110th Fighter Wing
Encyclopedia
The United States Air Force
's 110th Airlift Wing is a unit located at W.K. Kellogg Regional Airport
, Michigan
.
(AMC)-gained unit of the Michigan Air National Guard
(ANG) was established in 1947 at the W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport on the west side of Battle Creek, Michigan
.
The 110th Airlift Wing traces its lineage through one of its component units, the 172nd Fighter Squadron, which passed final inspection and earned federal recognition on 16 September 1947. The 172nd FS was equipped with the North American F-51D Mustang. The base commander at the time was Captain Ross Norwood. Norwood - who advanced in rank to Lieutenant Colonel - oversaw the activation of the 172nd and its deployment to Selfridge Air Force Base during the latter stages of the Korean War
in 1952.
When the 172nd returned to Battle Creek, it began the transition from prop to jet, exchanging its Mustangs for F-86 Sabres, which flew from 1954 to 1955, when they were replaced by F-89 Scorpions.
In 1956, the 110th Fighter Group was organized as part of the new force structure being adopted across the nation. The 172nd remained the only flying squadron, but now it was joined by the 110th Air Base Squadron, the 110th Materiel Squadron and the 110th Infirmary. In 1957, the 110th received a new aircraft, the RB-57 Canberra, and a new mission - tactical reconnaissance
. The resulting reorganization cost the 110th Fighter Group 40 percent of its manpower and its name - the group was deactivated and the 172nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron once again became Battle Creek's primary Air National Guard unit. A second non-flying squadron, the 172nd Reconnaissance Technical Squadron helped prevent the loss of additional Guard members.
In 1962, the 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was reactivated with Major Howard Strand serving as its commander. Major Strand departed in January 1965 to become deputy commander of the 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Selfridge, but he returned again in 1974 to lead the 110th until 1981.
The 172nd flew Canberras until 1971, when it undertook the radical and unexpected transformation from the RB-57 jets to the smaller, prop-powered Cessna O-2 Skymaster. On 11 June 1971, the 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group became the 110th Tactical Air Support Group. In 1980, the 110th saw a return to jet power in the form of the OA-37 Dragonfly.
In 1991 the 110th Tactical Air Support Group transitioned from the Dragonfly to the OA-10 Thunderbolt II, and was redesignated 110th Tactical Fighter Group.In June 1995 the 110th Fighter Group became the 110th Fighter Wing.
In 1997 the wing took part in Operation Deny Flight
. The 110th Fighter Wing had service in both Iraq
and Afghanistan
, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 110th Fighter Wing underwent a major transition moving from the A-10 aircraft to the Learjet C-21A aircraft in 2008. The C-21, which arrived in October 2008, is a twin turbofan engine passenger aircraft, the military version of the Lear Jet 35A. With a crew of two, it can accommodate eight passengers and 42 cubic feet (1,189.3 l) of cargo. For aero medical evacuations, it can carry one little litter or five ambulatory patients plus one flight nurse and two medical technicians. The base also witnessed the creation of a new unit, the 110th Air Operations Group on 1 April 2009. The 110th AOG is an organizational structure to support the 17th Air Force (AFAFRICA). The 110th AOG has five squadrons that include medical, communications, logistics, operations and planning in a largely self-contained package. The 110th Fighter Wing was re-designated as the 110th Airlift Wing with no change in station. It changed from an Air Combat Command
unit to an Air Mobility Command
unit on 1 December 2009.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's 110th Airlift Wing is a unit located at W.K. Kellogg Regional Airport
W.K. Kellogg Regional Airport
W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport is a joint civil-military general aviation, air cargo, and corporate flight facility located on the west side of the city of Battle Creek in Calhoun County, Michigan, USA...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
History
The 110th Airlift Wing (110 AW), an Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(AMC)-gained unit of the Michigan Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
(ANG) was established in 1947 at the W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport on the west side of Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
.
The 110th Airlift Wing traces its lineage through one of its component units, the 172nd Fighter Squadron, which passed final inspection and earned federal recognition on 16 September 1947. The 172nd FS was equipped with the North American F-51D Mustang. The base commander at the time was Captain Ross Norwood. Norwood - who advanced in rank to Lieutenant Colonel - oversaw the activation of the 172nd and its deployment to Selfridge Air Force Base during the latter stages of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1952.
