The 182d Airlift Wing (182 AW) is a unit of the
Illinois Air National Guard
The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard.
As state militia units, the units ...
, stationed at
Peoria Air National Guard Base, Peoria, Illinois. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri.
Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
.
Overview
The 182nd Airlift Wing's C-130H3 Hercules mission is to perform the tactical portion of the airlift mission. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. The 182nd Airlift Wing's mission is to provide the president of the United States, the governor of the state of Illinois and the adjutant general of Illinois Airmen capable of providing C-130 airland and airdrop; joint terminal attack control and support; command, control and communications; logistics; civil engineering; security; and support services for the nation, state of Illinois, and domestic community.
Units
The 182d Airlift Wing consists of the following units:
* 182d Operations Group
:
169th Airlift Squadron
The 169th Airlift Squadron (169 AS) is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard 182d Airlift Wing located at Peoria Air National Guard Base, Peoria, Illinois. The 169th is equipped with the C-130H3 Hercules.
History World War II
The 304th Fig ...
* 182d Maintenance Group
* 182d Mission Support Group
* 182d Medical Group
*182d Air Support Operations Group
* 264th Combat Communications Squadron
History
![OA-37B-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/OA-37B-1.jpg)
What is now the 169th Airlift Squadron originated during World War II as the 304th Fighter Squadron, which was activated on 23 July 1942. The 304th was assigned to the 337th Fighter Group at the Pinellas County Airport, Florida, and served as an operational training unit equipped with the P-39 Airacobra and the P-40 Warhawk. The 304th was disbanded 1 May 1944, and reconstituted 24 May 1946, re-designated the 169th Fighter Squadron and allocated to the Illinois National Guard.
The 169th Fighter Squadron held its first drill in December 1946 under the command of Lt. Col. Ralph Pickering, and it received federal recognition on 21 June 1947. The unit consisted of 40 officers and 215 Airmen by the end of its first year. The original base consisted of a shale runway and a single hangar for eight F-51 Mustang fighters, four AT- 6 Texan trainers and a B-26 Marauder tow target plane. The first annual training was held at Chicago Municipal Airport, now known as Chicago Midway International Airport, with flying done at Douglas Field, now known as O'Hare International Airport. In 1952, the 169th Fighter Squadron was re-designated the 169th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and then the 169th Fighter Bomber Squadron.
A large construction project had expanded the base facilities by 1953, and in 1954 the 169th obtained the copyright for the Indian Chief, the cartoon character from Walt Disney's feature film "Peter Pan", to display as their emblem. The squadron received its first F-84F Thunderstreak in 1958.
The unit flew the first ever Air National Guard air- to-air refueling mission in 1961.
On 15 October 1962, the
Illinois Air National Guard
The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard.
As state militia units, the units ...
authorized the
169th Tactical Fighter Squadron to expand to a group level, and the 182d Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau on 15 October 1962. The 169th TFS became the group's flying squadron, equipped with
F-84F Thunderstreaks. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 182d Headquarters, 182d Material Squadron (Maintenance), 182d Combat Support Squadron, and the 182d USAF Dispensary.
During the 1960s the squadron continued to operate its F-84F Thunderstreaks, and the unit was not activated during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. In May 1969, the F-84Fs were retired and 182d TFG was re-designated as the 182d Tactical Air Support Group (TASG); flying Forward Air Control (FAC) missions. The 169th was equipped with light observation
U-3A/B Blue Canoe and in January 1970, the
O-2A Skymaster
The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010.
Design and developm ...
aircraft. The group's mission being to perform visual reconnaissance, as the FAC flew light aircraft slowly over the rough terrain at low altitude to maintain constant aerial surveillance over a combat area. By patrolling the same area constantly, the FACs grew very familiar with the terrain, and they learned to detect any changes that could indicate enemy forces hiding below. Members of the 182d TASG provided relief assistance during state active duty for the Canton tornado disaster in July 1975. In 1976, the 182d TASG was awarded its first
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
In 1979, the squadron received
OA-37B Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pea ...
jet FAC aircraft from the New York and Maine Air National Guard, continuing the FAC mission. The 182d TASG received an "Excellent" rating on its first Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI) under the
12th Air Force
The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The command is the air component to U ...
