along with the Air Defense mission, the men and women of "The Green Mountain Boys" have also been tasked seven times to deploy to different locations in Central America to help patrol the skies and intercept aircraft suspected of illegally smuggling drugs. These missions were usually flown far offshore in the middle of the night and required a high degree of proficiency.
In 1995, in accordance with the Air Force "One Base-One Wing" directive, the 158th was changed in status to a Wing, and the 134th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the new 158th Operations Group. In mid-1996, the Air Force, in response to budget cuts, and changing world situations, began experimenting with Air Expeditionary organizations. The Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) concept was developed that would mix Active-Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard elements into a combined force. Instead of entire permanent units deploying as "Provisional" as in the 1991 Gulf War, Expeditionary units are composed of "aviation packages" from several wings, including active-duty Air Force, the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard, would be married together to carry out the assigned deployment rotation.
In the fall of 1997, the 158th Fighter Wing was evaluated by the Air Combat Command and was tasked to fight a simulated war from 2 locations, a very challenging undertaking. The 158th Wing deployed 225 personnel and 10 F-16s to Canada while the rest of the Wing remained in Burlington for the comprehensive 5-day evaluation. The men and women of "The Green Mountain Boys" received the first rating of "Outstanding" (the highest possible score) ever earned by an Air Defense Unit.
In 1998 the squadron was one of five ANG squadrons to be equipped with the Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS). This way the squadrons mission became somewhat specific in the USAF, since only these five ANG units possess a tactical reconnaissance capacity. They are therefore regularly asked to perform this mission for the entire organization.
In October 2000, the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron was formed and deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia as part of a "Rainbow" package composed of the 111th and 177th Fighter Squadron. Operation Southern Watch was an operation which was responsible for enforcing the United Nations mandated no-fly zone below the 32nd parallel north in Iraq as part of Air Expeditionary Force 9. This mission was initiated mainly to cover for attacks of Iraqi forces on the Iraqi Shi’ite Muslims.
After the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the 134th began flying Operation Noble Eagle air defense missions over major cities in the northeast.
Beginning in May 2005, the 134th began a series of deployments to Balad Air Base, Iraq, being attached to the 332d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. This was a rotation in the Air Expeditionary Force 9/10 cycle as part of another Rainbow deployment to support
As a result of
In December 2013, the Air Force announced that the Vermont Air National Guard will be the first Air National Guard unit to operate the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. 18 aircraft will be delivered to the unit starting in September 2019.[6]
The last four F-16s departed Burlington on 6 April 2019 in preparation for the arrival of the F-35A, marking an end to 33 years of Viper operations.[7]
F-35A (2019–present)
The first two F-35As (17-5265 and 17-5266) were delivered to the 134th FS on 19 September 2019.[8] Three more F-35As arrived at Burlington from Fort Worth, Texas, on 5 December 2019.[9] The last of 20 F-35As to be delivered to the Green Mountain Boys arrived at Burlington in October 2020.[10]
On 2 May 2022, eight 134th FS F-35As deployed to
Lineage
- Constituted 384th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 January 1942
- Activated on 2 March 1942
- Re-designated: 384th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 July 1942
- Re-designated: 530th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 30 September 1943
- Re-designated: 530th Fighter Squadron on 30 May 1944
- Inactivated on 16 February 1946
- Re-designated: 134th Fighter Squadron, and allotted to Vermont ANG, on 24 May 1946
- Extended federal recognition 14 August 1946
- Federalized and ordered to active service on: 10 February 1951
- Released from active duty and returned to Vermont state control, 1 November 1952
- Re-designated: 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 November 1952
- Re-designated: 134th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron on 9 June 1974
- Re-designated: 134th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 January 1982
- Re-designated: 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 July 1987
- Re-designated: 134th Fighter Squadron on 15 March 1992
- Components designated as: 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron when deployed as part of an Air and Space Expeditionary unit after June 1996.
