The 121st Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard, stationed at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command.
Mission The 121st Air Refueling Wing's Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker mission is to provide the core aerial refueling capability for the USAF and the Air National Guard. This unique aircraft enhances the Air Force's capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power. It also provides aerial refueling support to U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and allied nation aircraft. The KC-135 is capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations.
Units The 121st Air Refueling Wing consists of the following units: 121st Operations Group 166th Air Refueling Squadron 121st Maintenance Group 121st Mission Support Group 121st Medical Group
History
In the fall of 1950, the National Guard reorganized its operational groups along the Wing Base organization used by the regular Air Force. This placed the operational groups, along with their supporting units under a single wing. On 31 October 1950 the 121st Fighter Wing was activated, drawing personnel from the 55th Fighter Wing, which was simultaneously inactivated. The 121st Fighter Group and its squadrons were assigned to the new wing. The 112th Bombardment Squadron (Light) at Cleveland Municipal Airport was transferred from the 55th Wing and directly assigned directly to the wing. The 112th flew the RB-26C Invader.
Korean War federalization
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty. The 112th Bombardment Squadron was federalized on 10 October 1950. It was re-designated as the 112th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and assigned to the federalized Alabama ANG 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. It deployed to West Germany and later France to reinforce the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). It was released from active duty on 9 July 1952 and returned to Ohio without aircraft or equipment, which was transferred to USAFE. The 162d Fighter Squadron was not federalized and remained at Cox-Dayton Municipal Airport and continued its air defense mission. The 164th Fighter Squadron was federalized on 10 February 1951. The 164th however was selected to remain at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport and continue the air defense mission, being operationally gained by the Eastern Air Defense Force, Air Defense Command. The squadron was released from federal service and returned to Ohio State control. The 166th Fighter Squadron was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Indiana ANG 122d Fighter-Interceptor Group with an Air Defense Command commitment. The squadron initially remained at Lockbourne and flew air defense training missions. On 20 September, the 166th was reassigned to the federalized Oregon ANG 142d Fighter-Interceptor Group which was headquartered at Chicago O'Hare International Airport with no change of mission. However, Strategic Air Command (SAC) had taken over Lockbourne AFB on 1 April 1951 it was decided to move the 166th FIS to Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio, which was accomplished on 31 October 1952. The squadron was released from federal service and returned to Ohio State control on 1 November, remaining in Youngstown.
Early Cold War era
The 112th was reformed at Akron-Canton Airport and re-designated as the 112th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. It was re-equipped with F-51H Mustangs, and were one of the last two Air National Guard squadrons to fly this version of the Mustang. It was assigned to the 121st Fighter-Bomber Group.
At its new base at Youngstown, the 166th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was re-equipped with F-51H Mustangs which the squadron flew until 1954 when the 166th received refurbished F-80A Shooting Stars that had been modified and upgraded to F-80C standards. With the F-80s, the squadron began standing daytime air defense alert at Youngstown, placing two aircraft at the end of the runway with pilots in the cockpit from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. The squadron only operated the Shooting Star until January 1955 when the 166th received F-84E Thunderjets that had returned from wartime duty in Korea.
In September 1953 the 164th, now designated as a Fighter-Bomber Squadron, received its first jet aircraft, refurbished F-80A Shooting Stars that had been modified and upgraded to F-80C standards. The squadron only operated the Shooting Star for a year when in October 1954 the equipment was changed to F-84E Thunderjets that had returned from wartime duty in Korea. In August 1954, the 164th began standing daytime air defense alert at Mansfield, placing two aircraft at the end of the runway with pilots in the cockpit from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. This ADC alert lasted each and every day until 30 June 1956.
In September 1955 Air Defense Command wanted to re-equip the 162d Fighter Interceptor Squadron from F-51H Mustangs to jet-powered F-84E Thunderjets in accordance with the USAF directive to phase out propeller-driven fighter-interceptor aircraft from the inventory. However, because the runways at the Cox-Dayton Municipal Airport were too short at that time to support jet fighter operations, the National Guard Bureau approved the relocation request by the Ohio ANG to move the squadron to Springfield Municipal Airport, just east of Dayton.
With new facilities under construction at Springfield, the 162d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron conducted their transition training from temporary facilities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The F-84E Thunderjets were Korean War veteran aircraft and the squadron received training in the equipment from the Ohio ANG 164th and 166th Tactical Fighter Squadrons.
