Berry Field Air National Guard Base

Berry Field Air National Guard Base
Part of Tennessee Air National Guard (TN ANG)
Located near: Nashville, Tennessee

118th Airlift Wing C-130 unloads Tennessee National Guard equipment at Berry Field ANGB
Berry Field ANGB
Location of Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Tennessee
Coordinates 36°07′38″N 86°40′55″W / 36.12722°N 86.68194°W / 36.12722; -86.68194
Site information
Controlled by  United States Air Force
Site history
Built 1937
In use 1937-Present
Garrison information
Garrison
118th Airlift Wing
Airfield information
IATA: BNA – ICAO: KBNA
Summary
Elevation AMSL 599 ft / 183 m
Website www.118aw.ang.af.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2L/20R 7,703 2,348 Concrete
2C/20C 8,001 2,438 Concrete
2R/20L 8,000 2,438 Concrete
13/31 11,030 3,362 Concrete

Berry Field Air National Guard Base is the military enclave of Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee. It has hosted the Tennessee Air National Guard 118th Airlift Wing (in various designations) since 1937.[1] The base is home to Headquarters, Tennessee Air National Guard and the 118th Airlift Wing (118 AW), the latter serving as host wing for the installation. Berry Field and the 118 AW currently operate the C-130 International Training Center, an AETC activity in support of DoD Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of the C-130, training up to 150 international military C-130E and C-130H flight crew and maintenance students annually.[1]

History

The Air National Guard presence at BNA dates back to 1937, when the 105th Observation Squadron, a U.S. Army Air Corps-gained element of the Tennessee National Guard initially took up residence at the airport. With the advent of World War II, the squadron was called into active Federal service as a U.S. Army Air Forces unit and transitioned to a bombardment mission flying the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber in the Pacific theater. At war's end and into the immediate postwar period, the unit transitioned to a fighter mission flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. In 1947, the unit was assigned to the 118th Fighter Group, which had been allotted to the National Guard. In 1950 the 118th Composite Wing was established as the headquarters for the group and its support elements. In 1953 the wing became the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, during this time the unit operated the F-51 Mustang, RF-80 Shooting Star and RF-84 Thunderflash while operationally gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC).[1]

In 1961, the wing took up to an airlift mission, first operating C-97 Stratofreighter, followed by C-124 Globemaster II and finally C-130 Hercules aircraft under the cognizance of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), Military Airlift Command (MAC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC), with combat service in Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.[1]

In October 2007, it was announced that as an am endment to the BRAC 2005 decision, the 118 AW would continue to retain a flying mission, transitioning from an AMC gained unit to that of a training organization operationally gained by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). As the C-130 International Training Center, the 118 AW assumed a new role as a C-130 Formal Training Unit (FTU) in support of DoD Foreign Military Sales (FMS), training up to 150 international military C-130E and C-130H flight crew and maintenance students annually. Although the 118 AW's C-130H2 aircraft were transferred to other Air National Guard airlift wings, the 118 AW did gain six WC-130H aircraft that had been retired from weather reconnaissance duties with the Air Force Reserve Command's 403d Wing at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. The first class of international C-130 students trained by the 118 AW graduated in October 2008.[1]

See also

References

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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 118th Airlift Wing website
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