The 173rd Fighter Wing (173 FW) is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard, stationed at

Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing (173 FW). History In 1928, the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The air ...

, Klamath Falls, Oregon. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine List of major commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was establis ...

( AETC) of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Overview

Kingsley Field ANGB, which is located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, is home to the 173d Fighter Wing. The 173d Fighter Wing is responsible for training combat pilots and support personnel on the

F-15C The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

and F-15D Eagle for the active duty Air Force and the Air National Guard. In addition, as part of the Air National Guard, the 173 FW serves the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in times of peace and war.

Units

* 173d Operations Group : 114th Fighter Squadron : 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron * 173d Maintenance Group * 173d Mission Support Group * 173d Medical Group

History

On 1 April 1996, the 173d Fighter Wing was formed at Kingsley Field ANGB as a host organization and parent unit for the 114th Fighter Squadron (114 FS) when the unit was authorized to expand, with the 114th being transferred from the

142d Fighter Wing The 142nd Wing is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. As a state militia unit, the 142nd Wing is not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. It is under the jurisdiction ...

at Portland to the new wing at Kingsley ANGB. The 173d Fighter Wing consists of the 173d Operations Group; 173d Maintenance Group, 173d Mission Support Group and 173d Medical Group. Initially flying early versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft as a formal training unit (FTU), the F-16As and F-16Bs were retired in the late 1990s as their service life was ending. The squadron began receiving F-15A and F-15B Eagles in 1998, upgrading to the F-15C and F-15D Eagle in 2004 as the A and B series aircraft were retired and continuing its mission as a fighter-interceptor training unit for the Air Force and the Air National Guard.

Lineage

* Designated 173d Fighter Wing, and allotted to Oregon ANG, 1996 : Extended federal recognition and activated, 1 April 1996

Assignments

* Oregon Air National Guard : Gained by:

Components

* 173d Operations Group, 1 April 1996 – present ** 114th Fighter Squadron, 1 April 1996 – present

Stations

, Oregon, 1 April 1996 – present

Aircraft

F-16A/B Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

, 1996–1998 * F-15A/B Eagle, 1998–2004 *

F-15C/D Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

, 2004–present

References

173rd Fighter Wing lineage and history
* Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.
173rd Fighter Wing website

External links

{{Oregon Wings of the United States Air National Guard Military units and formations in Oregon

173 Year 173 ( CLXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Pompeianus (or, less frequently, year 926 ''Ab urbe c ...

1996 establishments in Oregon