192nd Airlift Squadron: Difference between revisions

192d Airlift Squadron
192d Airlift Squadron
	File:192nd Airlift Squadron emblem.jpg 192d Airlift Squadron emblem
Active	1948–Present
Country	United States
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Airlift
Part of	Nevada Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Reno Air National Guard Base, Nevada
Nickname(s)	Battle Born

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Revision as of 13:19, 26 September 2012

The 192d Airlift Squadron (192 AS) is a unit of the Nevada Air National Guard 1152d Airlift Wing located at Reno Air National Guard Base, Nevada. The 192d is equipped with the C-130H Hercules.

History

World War II

Activated in October 1943 as the 408th Fighter Squadron at Hamilton Field, California. During World War II, the squadron was an Operational Training Unit (OTU), equipped with second-line P-39 Aircobras and P-40 Warhawks. Its mission was to train newly-graduated pilots from Training Command in combat tactics and maneuvers before being assigned to their permanent combat unit. Initially assigned to IV Fighter Command, then transferred to III Fighter Command in 1944, being re-equipped with P-51D Mustangs. It took part in air-ground maneuvers and demonstrations, participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers in the summer of 1944 and in similar activities in the US until after V-J Day.

Inactivated in November 1945.

Nevada Air National Guard

The wartime 408th Fighter Squadron was re-activated and re-designated as the 192d Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Nevada Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Reno Air Force Base, Nevada and was extended federal recognition on 12 April 1948 by the National Guard Bureau. The 192d Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history, honors, and colors of the 408th Fighter Squadron. The squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and was assigned to the California Air National Guard 61st Fighter Wing, although it was operationally under the control of the Nevada Air National Guard at Carson City, Nevada. During its early years with the F-51D, the unit earned prominence as one of the Air Force's most respected aerial gunnery competitors.

Korean War mobilization

On 1 March 1951 the 192d was federalized and brought to active-duty due to the Korean War. It was initially assigned to Strategic Air Command and transferred to Bergstrom AFB, Texas and assigned to the Federalized Missouri ANG 131st Fighter-Bomber Group. The 131st FBG was composed of the 192d FS, the 110th Composite Squadron (Missouri); 170th Fighter Squadron (Illinois) and 178th Fighter Squadron (North Dakota). At Berstrom, its mission was a filler replacement for the 27th Fighter-Escort Group which was deployed to Japan as part of SAC's comittment to the Korean War.

The unit was a Bergstrom until November when it was transferred to Tactical Air Command and moved to George AFB, California. At George, the unit was scheduled to be re-equipped with F-84D Thunderjets and was programmed for deployment to Japan, however the F-84s were instead sent to France and the 131st Fighter-Bomber Wing remained in California for the remainder of its federal service. The 192d Fighter-Bomber Squadron was released from active duty and returned to Nevada state control on 15 October 1952.

Air Defense

Returning to Reno the unit was re-formed by 1 January 1953. The 192d was was transferred from Tactical Air Command (TAC) to Air Defense Command (ADC) with a mission of Air Defense over Nevada and Northern California. On 1 November 1954, the 192d began the transition from the piston-engine, propeller driven F-51D to its first jet aircraft, the F-86A. On 1 June 1955, the 192d was re-designated as the 194th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.

On 19 April 1958, the 192d was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 152d Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 192d FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 192d Headquarters, 192d Material Squadron (Maintenance), 192d Combat Support Squadron, and the 192d USAF Dispensary. Also in 1958, the day-only F-86As were sent to other units and the 192d received the day/night/all-weather F-86L Sabre Interceptor aircraft.

Tactical Reconnaissance

In 1961 Air Defense Command was reorganizing and the 192d was transferred to Tactical Air Command. TAC re-designated the 152d as a Tactical Reconnaissance Group, and equipped the 192d TRS with RB-57B Canberra reconnaissance aircraft. Tactical Reconnaissance would be the mission of the unit for the next 30 years. The RB-57s were the reconnaissance version of the B-57 Canberra light bomber, which has replaced the World War II B-26 Mitchell during the Korean War. The RB-57s were used by the active-duty Air Force beginning in the mid-1950s and it began to be sent to Air National Guard units in the late 1950s when the McDonnell RF-101A Voodoo entered service.

The 192d used the RB-57s primarily to carry out out photographic surveys of areas hit by natural disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes. It was placed on alert during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, however it was not activated or deployed overseas.

In 1965 the RF-4C Phantom II began to enter active USAF service, and the 192d received supersonic McDonnell RF-101H Voodoos to replace the subsonic RB-57s. In 1971, the RF-101Hs were replaced by RF-101B Voodoos that were re-manufactured after serving in the Canadian Air Force. However, unlike the F-101Hs, the "B" model was extremely expensive to operate in the field, requiring several costly and time-consuming fixes in order to maintain an acceptable operating standard. The career of the RF-101B with the Nevada ANG was relatively brief, giving way to the RF-4C Phantom in 1975.

The 192d operated the RF-4C Phantom for nearly 20 years. It was still in service at the time of the 1990-1991 Gulf Crisis, In response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the 106th TRS of the 117th TRW of the Alabama ANG was deployed to Sheika Isa in Bahrain. This unit was relieved in December 1990 by the 192d TRS which deployed to Doha International Airport, Qatar. With combat operations beginning in January as part of Operation Desert Storm, the 192d flew 350 combat missions in the RF-4C. When the first strikes against Iraq took place on 17 January 1991, the RF-4Cs were in action from the start. At first, they were limited to daylight operations, flying over Kuwait almost every day in search of Republican Guard units. They flew over Baghdad looking for such targets as rocket fuel plants, chemical weapons plants, and command and communications centers. Later, the RF-4Cs were repeated diverted from other photographic missions to go and look for Scud launchers hiding in western Iraq. No RF-4Cs were lost in action.

Following the end of Desert Storm, the RF-4Cs began their retirement from USAF and Air National Guard service. The 192nd RS finally turned in its last four RF-4Cs on 27 September 1995, their planes being flown to Davis-Monthan AFB for storage. These aircraft were the last RF-4Cs in operational service, and with their retirement the era of RF-4C service with United States armed forces to an end.