104th Fighter Wing

The United States Air Force's 104th Fighter Wing is an Air National Guard fighter unit located at Barnes Airport, Massachusetts.

Mission

To maintain highly trained, well equipped, and motivated military forces in order to provide combat ready F-15C Eagles aircraft and support elements in response to wartime and peacetime tasking under state and federal authority. This mission was previously carried out by the 102nd Fighter Wing.

History

• 23 August 1942 333d Fighter Squadron USAAF Activated
• January 1943 333d Fighter Squadron USAAF assigned to 318th Fighter Group 11, Seventh Air Force
• 24 May 1946 333d Fighter Squadron USAAF re-designated 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron Air National Guard
• 1946 to 1951 P-47D Thunderbolt flown at the 104th
• 1951 to 1954 P-51D Mustang flown at the 104th
• 1954 to 1957 F-94A Starfire flown at the 104th
• 1957 to 1965 F-86H Sabre flown at the 104th
• 1 October 1961 to 20 August 1962-131st Tactical Fighter Squadron assigned to Seventeenth Air Force USAFE in support of Operation Stair Step Phalsbourg Air Base, France
• 20 August 1962-131st Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 104th Tactical Fighter Group assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard
• 1964 to 1971-F-84F Thunderstreak flown at the 104th
• 1971 to 1979-F-100D Super Sabre flown at the 104th
• 1979 to 2007-A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft flying at the 104th
• January 1991-Participated in Operation Desert Storm
• 1 June 1992-131st Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 104th Tactical Fighter Group re-designated 131st Fighter Squadron and 104th Fighter Group
• December 1992-Participated in Operation Restore Hope
• August to October 1995-Participated in Operations Deny Flight and Deliberate Force
• October 1995-104th Fighter Group re-designated the 104th Fighter Wing
• 14 May to 1 July 1999-Participated in Operations Allied Force and Noble Anvil
• 12 Sep 2001 to Present-Participated in Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom
• 2007–Present-F-15 Eagle aircraft flying at the 104th
• 15 February 2010-The wing begins patrolling the Northeastern United States.^[1]

Assignments

Deployments^[2]

• Berlin Crisis
• Operation Stair
• Operation Desert Storm
• Operation Deny Flight
• Operation Deliberate Force
• Operation Allied Force
• Operation Noble Anvil
• Operation Noble Eagle
• Operation Enduring Freedom
• Operation Iraqi Freedom

Major Command/Gaining Command

• Air National Guard/Air Combat Command (1992–Present)
• Air National Guard/Tactical Air Command (1962–1992)

Previous designations

• 104th Fighter Wing (Oct 1995–Present)
• 104th Fighter Group (1 June 1992-Oct 1995)
• 104th Tactical Fighter Group (Oct 1962-1 June 1992)

Units assigned

• 104th Operations Group
  • 131st Fighter Squadron
  • 104th Operations Support Flight
  • 104th Weather Flight
• 104th Maintenance Group
  • 104th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
  • 104th Maintenance Squadron
  • 104th Maintenance Operations Flight
• 104th Mission Support Group
  • 104th Civil Engineering Squadron
  • 212th Engineering Installation Squadron
  • 104th Communications Squadron
  • 104th Logistics Readiness Squadron
  • 104th Security Forces Squadron
  • 104th Mission Support Flight
  • 104th Services Flight
• 104th Medical Group

Bases stationed

• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (2003–Present)
• Operation Iraqi Freedom (Unknown location), various locations in Southwest Asia (2003)
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (2000–2003)
• Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Locations in Southwest Asia (2000)
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (1995–2000)
• Aviano Air Base, Italy (1995)
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (1982–1995)
• Yenisehir Airbase, Turkey (1982)
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (1962–1982)
• Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France (1961–1962)
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts (1947–1961)

Aircraft operated

• F-15C Eagle (September 2007–Present)
• A-10 Thunderbolt II (1979– June 2007)
• F-100 Super Sabre (1971–1979)
• F-84 Thunderstreak (1964–1971)
• F-86H Sabre (1958–1964)
• F-94A/B Starfire (1954–1958)
• F-51H Mustang (1951–1954)
• P-47D Thunderbolt (1947–1951)

References

1. ^ http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100214mass_fighter_wing_takes_on_new_security_mission/
2. ^ The Barnestormers

External links

• 104th Fighter Wing Official Homepage