190th Fighter Squadron
190th Fighter Squadron | |
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Insignia | |
190th Fighter Squadron emblem | |
Patch with 190th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron emblem | |
Tail stripe and code | Red stripe, "Idaho" in white ID |
The 190th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the
History
World War II
- see 371st Fighter Groupfor full World War II history
The 405th Fighter Squadron was activated at
Upon arriving in England, the squadron became an element of
On
The squadron was awarded a
Idaho Air National Guard
The wartime 405th Fighter Squadron was re-activated and re-designated as the 190th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the
During World War II Gowen Field was used as Army Air Forces
Most of the 190th's early airmen were veterans of World War II. The volunteers – 23 officers and 44 enlisted men – met one night each week in a small building on Fort Street in downtown Boise. On 1 April 1951, the unit was activated for duty during the
Air Defense
After the Korean War, the squadron was equipped with the long-range
On 1 July 1955, the 190th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the
In 1958, the 190th 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 1975, the 190th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron changed its name and mission to join the newly‑formed 124th Tactical Reconnaissance Group as the 190th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. It was re-equipped by
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.
Idaho aircrews excelled in their military mission as well. Two Idaho fliers were named "Best Aerial Reconnaissance Aircrew" at an international competition. The 190th TRS 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.
Electronic Warfare
In 1991, Idaho's Air Guard changed aircraft and mission again. The unarmed RF-4C Phantom jets were replaced by F‑4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel" Electronic Warfare aircraft received from the
The 190th TRS began its conversion from the RF-4C to the F-4G in June 1991, and the Idaho ANG was to be the only ANG unit to operate the F-4G. The squadron was re-designated as the 190th Fighter Squadron with the changeover of its parent 124th to the Air Force Objective Wing organization. In 1992, the parent 124th Fighter Group became part of the new Air Combat Command.
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.
A-10 era
On 20 April 1996, the last F-4Gs were withdrawn by the 124th FW and were consigned to storage at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona. This marked the final departure of the F-4 Phantom II from active service with any American military unit, and after 20 years of service with the Idaho Air National Guard.
The Phantoms were replaced by the
2003 friendly fire incident
As part of the invasion of Iraq and supporting the British portion of that operation called
The aftermath of the attack caused controversy, especially in the United Kingdom (UK), as some, including Hull's family, complained of a lack of cooperation with the British
In a statement, Lt. Tony Vincelli, spokesman for the 190th Fighter Squadron said the
Lineage
- Constituted 'as the 405th Fighter Squadron' on 25 May 1943
- Activated on 15 July 1943
- Inactivated on 10 November 1945
- Redesignated 190th Fighter Squadron and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946[10]
- Organized on 26 July 1946
- Extended federal recognition on 13 October 1946
- Federalized and placed on active duty on 1 April 1951
- Redesignated 190th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, on 1 November 1951
- Inactivated, released from active duty and returned to Idaho state control on 15 November 1952
- Activated on 15 November 1952
- Redesignated 190th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 January 1953
- Redesignated 190th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 18 October 1975
- Redesignated 190th Fighter Squadron on 16 October 1991
Assignments
- 371st Fighter Group, 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945[3]
- 86th Fighter Wing, 13 October 1946
- 140th Fighter Group, 1 November 1950
- 146th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 April 1951
- 140th Fighter-Bomber Group, 15 November 1952 – 1 January 1953
- 140th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 January 1953
- 124th Fighter Group(Air Defense) (later 124th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 124th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 124th Fighter Group), 1 July 1955
- 124th Operations Group, 1 October 1995
Stations
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Aircraft
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References
- Notes
- ^ Allmaras, Joshua (19 November 2019). "Ugly Angels Train with the Skullbangers". DVIDS. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "Gowen Field ANGB to transition to F-16 mission". Air Force. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 497–498
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 257–258
- ^ Townsend, Mark (4 February 2007). "Why won't the US tell us how Matty died?". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013.
- ^ Payne, Stewart (31 January 2007). "Soldier tells how he tried to rescue colleague". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ ABC News: ABC News
- ^ "Friendly fire pilot 'experienced'". BBC News. 8 February 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ BBC News, "'Friendly fire' killing unlawful", (16 March 2007)
- ^ a b Lineage, including stations, through May 1946 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 497–498
- ^ "Gowen Field ANGB to transition to F-16 mission". Air Force. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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.
- 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.
- Rogers, Brian. (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
External links
- History of the Idaho Air National Guard Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Wild Weasel mission
- 124th Communications Flight (2006). "Idaho Air National Guard – 190th Fighter Squadron". Archived from the original on 20 November 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - British Army (2005). "Board of Inquiry Report into the Death of the Late 25035018 Lance Corporal of Horse Matthew Richard Hull" (PDF). Official British investigation of the "friendly fire" incident. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
- National Guard (2000). "Air National Guard pilot killed in A-10 crash". National Guard. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- Vincelli, Tony (2006). "Air Guard pilots train in escape, evasion". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- MoD statement on death of L/Cpl Hull
- BBC News profile of Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker