| 926th Group | |
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Emblem of the 926th Group |
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| Active | 1962–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
The 926th Group (926 GP) is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
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The 926th Group is an associate unit to the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis AFB. The unit provides combat-ready reservists to the USAFWC as sustained expertise integrated at the operational and tactical levels of warfare. It continuously conducts combat operations, operational test and evaluation, tactics development, and advanced training to warfighters.
The 926th GP also supports the U.S. Air Force's first Unmanned Aircraft Systems wing, the 432d Wing/432d AEW, equipped with more than 100 MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft, in its mission to train pilots, sensor operators and other UAS crewmembers, and conduct combat surveillance and attack operations worldwide.
The 926th GP consists of nine squadrons Located at Nellis AFB and at Geographically Separated Locations:
On 28 December 1963 the 926th Troup Carrier Group was established at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, flying C-119 aircraft as part of a Tactical Air Command decision to organize all troop carrier forces, regular Air Force and Reserve, into wing-group-squadron configurations. In 1967, the unit designation was changed to the 926th Tactical Airlift Group, reflecting broader airlift capabilities to include transporting equipment and supplies for deployments worldwide.
In 1969, the 926th TAG experienced another conversion as transitioned to the C-130 Hercules. In October 1972, members of the 926th TAG flew two C-130 aircraft into South Vietnam as part of the Air Force-wide program designed to provide the South Vietnamese with increased cargo capability before the war came to an end.
In 1977, the Air Force announced the 926th TAG would convert to the A-37 Dragonfly fighter aircraft, bringing with the conversion a combat mission and a new designation, the 926th Tactical Fighter Group. The 926th TFG continued to fly the A-37 until June 1982 when the group completed a conversion to the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the 926 TFG began deploying people in support of Operation Desert Shield. Then, in December 1990, approximately 450 members of the 926th TFG were recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm as the nation's first Air Force Reserve combat unit recalled to active duty.
In February 1992, the unit was redesignated as the 926th Fighter Group. The name change reflected the deactivation of the Tactical Air Command. The group began conversion to the F-16 Fighting Falcon which was complete by October that year. Two years later, on October 1, 1994, the unit officially became the 926th Fighter Wing.
In 1995 the 926th FW converted to the A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The conversion was completed and the unit became combat-ready in September 1997.
In the late 1990s, the 926th FW participated in deployments patrolling the no-fly zones over Iraq in support of Operation Deny Flight, Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch, and in 1999 returned to Kuwait to participate in Aerospace Expeditionary Force One.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, members of the 926th FW were mobilized and deployed to various locations worldwide in support of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Noble Eagle (ONE).
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission identified the 926th FW for closure with personnel and aircraft relocating to four bases. The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina accelerated the process from two and a half years to nine months. By the spring of 2006, the A-10s transferred to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La., logistics readiness support moved to Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., and the command element moved to Nellis AFB.
In October 2007, the 926th Group was officially activated at Nellis AFB.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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