148th Fighter Wing

148th Fighter Wing
F-16s from the 148th Fighter Wing flew combat air patrols over the Washington D.C. area in the months after 9/11
Active	1 July 1960-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Minnesota
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Fighter
Part of	Minnesota Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Duluth Air National Guard Base, Minnesota
Tail Code	Blue tail stripe "Duluth" in white letters
Commanders
Current commander	Col. Jon Safstrom
Insignia
148th Fighter Wing emblem

The 148th Fighter Wing (148 FW) is a composite unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard, stationed at Duluth Air National Guard Base, Minnesota. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

The 148 FW provides air defense of the northern great lakes and over the state of Minnesota. The Wing's 179th Fighter Squadron is a deployable unit which participated in Air and Space Expeditionary Force deployments. The wing also maintains a detachment (Det 1.) at Tyndall AFB, Florida.

Units

The 148th Fighter Wing consists of the following units:

148th Operations Group

179th Fighter Squadron

148th Maintenance Group
148th Mission Support Group
148th Medical Group

History

On 1 July 1960, the 179th Fighter-Intercepter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 148th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 179th FIS become the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 148th Headquarters, 148th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 148th Combat Support Squadron, and the 148th USAF Dispensary.

On 1 July 1960, the 148 FIG assumed a 24-hour alert status in support of the Air Defense Command mission in Duluth. In 1967, the F-102A Delta Dagger replaced the aging F-89J. The F-101B Voodoo came aboard in April 1971 and remained until January 1976 when the unit again saw re-designation, becoming the 148th Tactical Reconnaissance Group with RF-4C Phantom II Mach-2 unarmed reconnaissance aircraft. The new mission entailed all weather, high or low, day or night, selective reconnaissance. This mission also required the unit to have the capabilities to deploy to a wide variety of operating locations. In October 1983, the mission changed again and found the 148th back in air defense and being renamed the 148th Fighter Interceptor Group. The return to alert and air defense brought with it the F-4D Phantom II, tactical fighter, with most of the aircraft being veterans of the Vietnam War.

Modern era

Four F-16s from the 148th fly abreast of each other on a refueling mission over northern Minnesota on November 17, 2007.

In front of F-16C block 25 #84-1253 from the 179th FS, airmen from the 148th FW pose for a 'family' photograph at Balad AB, on March 20th, 2007.

On March 10, 1990, the 179th Fighter Intercept Squadron received the first ADF variants of the F-16A/B Fighting Falcon to take over for the F-4D. The early markings included Duluth written on the tail as well as an image of the constellation 'Little Bear' which is also better known as the 'Big Dipper'.

Starting on 17 March 1992 the 179th FIS was renamed the 179th Fighter Squadron. A few years later in October 1995 the unit was tasked with a permanent detachment duty. Detachment 1 was an alert status mission based at Tyndall AFB, Florida.

To fit the needs of a newer global environment and shrinking air force in the United States, the squadron dropped the air superiority role and became a general purpose tactical fighter squadron. Proficient in the air-to-air mission, the 179th FS had to be brought up to speed using the F-16 for mud moving using both guided and unguided bombs. Live bombs were dropped for the first time in March 2000 during a training exercise. Due to these role requirements, the base also had to be renovated. During this transition the units tail flash was also changed. The constellation 'Little Bear' was dropped and a tail code adopted.

On September 11, 2001, the 148th FW became very busy as a result of the tragedy that saw the collapse of the two World Trade Center towers in New York City. As an immediate aftermath, the 148th was tasked with air defense at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, with providing Combat Air Patrols over Washington D.C. and New York City, and with deploying personnel and aircraft back to its detached alert facility at Tyndall AFB.

Towards the end of 2003 the 'Bulldogs' began conversion to the F-16C/D block 25. Most of the ADF's F-16A/Bs were retired straight to AMARC wearing the unit tail flashes. During the course of the conversion the 179th FS also gave up its requirements for Detachment 1 at Tyndall AFB. Now with the block 25 and multi-mission training led to combat deployments which had in the past excluded the 179th FS from participating.