, and the group was awarded its second Air Force Outstanding Unit award in 1985. In January 1991, 138 group personnel were called to active duty during the
1991 Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and deployed to
United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF).
Post Cold War era
In March 1992 the A-37s were finally retired. and the group received the Block 15
F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Air Defense Fighter (ADF). It was re-designated as the 182d Fighter Group on 15 March. In June 1993, members served on state active duty in response to the
Mississippi River flooding of southern Illinois.
Due to government budget constraints and military restructuring after the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, the 182d FG converted to the
C-130E Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
and was re-designated the 182d Airlift Wing (AW) effective 1 October 1995. In 1996, the wing began participation in ongoing flying missions for
Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. In 1997, the 182d AW celebrated its 50th anniversary and received an "Excellent" in its first
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri.
Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
(AMC) ORI.
Global War on Terrorism
![182nd Airlift Wing Illinois Air National Guard C-130 H3 Hercules at Kandahar Airfield in 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/182nd_Airlift_Wing_Illinois_Air_National_Guard_C-130_H3_Hercules_at_Kandahar_Airfield_in_2010.jpg)
After the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, members of the wing were called up to support the Air Force at various locations around the world. During a September 2002 deployment to
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, wing aircraft flew combat supply missions into
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
for
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
. On 29 March 2003, SSgt Jacob Frazier of the 169th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) was killed in action while serving with Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. He was the first member of the wing to die in combat.
In March 2003, immediately following mobilization, six aircraft and over 350 personnel were deployed to Minhad, United Arab Emirates, for
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. These airmen returned in August after providing airlift support throughout the theater. Since that mobilization, smaller numbers of wing personnel and aircraft have continually supported Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. On 28 December 2003, a wing crew delivered earthquake relief supplies to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, becoming the first US aircraft to land there since 1981.
Beginning in January 2005, the wing converted from the C-130E to the newer H3 model. In October 2006, the wing received a rating of "Excellent" after serving as the lead wing during an AMC ORI. On 3 February 2007, the wing was awarded its third Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period from 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2005. Some personnel remain deployed to combat zones as part of Air and Space Expeditionary units while other members of the wing continue routine worldwide support to the Air Force.
In 2017, 182d deployed four C-130H3 aircraft together with maintenance and aircrew to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia for a four-month Operation Inherent Resolve deployment, supporting U.S. and Iraqi forces in Iraq.
July 2019 saw 182d participate in the annual Exercise Northern Strike 19 in Northern Michigan. Crew undertook missions included simulated attacks from surface to air missiles and cargo air drops coordinated with ground JTACs. The wing's aircraft were operating from the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Michigan.
Lineage
* Designated 169th Fighter Squadron and allotted to Illinois ANG, 24 May 1946 -Extended federal recognition, 21 June 1947
*Re-designated: 169th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 1952
*Re-designated: 169th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 1952
*Re-designated: 182d Tactical Fighter Group, 1962
*Re-designated: 182d Tactical Air Support Group, 16 May 1969
*Re-designated: 182d Fighter Group, July 1992
*Re-designated: 182d Airlift Wing, 1 October 1995
Assignments
*
Illinois Air National Guard
The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard.
As state militia units, the units ...
, 15 October 1962 – Present
: Gained by:
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
: Gained by:
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
, 1 June 1992
: Gained by:
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri.
Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
, 1 October 1995-Present
Components
* 182d Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – Present
*
169th Tactical Fighter (later Fighter, Airlift) Squadron, 24 May 1946 – Present
Stations
*
Greater Peoria Airport, Illinois, 24 May 1946
: Designated:
Peoria Air National Guard Base, Illinois, 1991-Present
Aircraft
*
AT-11 Kansan AT-11 may refer to:
* AT-11 Sniper, a guided antitank missile
* Beechcraft Model 18, AT-11 Kansan, a World War II training aircraft
{{Letter-NumberCombDisambig