| 109th Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
109th Airlift Wing emblem |
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| Active | 1956-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Airlift |
| Role | Arctic Transport |
| Part of | Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Stratton ANGB, New York |
| Nickname | "Skibirds" |
The United States Air Force's 109th Airlift Wing (109 AW) is an Air Mobility Command (AMC) gained tactical airlift unit of the New York Air National Guard. The unit is located at Stratton ANGB/Schenectady County Airport, New York and operates both conventional C-130 Hercules aircraft and specially modified LC-130s used for Arctic and Antarctic transport and support missions. In addition to its combat airlift mission, particularly when placed in a Federalized status, the wing also provides domestic-related functions commonly associated with Air National Guard units, such as disaster or hurricane relief.
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“To provide the most professional theater combat forces, ready to rapidly deploy statewide, worldwide and pole to pole.”
Following World War II, the 139th was established at Schenectady, New York as the 139th Fighter Squadron and received Federal recognition on November 18, 1948. Its first assigned aircraft was the Republic F-47D "Thunderbolt." In 1950, the squadron moved across the runway to its present location and received F-51H "Mustang." The 139th was one of 17 squadrons not activated during the Korean War. In 1952, the 139th was assigned to the Air Defense Command (ADC) as a 139th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
In 1954, after the runway at Schenectady was lengthened to 7,000 feet, the squadron received its first jets in the form of the Lockheed F-94B "Starfire.". Starfire operations continued until 1957 when the North American F-86H began arriving. Receipt of the Sabre saw the squadron and group lose their Fighter-Interceptor prefixes and gain that of a Tactical Fighter Squadron and Tactical Fighter Group.
In 1960, the mission of the unit was changed to worldwide transport following assignment of the Boeing C-97A "Stratocruiser," the first four-engined transport to be used by the Air National Guard. The unit then joined the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) as the 109th Air Transport Group and 139th Air Transport Squadron. The 139 ATS was activated and Federalized for the Berlin Airlift in October 1961, augmenting MATS airlift by flying worldwide missions. The unit then returned to State control on 31 August 1962. On 1 January 1966, the Military Air Transport Service was reorganized and renamed Military Airlift Command (MAC), with MAC becoming the gaining command for the unit. Following this reorganization, the unit was redesignated as the 109th Military Airlift Group and 139th Military Airlift Squadron and as such, made deployments worldwide during the Vietnam War.
The unit converted to the Lockheed C-130A in early 1971, became operationally-gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and was designated the 109th Tactical Airlift Group and 139th Tactical Airlift Squadron. The 109 TAG converted to C-130D and D-6 models in the summer of 1975, assuming responsibilities for the Volant DEW resupply mission of air bases and USAF Distant Early Warning (DEW) on the Greenland ice cap and Iceland. That same year, the unit's gaining command shifted back to Military Airlift Command (MAC) as MAC assumed responsibility for all C-130 tactical airlift units. Ten years later, the 109 TAG and 139 TAS converted to the C-130H and LC-130 Hercules. In 1992, following the inactivation of MAC, the 109th became operationally-gained by the newly-established Air Mobility Command (AMC) and was redesignated the 109th Airlift Wing (109 AW). In 1999, following the decommissioning of the U.S. Navy's Antarctic Development Squadron SIX (VXE-6) and their LC-130F aircraft, the 109 AW assumed responsibility for Antarctic support in addition to their Arctic support mission.
The Scotia-based 109th Airlift Wing has provided airlift support to the National Science Foundation's South Pole research program since 1988. The wing operates LC-130Hs, modified with wheel-ski gear, in support of Arctic and Antarctic operations.
In early 1996, the National Guard Bureau announced that the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton ANGB in Scotia, New York was slated to assume that entire mission from the U.S. Navy in 1999. The 109th, which operated ski-equipped LC-130Hs, had been flying some NSF support missions to Antarctica since 1988. It had flown scientific and military missions to Greenland and the Arctic since 1975. The Antarctic operation would be fully funded by the NSF. The 109th expected to add approximately 235 full-time personnel to support that operation.