In October 1955, the 112th FBS were informed that they were to receive F-84E Thunderjets, but since the runways at Akron-Canton Municipal Airport were deemed inadequate for jet operations, it was decided to construct an entirely new facility for them at the new Toledo Express Airport at Toledo. The 112th FBS left Akron-Canton for the Toledo Municipal Airport on 1 April 1956 and retired their F-51H Mustangs for T-28A Trojans, and operated F-84Es until the summer of 1958. In January 1959, the 112th's facility at the Toledo Express Airport and moved to the new facility. The T-28s were replaced with new F-84F Thunderstreaks the squadron was designated as a Tactical Fighter Squadron.
In early 1956, a fifth squadron was gained by the 121st. The 145th Air Transport Squadron was allotted to the Ohio Air National Guard by the National Guard Bureau to replace the 112th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at Akron-Canton Airport. The 145th ATS, gained by the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) received federal recognition on 17 March 1956. Initially assigned C-46D Commando twin-engine propeller transports, the squadron was upgraded in 1958 to C-119J Flying Boxcar transports, fitted for aeromedical transport of personnel to medical facilities.
In early 1957, the 164th FBS sent their war-weary F-84C Thunderjets to storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona and received new F-84F Thunderstreak swept-wing interceptors. Later in 1957, the 164th Fighter-Bomber Squadron received the 1st Air Force Flying Safety Award for three consecutive years of accident-free flying, an impressive accomplishment as in the previous three years the squadron had flown three different types of aircraft.
The 166th was upgraded with new F-84F Thunderstreaks in November 1957, the gaining command of the squadron became Tactical Air Command (TAC), however, it remained attached to Air Defense Command in a secondary role. In 1959, the need for active duty Air Defense Command bases and regular Air Force fighter-interceptor operations were diminishing and the intent to scale back operations at Youngstown AFB was announced on 28 October 1959. The Ohio Air National Guard moved the 121st FBG back to Lockbourne Air Force Base on 1 March 1960.
1961 Berlin Crisis
The 121st Tactical Fighter Wing were called to active duty for a period of twelve months on 1 October. When activated, the federalized wing consisted of three operational units, the 162d TFS at Springfield, the 164th TFS at Mansfield, and the 166th at Lockbourne. The 112th TFS at Toledo and the 145th ATS at Akron were temporally attached directly to Ohio ANG Headquarters at Columbus for the period of federalization. The mission of the activated 121st TFW was to reinforce the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and deploy to Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France, a standby USAFE base. However, due to funding shortages, only 26 F-84F Thunderstreaks of 166th TFS were deployed to France, although several ground support units from the 162nd and 164th were also deployed.
On 4 November the first ANG T-33 aircraft arrived at Etain, with the F-84s arriving on 16 November. In July 1962 the deployed Air National Guardsmen were no longer needed in Europe and the 7121st began to redeploy its personnel to Ohio. All the aircraft and support equipment, however, remained at Etain to equip a new wing being formed there, the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. The last of the ANG personnel departed on 9 August 1962.
1962 reorganization With the wing's return from France in 1962, the Ohio Air National Guard received authorization from the National Guard Bureau to expand its squadrons to groups. This expansion had commenced in July 1961 when the 145th Air Transport Squadron was moved to Clinton County Air Force Base. The 145th ATS was realigned to Tactical Air Command and became a C-97 Stratofreighter air refueling squadron. The runways at Akron could not support the large C-97 operation which forced a move to Clinton County AFB. The 160th Air Refueling Group received federal recognition on 8 July 1961. The 178th Tactical Fighter Group received federal recognition on 15 October 1962 at Springfield. The 162d Tactical Fighter Squadron was transferred from the 121st TFG to become its operational squadron. The 179th Tactical Fighter Group received federal recognition on 15 October 1962 at Mansfield. The 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron was transferred from the 121st TFG to become its operational squadron. The 180th Tactical Fighter Group received federal recognition on 15 October 1962 at Toledo. The 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron was transferred from the 121st TFG to become its operational squadron.
The 121st Tactical Fighter Group retained its 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Lockbourne AFB.
Vietnam War and late Cold War era
In 1962, having left their Thunderstreaks in France, the 166th TFS at Lockbourne was re-equipped with F-100C Super Sabre fighter-bombers, which greatly enhanced its mission capabilities.
In 1964, the 160th ARG participated in Operation Ready Go, the first all United States Air National Guard (ANG) non-stop deployment of fighter aircraft to Europe. In 1965, the KC-97Gs were upgraded to KC-97Ls with addition of jet engine pods mounted to the outboard wings. 1967 saw the beginning of Operation Creek Party, a continuous rotational mission flying from Rhein Main Air Base, West Germany, providing air refueling to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) tactical aircraft. The success of this operation, which would continue until 1975, demonstrated the ability of the Air National Guard to perform significant day-to-day missions without being mobilized. It was taken over by the active-duty Strategic Air Command 7th Air Force.