144th Fighter Wing

144th Fighter Wing
144th Fighter Wing emblem
Active	1943 - Present
Country	US
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Fighter Support
Part of	California Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Fresno Air National Guard Base, California
Commanders
Current commander	Col Sami Said
Aircraft flown
Fighter	18 F-16C Fighting Falcon
Trainer	1 F-16D Fighting Falcon
Transport	1 C-26A Metroliner

A pair of F-16 Fighting Falcons fly during a sortie for the weapons systems evaluation program at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

The 144th Fighter Wing (144 FW) is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Fresno Air National Guard Base, California. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

Mission

The 144th Fighter Wing's mission is to provide air defense protection for California from the Mexican border to Oregon utilizing the F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter aircraft. The 144th also supports the nation's Counter Drug Program and responds to state emergencies when requested by the Governor of California. The wing's current inventory of aircraft includes 18 F-16Cs, one F-16D, a two place fighter trainer, and one C-26A transport.

Units

The 144th Fighter Wing is comprised of the following units:

• 144th Operations Group

194th Fighter Squadron

• 144th Maintenance Group
• 144th Mission Support Group
• 144th Medical Group.

History

Lineage

• Constituted as 372d Fighter Group on 12 October 1943

Activated on 28 October 1943

Redesignated 372d Fighter-Bomber Group in April 1944

Redesignated 372d Fighter Group in June 1944

Inactivated on 7 November 1945

• Redesignated 144th Fighter Group and allotted to California ANG on 24 June 1946.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links

• Official website of the 144th Fighter Wing
• 144th Fighter Wing - GlobalSecurity.org