The possibility of the ANG taking over the mission had first emerged in 1988. The 109th had been notified that, almost overnight, one of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line radar sites that it supported in Greenland was going to be shut down. The other sites would soon follow and the 109th would be largely out of business because its main mission had ended. The unit had been informally keeping tabs on Navy LC-130 operations supporting the NSF in Antarctica. Because its LC-130F aircraft were older than the Guard's LC-130Hs and several of the Navy aircraft were entering an extensive period of depot maintenance, the Navy asked if the 109th could provide a limited emergency search and rescue (SAR) capability for two years to support Operation Deep Freeze. The Air National Guard accepted. At that time, it had no thought of taking over the mission. The 109th believed that it was senseless for its aircraft to deploy to the Antarctic and just wait to conduct emergency SAR missions so it asked the Navy if it could help carry cargo to the South Pole. The latter resisted at first because its procedures and cargo configurations differed from those of the Air Guard, but it eventually relented. The main mission of the Navy and ANG C-130s was to airlift fuel and supplies to the NSF's South Pole Station so that its personnel could survive in isolation during the long Antarctic winter which lasted from February to October.
An ANG working group had been formed to study the idea in 1990. The following year, a dialogue between the ANG, the Air Staff, and the Navy began. Among other issues, it was difficult at first for the Air Guard to convince the Air Staff to commit long term resources to an area of the world that had not been declared a warfighting region because of international treaties. The Air Guard had supported military operations in Greenland and the Arctic (including classified Navy operations) since the mid-1970s with the ski-equipped C-130s of the 109 AW. It convinced Headquarters, United States Air Force that it was not in the nation's best interest to abandon the capability to achieve quick and reliable air access to both polar regions.
In March, 1993, the Navy hosted a two-day workshop with representatives of the NSF, Air Guard, and other interested parties to explore logistics support options for the operation. A draft concept of operations had been prepared by the Air Directorate of the NGB in 1993. In February, 1996, a commitment was made to transfer the mission, known as "Operation Deep Freeze," and all LC-130 aircraft operated within the DoD to the ANG. In September, 1996, senior officers from the 109 AW briefed the NGB on their concept of operations and the status of their preparations to implement "Operation Deep Freeze."
Under the transition plan which they had developed, the ANG would continue to augment the Navy during the October, 1996 - March, 1997 operating season for the U.S. Antarctic Program. At the end of the October, 1997 - March, 1998 season, the ANG would assume command of the program. During the third year of the transition program, October, 1998 to March, 1999, the Navy would augment the ANG before the latter took over the entire program the following year. There would be 7 LC-130s in theater. They would stage from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Traditional Guardsmen, technicians, and the cadre of AGRs specifically brought on board to support "Operation Deep Freeze" would all be involved in the mission. When fully transitioned to the ANG, the 109th would have ten LC-130s in its inventory. These would include upgrades of four LC-130 aircraft in-service with the unit plus three new aircraft and three that would be transferred from the Navy. ANG estimates of the savings to be realized by consolidating the operation in the hands of the 109th AW ranged from $5 million to $15 million a year. The actual transition to Air Guard control began in March, 1996.
In October, 1999, the 109 AW was involved in the rescue of a doctor with breast cancer symptoms and based at isolated Amundsen-Scott research station in Antarctica.
In its 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Recommendations, DoD recommended to realign Schenectady County Airport AGS by transferring four C-130H aircraft from the 109th Airlift Wing (ANG) to the 189th Airlift Wing (ANG), Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. This recommendation would distribute C-130 force structure to Little Rock (17), which would have higher military value. Adding aircraft to the ANG unit at Little Rock, Arkansas would create a larger, more effective squadron. The LC-130 aircraft (ski-equipped) would remain at Schenectady (117). This decision was not enacted. An effective lobby against the move was carried out by the Schenectady Military Affairs Council.
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