108th Air Refueling Wing
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| 108th Air Refueling Wing | |
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 108th Air Refueling Wing emblem |
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| Active | 1952-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Air Refueling |
| Role | Combat Support |
| Part of | Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | McGuire Air Force Base |
| Nickname | "Jersey Thunder" |
The 108th Air Refueling Wing is an unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard that is responsible for aerial refueling. They fly the KC-135 Stratotanker and are based out of McGuire Air Force Base.
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[edit] History
They were activated on 19 October 1991 (another source says 3 December 1992). The 108th received its first KC-135E Stratotanker on 27 September 1991. Yet, a scant 69 days later, on 6 December, it flew its first refueling mission. Forty one days later, on 16 January 1992, it flew its first operational mission - a night, air refueling of an E-3B "Sentry" bound for the Persian Gulf. The 108th Air Refueling Wing did not have SAC approved deployment plans and had to be redeployed to the CONUS prior to Operation DESERT STORM and placed their tankers at other active duty and ANG bases to backfill for the deployed units. The Wing was reassigned (released from Federal control?) on 31 May 1992. The Wing is currently commanded by Colonel Michael L. Cunniff.
The 108th Wing has previous history in the New Jersey Air National Guard as the 108th Fighter Bomber Wing. Assigned to Strategic Air Command's 40th Air Division on 1 March 1951 at Turner AFB, Georgia, it was flying F-47s at the time. The 108th Fighter Wing was composed of the 141st Fighter Squadron (New Jersey ANG), 149th Fighter Squadron (Virginia ANG) and the 153rd Fighter Squadron (Mississippi ANG). It was activated on 1 March 1951, for the Korean War and assigned to the Strategic Air Command. It was reassigned to TAC on 16 November 1951.
The 108th Wing has previous history in the New Jersey Air National Guard as the 108th Fighter Bomber Wing. Assigned to Strategic Air Command's 40th Air Division on 1 March 1951 at Turner AFB, Georgia, it was flying F-47s at the time. The 108th Fighter Wing was composed of the 141st Fighter Squadron (New Jersey ANG), 149th Fighter Squadron (Virginia ANG) and the 153rd Fighter Squadron (Mississippi ANG). It was activated on 1 March 1951, for the Korean War and assigned to the Strategic Air Command. It was reassigned to TAC on 16 November 1951.
[edit] Assignments
[edit] Major Command/Gaining Command
- Air National Guard/Air Mobility Command (1 Jun 1992-Present)
- Air National Guard/Strategic Air Command (1 Sep 1991-1 Jun 1992)
- Air National Guard/Tactical Air Command (1958-1 Sep 1991)
[edit] Previous designations
- 108th Air Refueling Wing (???-Present)
- 108th Air Refueling Group (???)
- 108th Fighter Group (???)
- 108th Tactical Fighter Group
[edit] Subordinate Units
- 141st Air Refueling Squadron (???-Present)
- 150th Air Refueling Squadron (???-Present)
[edit] Aircraft flown[1]
- KC-135 (1991-Present)
- F-4E (1985-1991)
- F-4D (1981-1985)
- F-105B (1964-1981)
- F-84F (1958-1964)
- F-86E (1955-1958)
- F-51H (1952-1955)
[edit] Locations
- McGuire AFB, New Jersey (1952-Present)
- Mercer Airport, New Jersey (1949-1952)
[edit] References
- ^ World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN: 1-880588-01-3