When the 172nd returned to Battle Creek, it began the transition from prop to jet, exchanging its Mustangs for F-86 Sabres, which flew from 1954 to 1955, when they were replaced by F-89 Scorpions.
In 1956, the 110th Fighter Group was organized as part of the new force structure being adopted across the nation. The 172nd remained the only flying squadron, but now it was joined by the 110th Air Base Squadron, the 110th Materiel Squadron and the 110th Infirmary. In 1957, the 110th received a new aircraft, the RB-57 Canberra, and a new mission - tactical reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance that is conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles or reconnaissance aircraft. Their roles are to collect imagery intelligence, signals intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence...
. The resulting reorganization cost the 110th Fighter Group 40 percent of its manpower and its name - the group was deactivated and the 172nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron once again became Battle Creek's primary Air National Guard unit. A second non-flying squadron, the 172nd Reconnaissance Technical Squadron helped prevent the loss of additional Guard members.
In 1962, the 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was reactivated with Major Howard Strand serving as its commander. Major Strand departed in January 1965 to become deputy commander of the 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Selfridge, but he returned again in 1974 to lead the 110th until 1981.
The 172nd flew Canberras until 1971, when it undertook the radical and unexpected transformation from the RB-57 jets to the smaller, prop-powered Cessna O-2 Skymaster. On 11 June 1971, the 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group became the 110th Tactical Air Support Group. In 1980, the 110th saw a return to jet power in the form of the OA-37 Dragonfly.
In 1991 the 110th Tactical Air Support Group transitioned from the Dragonfly to the OA-10 Thunderbolt II, and was redesignated 110th Tactical Fighter Group.In June 1995 the 110th Fighter Group became the 110th Fighter Wing.
In 1997 the wing took part in Operation Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. The 110th Fighter Wing had service in both Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 110th Fighter Wing underwent a major transition moving from the A-10 aircraft to the Learjet C-21A aircraft in 2008. The C-21, which arrived in October 2008, is a twin turbofan engine passenger aircraft, the military version of the Lear Jet 35A. With a crew of two, it can accommodate eight passengers and 42 cubic feet (1,189.3 l) of cargo. For aero medical evacuations, it can carry one little litter or five ambulatory patients plus one flight nurse and two medical technicians. The base also witnessed the creation of a new unit, the 110th Air Operations Group on 1 April 2009. The 110th AOG is an organizational structure to support the 17th Air Force (AFAFRICA). The 110th AOG has five squadrons that include medical, communications, logistics, operations and planning in a largely self-contained package. The 110th Fighter Wing was re-designated as the 110th Airlift Wing with no change in station. It changed from an Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
unit to an Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
unit on 1 December 2009.
Major Command/Gaining Command
- Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(1 December 2009–present) - Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Air Combat CommandAir Combat CommandAir Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
(1 June 1992–1 December 2009) - Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
(???-1 June 1992)
Previous designations
- 110th Airlift Wing (2009–Present)
- 110th Fighter Wing (1995–2009)
- 110th Fighter Group (1992–1995)
- 110th Tactical Fighter Group (???-1 June 1992)
Units assigned
- 110th Operations Group
- 172nd Airlift Squadron (1947–Present)
- 110th Mission Support Group
- 110th Civil Engineer Squadron
- 110th Communications Flight
- 110th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 110th Mission Support Flight
- 110th Security Forces Squadron
- 110th Services Flight
- 110th Medical Group
- 110th Maintenance Group
- 110th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 110th Maintenance Squadron
- 110th Maintenance Operations Flight
Aircraft & Missiles Operated
- C-21 (2009–Present)
- A-10A Thunderbolt II (1991–2009)
- OA-10A Thunderbolt II (1991–2009)
- OA-37B Dragonfly (1981–1991)
- O-2A Skymaster (1971–1981)
- RB-57 Canberra (1957–1971)
- F-89C Scorpion (1955–1957)
- F-86E Sabre (1954–1955)
- P-51H Mustang (1951–1954)
- P-51D Mustang (1947–1951)