| 149th Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
 TSgt. Gerardo Guevara waits for his F-16 to shut down their engines before conducting his post flight checks at Hickam AFB, Hawaii on 8 September 2006. Six F-16s from the Texas Air National Guard 149th FW came to Hickam to participate in Exercise Sentry Aloha | |
| Active | 1961–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Texas |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Fighter Training |
| Part of | Texas Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Lackland Air Force Base,Kelly Field Annex,Joint Base San Antonio, Texas |
| Tail Code | Texas Flag tail stripe "SA" |
| Insignia | |
| 149th Fighter Wing emblem |  |
The149th Fighter Wing (149 FW) is a unit of theTexas Air National Guard, stationed atKelly Field Annex,Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by theUnited States Air ForceAir Education and Training Command.
The wing traces its history to the establishment of the 149th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1961, through the wing itself only was established in 1995. It is an F-16 flying training unit that includes a support group with a worldwide mobility commitment. The cornerstone of the 149th’s flying mission is the 182nd Fighter Squadron, whose role is to take pilots, either experienced aircrew or recent graduates from USAF undergraduate pilot training, and qualify them to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The 149th Fighter Wing consists of the following units:
In addition, the 149th has five geographically separated units:
In August 1961, as part of anAir Defense Command re-organization, the182d Fighter Interceptor Squadron's assignment to136th Air Defense Wing was terminated with 136th being transferred toTactical Air Command. As a result, the 182d was authorized to expand to a group level, and the149th Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by theNational Guard Bureau. The 182d Fighter Interceptor Squadron became the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 149th Headquarters, 149th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 149th Combat Support Squadron, and the 149th USAF Dispensary. The 149th was directly assigned to the Texas Air National Guard, being operationally gained by the Air Defense Command33d Air Division.
Equipped with the F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor, as with many other ANG squadrons the 182d temporally operated two TF-102 twin-seat trainers for ANG F-102 pilots while remaining on runway alert status. Also, the squadron operatedT-33A Shooting Star jet trainers and a ConvairVT-29 transport for courier duties.
In 1968, the Air National Guard began to retire its F-102s and the 182d was ordered to send their aircraft toDavis-Monthan AFB for storage atAMARC. In July, as part of the drawdown of continental fighter air defense, the 149th FIG was transferred fromAerospace Defense Command toTactical Air Command (TAC), with the Group and 182d being re-designated as a Tactical Fighter Group and Squadron.
As an interim measure, the 182d Tactical Fighter Squadron was re-equipped with obsolescentF-84F Thunderstreak by TAC. The squadron was the second-to-last ANG squadron to fly the F-84F. During the summer of 1971 the 182d began to receiveF-100D/F Super Sabre tactical fighter bombers. The 182d was one of the first ANG squadrons to receive the Super Sabre, as most were being operated inSouth Vietnam at the time. The F-100s received by the squadron were aircraft being withdrawn from the20th Tactical Fighter Wing atRAF Wethersfield, England, when Wethersfield was being closed for flight operations, and the wing being re-equipped with the newGeneral Dynamics F-111 at a new base,RAF Upper Heyford.
The Super Sabre was dedicated fighter-bomber, with no concession being made to a secondary air-superiority role and the squadron trained in using the fighter for ground support. Beginning in 1975, the 182d began aNATO commitment, with squadron aircraft and personnel deploying to theUnited States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) for Autumn Forge/Cold Fire/Reforger exercises.
By 1979, the Super Sabres were being retired, and were replaced by McDonnellF-4C Phantom IIs, largelyVietnam War veteran aircraft, that were made available to the Air National Guard. With the Phantom, the 182d continued their tactical fighter mission with the more capable aircraft. The squadron also continued its NATO deployments, exercising at USAFE bases in West Germany, England, the Netherlands and Denmark.
In 1986, the Phantoms were reaching the end of the operational service, and they were replaced by theF-16A Fighting Falcon. The F-16s were transferred from the347th Tactical Fighter Wing,Moody AFB, Georgia. Initially the squadron began to receive Block 15 single-seat F-16As, and a few twin-seat F-16Bs. The Block 15 was the major production model of the F-16A. The F-16s received were modified the Air National Guard's new priority in the 1980s, when it was assigned the primary responsibility of the aerial defense of the continental United States. The aircraft received were the F-16A Air Defense (ADF) variant, being equipped with HF radio and an improved APG-66 radar that was compatible with theAIM-7 Sparrow andAIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided missiles for air-to-air interceptor missions. A spotlight was installed on the side of the nose to aid in the identification of nighttime intruders. At its peak, the ANG ADF force equipped a defensive chain which surrounded the entire perimeter of the continental United States.
Higher-performance Block 25 F-16C/D aircraft replaced the Block 15 A/B model aircraft in 1996. Although similar in appearance to the earlier models, the Block 25 aircraft were a considerable advancement with the Westinghouse AN/APG-68(V) multi-mode radar with better range, sharper resolution, and expanded operating modes. The planar array in the nose provides numerous air-to-air modes, including range-while-search, uplook and velocity search, single target track, raid cluster resolution, and track-while-scan for up to 10 targets. The radar was capable of handling the guidance of the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile. Upgraded engines made the aircraft capable of Mach-2 performance.
However, the Block 25 aircraft were all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 turbofan, which were prone to engine stalls. In 1998, the squadron received Block 30 aircraft, with wider intakes and the General Electric F-110 engine. However, by the mid-1990s and with the end of theCold War, there appeared to be no longer any threat to America's homeland from bombers or cruise missiles.
In 1999, the mission of the 149th Fighter Group was changed from air combat to becoming a Formal Training Unit (FTU) for Air National Guard F-16 pilots underAir Education and Training Command. The 182d trains active duty, Air National Guard, and Reserve F-16 pilots, including recent graduates from USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training making them combat ready upon graduation of a 9-month course. Almost all instructor pilots within the unit are former active duty F-16 pilots.
DoD recommended as part of the2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission that the178th Fighter Wing,Ohio Air National Guard be shifted toGeneral Atomics MQ-1 Predators and transfer six additional Block 30 F-16 aircraft to the 182d Fighter Squadron. This recommendation was made because Lackland (Kelly Annex) (47) had higher military value than Springfield-Beckley AGB (128). This recommendation also would optimize the squadron size of the 182d, the only ANG F-16 Flying Training Unit.
The squadron's Block 30 aircraft, manufactured between 1987 and 1989 are currently reaching the end of their service life. They have been certified by Boeing though at least 2015, however it is unclear what aircraft or what the mission of the unit will transition to in the future.
The 217th Intelligence Training Squadron (P), despite having a classic associate relationship withAir Education and Training Command,[1] was inactivated.
|
|
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
