The 183rd Wing 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
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is a civil-military airport in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States, three miles (6 km) northwest of downtown Springfield. It is owned by the Springfield Airport Authority (SAA).
The airport is include ...
, Springfield, 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 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 ...
.
Overview
A non-flying wing, the 183rd Wing is tasked with augmenting Component
Numbered Air Force
A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squ ...
(C-NAF) in both the Air and Space Operations Centers (AOC) and the Air Force Forces staff (AFFOR), A1 to A9. The mission of the 183rd Wing consists of supporting the assigned groups and tenant units with traditional military services as well as all services for force sustainment including civil engineering, personnel, logistics, communications, medical, security, family support, and all other host services.
Units
The primary unit of the 183rd Wing is the 183rd Air Operations Group (183 AOG).
The 183 AOG is capable of augmenting C-NAF staffs worldwide, therefore affording AOG personnel the opportunity to train at various locations -
CONUS
''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...
and OCONUS. The role of the AOG is to assist the AOC in organizing, planning, and executing the "air war" in a contingency or campaign and assist the AFFOR staff in bedding down Air Force forces in the theater. The 183rd AOG is aligned with
Twelfth 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 ...
/ AFSOUTH at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
Other units of the 183 WG are:
* 183rd Medical Group
* 183rd Mission Support Group
* 183rd Maintenance Squadron
: Operates the Centralized Repair Facility (CRF)
History
![F-84F F-100D F-101B F-102A from ANG in flight c1970](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/F-84F_F-100D_F-101B_F-102A_from_ANG_in_flight_c1970.JPEG)
On 15 October 1962, the Illinois Air National Guard
170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 183rd Tactical Fighter Group was established by the
National Guard Bureau
The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...
. The 170th TFS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 183rd Material Squadron, 183rd Combat Support Squadron, and the 183rd USAF Dispensary.
The 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was equipped with
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version ...
s. It continued to fly the aircraft throughout the 1960s. The squadron was not activated for service 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 ...
, although from 1968 to 1971 many of its personnel were activated and some saw service in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. All F-84Fs were grounded in November 1971, after a 170th pilot was killed when his plane lost a wing during exercises at the Hardwood Gunnery Range in Findley, Wisconsin. The accident was caused by the "milkbone" joining bolt in the main wing which had been weakened by years of flying and failed in-flight. All RF-84F aircraft were immediately grounded after inspections of other F-84Fs in the Air National Guard found the same issue affected many other aircraft. The problem was deemed too widespread to justify the economic repair of the aircraft, and it was decided to retire the ANG's fleet of F-84Fs and replace them with more modern aircraft. In 1972 the 170th F-84s were given a 2G ferry flight permit to the
at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the 170th having the distinction of flying the F-84F longer than any other USAF/ANG squadron.
In January 1972, the 183rd Fighter Group was the first Air National Guard unit to receive the
McDonnell F-4C Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowe ...
, with its aircraft being Vietnam War aircraft that were returning from Southeast Asia. Along with the F-4C, a flight of RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft were received. In 1981, the F-4Cs were exchanged for the
F-4D Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bo ...
.
Post Cold War era
![170th Fighter Squadron - 50th Anniversary F-16](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/170th_Fighter_Squadron_-_50th_Anniversary_F-16.jpg)
The 170th saw its first
General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
on 7 June 1989 when two landed at Capital Airport to replace the aging F-4D Phantom II. By 5 May 1990, the 170th TFS was operational with the F-16A. Its mission at the time was fighter attack and was provided the Block 15 for this job. On 15 March 1992 the squadron changed designation from the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron to the 170th Fighter Squadron when its parent 183rd Fighter Group adopted the new Air Force Objective organization plan.
During early 1994 the 170th FS started to exchange their Block 15 F-16A/B for Block 30
F-16C/D Fighting Falcon
A large number of variants of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon have been produced by General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and various licensed manufacturers. The details of the F-16 variants, along with major modification programs and der ...
with the big inlet design. Most of the Block 15s were retired straight to AMARC. During the 1990s, the unit conducted numerous overseas deployments, including six to Southwest Asia, two to Denmark, one to Panama, one to Curaçao, and one to Thailand.