Assignments
- 311th Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber; Fighter) Group, 2 Mar 1942 – 6 Jan 1946
- Vermont Air National Guard, 14 August 1946
- 67th Fighter Wing, 15 October 1946
- 101st Fighter Group, 4 April 1947
- 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 10 February 1951
- Attached to: 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1 April 1951
- 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing
- Attached to: 4711th Defense Wing, 6 February 1952
- 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 November 1952 – 30 June 1954
- 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1954 – 14 April 1956
- 158th Fighter Group(Air Defense), 15 April 1956
- 158th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1960
- 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group, 9 June 1974
- 158th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 January 1982
- 158th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1987
- 158th Fighter Group, 15 March 1992
- 158th Operations Wing, 11 October 1995 – Present
Stations
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Vermont Air National Guard Deployments
- Korean War federalization
- Operated from: Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, 1 April 1951 – 1 November 1952
- Operation Southern Watch (AEF)
- Operated from: Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, October – 15 November 2000
- Operation Iraqi Freedom(OIF)
- Operated from Balad Air Base, Iraq, May – August 2005
- Operated from Balad Air Base, Iraq, February – 20 May 2006
- Operated from Balad Air Base, Iraq, September – December 2007
Aircraft
Aircraft operated include:[13][14]
- Vultee A-35B Vengeance (1942)
- North American A-36A Apache(1942 – 1944)
- North American P-51C Mustang (1944 – 1945)
- Republic F-47D Thunderbolt (1947 – 1950)
- North American F-51H Mustang (1950 – 1952)
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (1953 – 198x)
- Lockheed F-94A/B Starfire (June 1953 – 1958)
- Northrop F-89D Scorpion (1958 – 1960)
- Northrop F-89J Scorpion (1960 – 1965)
- Convair F/TF-102A Delta Dagger (August 1965 – 1974)
- Martin EB-57B/E Canberra(June 1974 – 1982)
- McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II (1980 – 1986)
- General Dynamics F-16A/B Block 15 Fighting Falcon (1986 – 1990)
- General Dynamics F-16A/B Block 15 ADF Fighting Falcon (1990 – 1994)
- General Dynamics F-16C/D Block 25 Fighting Falcon (1994 – 2008)
- General Dynamics F-16C/D Block 30 Fighting Falcon (March 2008 – April 2019)
- Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (September 2019 – present)
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Previously a green tailband with yellow text 'Vermont' included. A standing man fills the entire tail with the serial underneath. On the tailbase the words "The Green Mountain Boys" are painted.
- Citations
- ^ Ring, Wilson (19 September 2019). "Next-generation F-35 fighter jets go to National Guard unit". ABC News. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ Somero, Jana; Campbell, Ryan (14 August 2020). "Northern Lightning 2020 is a Wrap for the Green Mountain Boys". Vermont Air National Guard. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ISBN 9780984190140. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 September 2013.
- ^ "AFHRA Document 00420502". airforcehistoryindex.org.
- ^ Freeman, Paul (20 April 2013). "Fort Ethan Allen AAF, Burlington, VT". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Herrick, John (3 December 2013). "Vermont Air Guard picked to host F-35 fighter jets". VTDigger. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Dunkel, Garth (9 April 2019). "Viper Out: Vermont Ends 33 Years of F-16 Operations". Vermont Air National Guard. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "First two F-35s for the US Air National Guard arrive in Vermont". Aviation Report. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "F-35s Continue to Arrive at 158th Fighter Wing". Vermont Air National Guard. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "Vermont Air National Guard to take delivery of final F-35". Associated Press. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Cenciotti, David (2 May 2022). "Vermont Air National Guard's F-35s On Their Way To Germany To Support NATO In Eastern Europe". The Aviationist. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Alaskan Raptors have adapted to the European environment". scramble.nl. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "134th Fighter Squadron (USAF ANG)". F-16.net. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS: AN IN-DEPTH HISTORY". Vermont Air National Guard. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946 - 1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 134th Fighter Squadron lineage and history
- 158th Fighter Wing History