141st Air Refueling Wing Information
The 141st Air Refueling Wing (141 ARW) is a United States Air Force unit located at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington. It is part of the Washington Air National Guard (WA ANG), and operates the KC-135 Stratotanker and the RC-26 Metroliner.
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Mission and History
The 141st Air Refueling Wing employs over 1,000 citizen-airmen. It is one of the oldest Air National Guard flying units in the nation, with a flying squadron that was first activated in 1924. It is also the only flying unit in the Washington Air National Guard.
As an Air National Guard unit, the 141st Air Refueling Wing has both a federal and state mission. When gained by Air Mobility Command, the federal mission is to train, equip and deploy mobility forces to forward operating locations in support of specific contingency plans and other short-notice taskings. Since the flying unit received federal recognition in 1924, it has been activated during World War II, the Korean War, Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism. Aside from presidential call-ups, many personnel throughout the wing have voluntarily deployed in support of the Expeditionary Air Force and other contingency operations. Since 1999, over one-fourth of the wing's members have deployed to locations such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, Iceland and Hungary.
Under order of the governor of the state of Washington, the wing provides protection of life and property and preserves peace, order and public safety. Members of the wing served on state active duty following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 cleaning up ash in many of the smaller communities of eastern Washington and during fire storms, floods, and ice storms. The unit's Security Forces Squadron supported local law enforcement in Pullman following campus riots in 1998. In 1992 the wing supported relief efforts in Hawaii due to hurricane Iniki. In 2005 the wing responded to Hurricane Katrina, the nation's most costly natural disaster.
In response to the Congress-mandated 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, the last of the KC-135 Stratotankers belonging to the 141st Air Refueling Wing were redirected to Iowa, and as of 1 Oct 2007 the 141 ARW now shares aircraft with the active duty 92d Air Refueling Wing.[1]
Major Command/Gaining Command
- Air National Guard/Air Mobility Command (1992–Present)
- Air National Guard/Strategic Air Command (1976–1992)
- Air National Guard/Tactical Air Command (1946-1976)
Previous designations
The wing has had the following designations:[2]
- 141st Air Refueling Wing (1992–Present)
- 141st Air Refueling Group (1976–1992)
- 141st Fighter Group (1960–1976)
- 142nd Air Defense Wing (1948–1960)
Squadrons assigned
- 116th Air Refueling Squadron (1924–Present)
Stations
The wing has been stationed at the following locations:[3]
- Fairchild AFB, Washington (1976–Present)
- Geiger Field, Washington (1950–1976)
- Felts Field, Spokane, Washington (1946–1950)
Aircraft operated
A Thunderbird F-16C refuels from an 141st ARW KC-135E. A 141st ARW KC-135R refuels USAF and USN planes, in 2007.The wing has flown the following aircraft:[3]
- RC-26B Metroliner (1994-Present)
- KC-135 Stratotanker (1976–Present)
- F-101 Voodoo (1965–1976)
- F-102 Delta Dagger (1960–1965)
- F-89 Scorpion (1957–1960)
- F-94 Starfire (1955–1957)
- T-33 Shooting Star (1953–1955)
- F-86 Sabre (1951–1955)
- F-84 Thunderjet (1950–1951)
- L-5 Sentinel (1946–1950)
- B-26B Invader (1946–1950)
- C-47 Skytrain (1946–1950)
- P-51 Mustang (1946–1950)
- AT-6 Texan (1946–1950)
Decorations
References
- ^ "Active-duty, Guard wings pave future alliances," SSgt Connie L. Bias, 92d Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs, 2 Oct 2007
- ^ Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- ^ a b 141st Air Refueling Wing History
- ^ Air Force Personnel Center Awards Search (Post-1991)
External links
| United States Air Force portal |
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Categories: Military units and formations of the United States Air National Guard | Military units and formations in Washington (state) | Air refueling wings of the United States Air Force
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