Global War on Terrorism
![170th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-16C 87-0294](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/170th_Expeditionary_Fighter_Squadron_F-16C_87-0294.jpg)
After the
11 September 2001, attack, the 170th FS increased its capability by obtaining AN/AAQ-28(V)
LITENING targeting pod
The AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening targeting pod is an advanced precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of aircraft worldwide. The research and development of the ''Litening'' was first undertaken by Rafael Advanced Defens ...
s in October 2001. Training with the new pod started immediately and included some internal personnel as some were trained on use of the pod as well as training from the
Wisconsin ANG. The purpose of the training was to get ready for deployment in March 2002 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 ...
.
Starting in January 2002 the 170th FS deployed for two weeks to
Tucson Air National Guard Base
Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson
south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airp ...
, Arizona for final training with the LITENING pod. Initially the deployment in March 2002 was to be with two other ANG units but this changed due to
Operation Noble Eagle
Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks..
...
air defense commitments. As a result, the 170th FS deployed by itself as the 170th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (170 EFS). When the 170th EFS arrived it replaced the 18th EFS which was normally based at
Eielson Air Force Base
Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and rede ...
in Alaska. On top of duties over
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 ...
, the 170th FS also had to perform air interdiction missions over
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in support of
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
.
In the very early morning on 17 April 2002 while on deployment in Afghanistan a pilot in a two-ship formation from the
170th FS mistakenly bombed a Canadian force which was practicing live firing of its weapons near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Four soldiers were killed and eight were injured. This tragedy dogged the 170th FS for years and a trial against the pilots began in Springfield.
After more than two consecutive years deployed overseas the 170th FS participated in
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 ...
when they deployed to the region in October 2004.
BRAC 2005
The
2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...
committee report recommended the retirement of the block 30 F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the inactivation of the 170th Fighter Squadron. Despite challenges by the governor of Illinois in federal court, the aircraft began to be retired, and ultimately the US District Judge stated that there was not enough evidence to support that the region would suffer major harm by the closure of the unit. The last F-16 departed on 23 September 2008, marking the end of the flying mission for the 183rd Fighter Wing.
Due to the outstanding quality of work historically exhibited by the 183rd Fighter Wing, the new mission outlined by the BRAC commission recommended the facilities and notable skill sets of personnel assigned be realigned into a Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility.
Current status
Since BRAC, the 183rd has been given an additional follow-on mission. The
Component Numbered Air Force, including an Air and Space Operations Center and an Air Force forces staff, is an aerospace operation planning, execution, and assessment system for the Joint Forces Air Component Commander. It is the primary tool for commanding and executing air, space and cyber power.
The 183rd Air Operations Group will augment Air Force headquarters staffs in planning, coordinating, allocating, tasking and controlling air, space and cyber operations in a theater of operations.
On 2 November 2014, the 183rd Fighter Wing welcomed Colonel John Patterson as their new Commander. Colonel Patterson replaced Colonel (now Major General) Ron Paul.
On 4 March 2017, the 183rd Fighter Wing was redesignated as the 183rd Wing (183 WG).
Lineage
* Designated 183rd Tactical Fighter Group and allotted to the Air National Guard on 11 September 1962
: Extended federal recognition and activated on 15 October 1962
: Redesignated 183rd Fighter Group on 15 March 1992
: Redesignated 183rd Fighter Wing on 11 October 1995
: Redesignated 183rd Wing on 4 March 2017
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
: 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 - present
Components
* 183rd Operations Group, c. 1 March 1994 – 30 September 2008
*
170th Tactical Fighter (later Fighter) Squadron, 15 October 1962 – c. 1 March 1994
Stations
*
Capital Airport Air National Guard Station Capital Airport Air National Guard Station is a facility on land leased from the Springfield Airport Authority (SAA), located on the grounds of Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport.
Overview
It is home to the 183d Fighter Wing (183 FW), an Illinois ...
, Illinois, 15 October 1962 – present
Aircraft
* Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, 1962-1971
* McDonnell F-4C Phantom II, 1972-1981
* McDonnall RF-4C Phantom II, 1973-1975
* McDonnell F-4D Phantom II, 1981-1989
* General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon, 1989-1994
* General Dynamics F-16B Block 15 Fighting Falcon, 1989-1994
* General Dynamics F-16C Block 30 Fighting Falcon, 1994-2008
* General Dynamics F-16D Block 30 Fighting Falcon, 1994-2008
Decorations
*
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force, unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the A ...
Air Force Personnel Center Awards Search (Post-1991)
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20101204123657/http://www.183fw.ang.af.mil/history/index.asp
External links
183rd Fighter Wing, Illinois Air National Guard
{{Illinois
Wings of the United States Air National Guard
Military units and formations in Illinois
183
Year 183 ( CLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 936 ''Ab urbe ...