174th Attack Wing
174th Attack Wing | |
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Command Chief Master Sergeant Sonja Williams | |
Insignia | |
174th Attack Wing emblem | |
Aircraft flown | |
Attack | General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper |
The 174th Attack Wing (174 ATKW) is a unit of the
Overview
The 174th Attack Wing currently operates the
Units
The 174th Attack Wing consists of the following major units:
- 152nd Air Operations Group
- 174th Operations Group
- 108th Attack Squadron (MQ-9 Reaper)
- 138th Attack Squadron (MQ-9 Reaper)
- 174th Operation Support Squadron
- 174th Maintenance Group
- 174th Mission Support Group
- 174th Security Forces Squadron
- 174th Medical Group
History
Established by the USAF and allotted to New York ANG in 1962 as an expansion of the
Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 174th Headquarters, 174th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 174th Combat Support Squadron, and the 174th USAF Dispensary. The 138th TFS was equipped with the
Vietnam era
The squadron engaged normal peacetime training and exercises. In the summer of 1965, the squadron took part in Exercise Oneida Bear II at Fort Drum, which involved some 6 500 soldiers of the regular Army, the Army Reserve and the National Guard. 138th TFS aircraft from Syracuse provided close air support to both aggressor and Friendly Forces during the exercise, and were engaged in realistic tactical air strikes. In the exercise, conducted by the First Army, the Second Brigade of the Army's Fifth Infantry was opposed by an aggressor force of selected Army National Guard and Army Reserve Units. The 174th Group's pilots flew 77 sorties for a total of 114 hours without a single abort.
The squadron trained at
In 1968, the 174th TFG was federalized and placed on active duty. The Group was alerted for active duty on 11 April 1968, partially mobilized on 13 May and deployed to Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico. The mission of the 174th was to train Forward Air Controllers (FAC) for service in Vietnam. The FAC flew a light observation aircraft at low altitudes, visually observing enemy installations and movements and providing on-the-spot directions for fighters and bombers. The FAC dictated the type of ordnance to be delivered, observes the strike, and evaluates its effectiveness. The mission of the 174th was to give FACs in training actual experience in fighter aircraft so that they would be fully apprised of the requirements of the men they would be directing in combat in South Vietnam.
On arrival at Cannon AFB along with the
Close air support
In 1970, the 174th began retiring its F-86H Sabres after over a decade of service, the 138th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying the last USAF/ANG Sabre sortie on 30 September. Replacing the Sabre was the Cessna
After a decade of routine peacetime exercises and training with the A-37, in 1979 the 174th began a transition to the
With the transition complete, the unit deployed eight A-10 aircraft from Syracuse, non-stop to a forward operation location in West Germany. In exercise Cornet Sail, the 138th demonstrated for the first time the ability of an Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve unit to deploy this advanced aircraft in this manner. Combat readiness in West Germany was achieved 12 hours after departing Hancock Field.
With the move of the USAF 21st Air Division to Griffiss AFB in 1984, the 174th TFW became the host unit at Hancock Field. Later that year, the unit deployed to Exercise Air Warrior at the
The 174th also was among the first A-10 close support aircraft organizations to provide temporary tactical air defense support from
As in past years, continuing NATO deployments to West Germany in the late 1980s saw the 174th TFW personnel training and living side-by-side with their West German Air Force counterparts as they would in a combat situation. The 174th began 1988 on a high note when the Air Force announced the wing would convert from the A-10 to the specialized
The first F-16 aircraft started arriving in late 1988. These aircraft were passed down from regular USAF units who were upgrading to the F-16C/D model. During 1989, the 138th TFS was chosen as a test unit for a close air support version of the F-16. The aircraft were the only F-16s ever to be equipped with the General Electric GPU-5/A Pave Claw gun pod, which contained a 30mm cannon intended for use against a variety of battlefield targets, including armor.[1] The unit received the USAF's Outstanding Maintenance Squadron Award that year.
