186th Airlift Squadron
186th Airlift Squadron | |
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Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1953; 1953–present |
Country | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Cited in the Belgian Army Order of the Day |
Insignia | |
186th Airlift Squadron Unit emblem[note 1] |
The 186th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the
History
World War II
The 404th Fighter Squadron was activated at
Upon arriving in England, the squadron became an element of Ninth Air Force at Bisterne Close, England. The squadron's first combat operation was a fighter sweep over Occupied France. Prior to Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, the 404th flew fighter sweeps, dive bombing and escort missions.[2]
On
The squadron was awarded a
Montana Air National Guard
The wartime 404th Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 186th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Montana National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Gore Field, Great Falls, Montana and was extended federal recognition on 27 June 1947. The squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and was allotted to the Fourth Air Force, Continental Air Command by the National Guard Bureau.
Within two weeks of its activation six F-51Ds arrived. As part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force, the unit trained for tactical bombing missions and air-to-air combat. Eighty-nine days after activation, tragedy struck the fledgling unit. En route to pick up the adjutant general in
On 1 April 1951, the unit was activated for duty in
After the Korean War, the squadron was equipped with the long-range F-51H Mustang and became a part of Air Defense Command. The unit received its first jet aircraft in December 1952, a
On 1 July 1955, the 186th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 120th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 186th FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 120th Headquarters, 120th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 120th Combat Support Squadron, and the 120th USAF Dispensary. Also in 1955, the F-86A day interceptors were replaced by the F-94A Starfire all-weather interceptor.
In 1958, the 120th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program, in which interceptors of the 186th FIS were committed to a five-minute runway alert, a task that would last for 38 years. The arrival of the
The 186th FS converted from the F-106A to the F-16A/B Fighting Falcon in mid-1987. The conversion happened earlier than was scheduled and the 186th FIS was to be the last squadron to lose its F-106s. The first aircraft were older block 5 and 10 models with some block 15 airframes also being delivered to the squadron. Main task for the unit was air defense, as with many ANG units who were equipped with the F-16. In 1991 the F-16s were brought up to the Air Defense Fighter (ADF) variant.
This meant a serious leap in performance and capability of this squadron in their defensive role. This situation was maintained up until 2001 when the squadron started receiving more modern F-16C block 30 aircraft with a large intake. This conversion replaced the air defense mission with one of general purpose/air-to-ground as part of the Expeditionary Aerospace Force.
With the conversion, unit members felt it was time to consider a change in the aircraft tail markings. The most notable change included the 186th Fighter Squadron's nickname of "Vigilantes". The nickname by the pilots of the 186th is intended to honor the first men in the Montana Territory who organized for the safety and welfare of the people.
The squadron once again found itself on alert status after the terrorism attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Base personnel implemented the necessary procedures to establish a secure environment while maintaining a 24-hour alert status for aircraft. Throughout 2002, hundreds of unit personnel were activated and deployed to multiple locations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the world.
As a result of the 2005
As a result of the 2010 Total Force Structure Change, the F-15s of the 120th Fighter Wing were transferred to the
Lineage
- Constituted as the 404th Fighter Squadron on 25 May 1943
- Activated on 15 July 1943
- Inactivated on 10 November 1945
- Redesignated: 186th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946[5]
- Organized on 1 April 1947
- Extended federal recognition on 27 June 1947
- Federalized and placed on active duty on 1 April 1951
- Redesignated 186th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 June 1951
- Released from active duty and returned to Montana state control on 1 January 1953
- Redesignated 186th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, on 1 January 1953 and activated in the Montana Air National Guard
- Redesignated 186th Fighter Squadron on 15 March 1992
- Redesignated 186th Airlift Squadron on 1 March 2014
Assignments
- 371st Fighter Group, 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945[5]
- 142d Fighter Group, 1 April 1947
- 140th Fighter Group, 1 November 1950
- 146th Fighter Group(later 146th Fighter-Bomber Group), 1 April 1951
- 142d Fighter-Inte3rceptor Group, 1 January 1953
- 120th Fighter Group(Air Defense) (later 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 120th Fighter Group), 1 April 1956
- 120th Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – Present
Stations
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Aircraft
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References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Originally approved for the 186th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
- Citations
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 497–498
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 257–258
- ^ Ed Mendell (18 February 1968). "1967—busy year for Air National Guard". Great Falls Tribune.
- ^ Proctor, Cody (1 March 2014). "Montana Air National Guard welcomes first C-130". 3KRTV.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Lineage through May 1946 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 497–498
- ^ Station number in Anderson.
- ^ a b c d e f g Station number in Johnson.
- ^ Station information through May 1946 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 497–498, except as noted.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 257–258. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 497–498. OCLC 72556.
- Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- History of the 120th Fighter Wing
- 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
- 186th Fighter Squadron lineage and history