As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 179th was one of the first F-16 unit to be based in Balad AB. Iraq. The 179th deployed more than 200 personnel between April - June 2005. The squadron was mainly tasked with air-to-air and air-to-ground combat operations. Another deployment to Balad AB was set up between September–December 2008. The task was the same, conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground combat operations against insurgents.

On 27 April 2010 the squadron began another conversion being the first ANG unit to operate the block 50 F-16C/D when five aircraft arrived from Spangdahlem AB, Germany. This move saw the combination of both the 22d and 23d FS at Spangdahlem to become the reactivated 480th FS with the surplus aircraft going to the 179th FS. The majority of the block 25s were sent to retirement at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

Detachment 1, Tyndall Air Force Base

148th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 - Emblem

The 148th Fighter Wing Detachment is located at Tyndall AFB, FL. Detachment 1, 148th Fighter Wing is under the operational command of the commander-in-chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Colorado Springs, CO.

Their main mission is to intercept "unknowns" when scrambled by controllers at the Southeast Air Defense Sector AOC, located at Tyndall. The deployed pilots also assist drug and law enforcement agencies in drug traffic interdiction. The unit provides maintains aircraft and crews on runway alert around the clock, 365 days a year, for the interception of possible illicit planes entering US air space from over the Gulf of Mexico.

The Detachment consists of 20 Minnesota Air National Guardsmen and four F-16C Fighting Falcon air defense fighters aircraft. The aircraft and pilots rotate on a scheduled basis from their home base at Duluth AGS. The commander, operations officer and 16 enlisted members of the Detachment are permanently assigned to Tyndall.

As part of Force Structure Changes announced by the US Air Force for FY 99, Detachment 1, 148th FW, would be terminated while an alert detachment at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans, LA, would be activated in early FY99. However, a later Force Structures Change announcement made in March 1999, maintained the 148th FW, Detachment 1 at Tyndall AFB.

Lineage

Legacy 148th FIG emblem

Designated 148th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and allotted to Minnesota ANG, 1960

Extended federal recognition and activated, 1 July 1960

Re-designated: 148th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 1 July 1976

Re-designated: 148th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 18 November 1983

Re-designated: 148th Fighter Group, 16 March 1992

Re-designated: 148th Fighter Wing, 1 October 1995

Assignments

Minnesota Air National Guard, 1 July 1960 – Present

Gained by: Grand Forks Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command

Gained by: 29th Air Division, Air Defense Command, 1 December 1963

Gained by: 28th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, 15 January 1968

Gained by: Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC), 1 October 1979

Gained by: First Air Force, Tactical Air Command, 9 December 1985

Gained by: Northwest Air Defense Sector (NWADS), 1 July 1987

Gained by: Western Air Defense Sector (WADS), 1 October 1997

Gained by: Air Combat Command, 1 January 2000

Components

148th Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – Present
179th Fighter-Interceptor (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 July 1960 – Present

Stations

Duluth Municipal (later Duluth International) Airport, Minnesota, 1 July 1960

Designated: Duluth Air National Guard Base, 1991-Present

Operates Detachment 1 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, 1 October 1995-Present

Aircraft

F-89J Scorpion, 1960-1966
F-102A Delta Dagger, 1966-1971
F-101B Voodoo, 1971-1976
RF-4C Phantom II, 1976-1983

F-4D Phantom II, 1983-1990
F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, 1990-2002
F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, 2002–Present

Awards

The 148th Fighter Wing has always been an award-winning unit. Some of the more outstanding awards received by the 148 FW are the following: The Winston P. Wilson Award in 1957 for being the Outstanding Air National Guard All Weather Interceptor Unit, the Ricks Trophy for excellence in 1967, and first place in the 1970 William Tell Weapons Competition. The unit has also distinguished itself by receiving the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1979, 1988, 1999, 2008, and 2009. In 2009 the 148th was presented with the distinguished Raytheon Trophy (formerly the Hughes Trophy), designating the unit "the best fighter unit in the U.S. Air Force." The honor marks only the fourth time an Air National Guard unit received the award and only the second time an F-16 unit took the honor since the award's inception in 1953.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
149th Fighter Wing factsheet
Spangdahlem AB: New F-16s arrive at the 148th Fighter Wing

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 148th Fighter Wing.