Operation Desert Storm
In 1991, the 138th TFS deployed to the
The unit received the
Air Combat Command
In March 1992, with the end of the Cold War, the 174th adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan, and the unit was re-designated as the 174th Fighter Wing. With the organization change, the 138th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the new 174th Operations 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 1993 the 174th FW started trading in their old Block 10 F-16 A/B models for newer Block 30 F-16C/D aircraft configured for Tactical Air Support. In that process the squadron had the 'honor' of sending the first F-16 to AMARC storage. This happened on 20 July 1993, when an F-16A (#79-0340) was flown to
Also in 1993, the 138th TFS became the first US unit to have a female F-16 fighter pilot, Jackie Parker, in 1993 immediately after combat roles were opened to females.[2]
In June 1995, the unit deployed for 30 days rotation to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey as part of Operation Provide Comfort, assisting in the enforcement the No Fly Zone over Northern Iraq.
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.
The 138th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (138th EFS) was first formed and deployed in August 1996 for
In 1997, the 138th Fighter Squadron commemorated its 50th anniversary in conjunction with the United States Air Force by hosting the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatics team at the Syracuse Air Show.
During 1996–97, the 174th FW deployed to
Only six years later, in 1999, the 138th FS changed block types once more, sending its Block 30s to the
An AEF deployment to
As part of the
In 2008 and 2010 members 174th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan. The Security Forces members were attached to the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron where they provided base security.
In 2012 members of the 174th Attack Wings Security Forces Squadron deployed to Bagram Airfield Afghanistan. The Security Forces members were attached to the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces where they provided base security, fly away security, and air base ground defense.
MQ-9 Reaper and Attack Mission
In 2008 it became apparent that the 138th FS was going to lose its F-16s and that Hancock ANGB would lose its manned aviation after more than 60 years of operations. The squadron was set to fly the
On 6 March 2010 the last two F-16s (#85-1561 and #85-1570) departed Hancock Field marking the end of F-16 operations at the base. They made three low passes for the assembled crowd gathered to commemorate the end of manned aviation at the Syracuse ANG base in upstate New York. The 174th Fighter Wing was renamed 174th Attack Wing on 9 September 2012, becoming the first Air National Guard
Lineage
- Established as 174th Tactical Fighter Group and allotted to New York ANG in 1962
- Received federal recognition and activated on 1 September 1962
- Status changed from Group to Wing, 1 July 1979
- Re-designated 174th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1979
- Re-designated 174th Fighter Wing, 16 March 1992
- Re-designated 174th Attack Wing, 9 September 2012
Assignments
- New York Air National Guard, 1 September 1962
- Gained by Tactical Air Command, ???? – 31 May 1992
- Gained by Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – present
Components
- 174th Operations Group, 1 June 1992 – present
- 138th Tactical Fighter (later Fighter, Attack) Squadron, 1 September 1962 – present
Stations
- Hancock Field, Syracuse, New York, 1 September 1962
- Designated Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, 1991 – present
Aircraft
- F-86H Sabre, 1962–70
- A-37B Dragonfly, 1970–79
- A-10A Thunderbolt II, 1979–89
- Block 10 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon(F/A-16), 1989–93
- Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, 1993–99; 2004–10
- Block 25 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, 1999–2004
- MQ-9 Reaper, 2010 – present
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "F-16 Versions – A-16, F/A-16, F-16A (30mm gun)". www.f-16.net. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Jackie Parker – Fighter Pilot". Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "The Year in Review: Looking Back on 2010 at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base". 4 December 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "174th Fighter Wing Becoming 174th Attack Wing". 26 July 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "War in Afghanistan won't end for 174th Attack Wing drone pilots in Syracuse". 13 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
Notes
- Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- New York Department of Military Affairs Adjutant General Reports, 1947–1990
- 174th Fighter Wing @syracuse.com