Air National Guard (ANG)

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Centers	Air National Guard Readiness ANG AFRC Test ANG Weather Readiness I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education

Wings and Groups

Wings

Composite	108th 113th 118th 119th 127th 140th 154th 175th 176th 178th 188th

Air Control	116th

Airlift	103d 105th 107th 109th 120th 123d 130th 133d 136th 139th 143d 145th 146th 152d 153d 156th 164th 165th 166th 167th 172d 179th 182d 189th

Air Refueling	101st 117th 121st 126th 128th 134th 137th 141st 151st 155th 157th 161st 168th 171st 185th 186th 190th

Attack	110th 174th

Bomb	131st

Fighter	52d* 53d* 54th* 55th* 60th* 61st* 62d* 63d* 66th* 67th* 71st* 86th* 104th 106th* 111th 114th 115th 122d 124th 125th 132d 138th 142d 144th 148th 149th 150th 159th 162d 169th 173d 177th 180th 183d 187th 192d

Intelligence	102d 181st 184th

Reconnaissance	147th 163d

Regional Support	194th

Rescue	106th 129th

Special Operations	150th 193d

Groups

Composite	170th

Airlift	135th*

Air Operations	102d 152d 157th

Air Refueling	112th* 127th 160th*

Combat Communications	162d 163d 201st 226th 252d 254th 281st*

Cyberspace Engineering Installation	251st 253d

Operations	140th

Reconnaissance	214th

Squadrons

Flying

Air Command and Control	12th 128th

Airlift	105th 109th 115th 118th 130th 135th* 136th 137th 139th 142d 143d 144th 155th 156th 158th 164th 165th 167th 169th 172d 180th 181st 183d 186th 187th 189th* 192d 198th 200th 201st 204th 249th

Air Refueling	106th 108th 116th 117th 126th 132d 133d 141st 145th 146th 147th 150th 151st 153d 166th 168th 171st 173d 174th 185th 191st 197th 203d

Attack	138th

Bomb	110th

Fighter	100th 103d 104th 107th 112th 114th 119th 120th 121st 122d 123d 124th 125th 131st 134th 148th 149th 152d 157th 159th 160th* 163d 170th* 175th 176th 179th 182d 184th 190th 194th 195th 199th

Reconnaissance	111th 162d 178th 196th 214th

Rescue	101st 102d 103d 129th 130th 131st 188th 210th 211th 212th

Special Operations	193d

Training	154th

Non-Flying

Air Control	103d 116th 117th 128th 141st 176th

Air Operations	112th

Air Support	113th ASOS 172d

Air Traffic Control	270th 245th

Civil Engineering	285th Civil Engineering Squadron

Combat Communications	143d 147th 149th 206th 221st 222d 223d 225th 228th 231st 232d 234th 236th 239th 240th 242d 244th 256th 261st 262d 263d 264th 265th 267th 269th 271st 272d 280th 282d 283d 291st 292d 293d

Command and Control	119th 127th 153d 222d

Engineering Installation	130th 202d 205th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 217th 218th 219th 220th 241st 243d 270th 272d

Force Support	187th

Information Warfare Aggressor	177th

Intelligence	101st 117th 123d 152d 161st 194th 234th

Joint Communications Support	224th 290th

Logistics Readiness	187th

RED HORSE	202d 203d 819th

Security Forces	187th

Space Control	114th

Space Operations	111th 148th

Space Warning	137th 213th

Special Operations Communications	193d 280th

Special Tactics	125th

Asterisk (*) denotes an inactive unit

United States Air Force

Leadership

Structure

Commands	Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations

Direct Reporting Units	District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy

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