page_title: 86th Airlift Wing
section_title: 86th Tactical Fighter Wing
hierarchical_section_title: 86th Airlift Wing / History / 86th Tactical Fighter Wing
caption_attribution_description: English: F-16, 86th TFW about 1987
context_page_description: The 86th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force wing, currently assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 86th AW is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
  The wing's primary mission is to conduct airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation operations flying the C-21A, C-20H, C-37A, C-40B and C-130J aircraft. The 86th Airlift Wing commander also serves as the Kaiserslautern Military Community commander, leading the largest American community outside the United States.
  Originally the 86th Fighter Wing was established and activated on 1 July 1948 at Neubiberg AB, Germany.
context_section_description: In 1968 the Canadian Armed Forces announced they were downsizing their forces in Europe, and Canada's three wings left Zweibrücken Air Base, leaving the base available for USAFE. On 1 November 1969, the Air Force reactivated the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Zweibrücken.
  It received its first flying unit, the 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, on 12 January 1970.  The 17th TRS and its McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom IIs was reassigned to the 86th TFW from the inactivating 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Upper Heyford, England.  Squadron tail code for the 17th TRS was initially "ZS", then was recoded to "ZR" in 1971.
  For 18 months the 17th was the only operational squadron on the base.  On 12 June 1971, the 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron with its Electronics Counter-Measures (ECM) equipped McDonnell EF-4C Phantom II "Wild Weasel" fighters was attached to the 86th TFW from the 50th TFW at Hahn AB when the 50th switched to a strike-attack role, with air defense as a secondary mission. (Note: The EF-4C designation was not official.  The aircraft were officially F-4C models).  The 81st TFS, however remained a part of the 50th TFW but was detached from the wing's operational control and attached to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing for support.  Squadron tail code for the 81st TFS was "ZS".
  In 1972, tail codes for all 86th TFW aircraft at Zweibrücken were standardized as "ZR", per AFM 66-1, when squadron tail codes were eliminated.
  However, with these reconnaissance aircraft at Zweibrücken  the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing's designation did not coincide with the wing's mission.  The name issue was resolved as part of a USAFE command-wide effort to realign functions and streamline operations called Creek Action.
  On 15 January 1973, the 81st TFS was reassigned to Spangdahlem Air Base under operation  "Battle Creek". The last of this variant of the Phantom returned to the US in 1979/1980 and was replaced by the F-4G Wild Weasel at Spangdahlem.
  In addition, USAFE transferred the 26 TRW from Ramstein to Zweibrücken Air Base, Germany, and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) from Zweibrücken back to Ramstein on 31 January 1973.  These moves were made without the transfer of personnel or equipment with the exception of the 38 TRS, 7 SOS and 81 TFS.  The 38th remained under the control of the 26 TRW by moving to Zweibrücken with the wing and the 7th Special Operations Squadron was transferred to Rhein-Main Air Base.  The 526th TFS remained at Ramstein AB, and it was reassigned to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying F-4Es.  Its tail code was "RS".
  On 22 September 1977 the newly activated 512th TFS was equipped with the 526 TFS aircraft and the 526 TFS received new planes from McDonnell Douglas St. Louis plant. The unit was designated the 86th Tactical Fighter Group and was under the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing.
  With these changes, the operational squadrons of the 86th TFW in 1978 were:
  512th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-4E, RS, yellow/black tail stripe)
  526th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-4E, RS, red/black tail stripe)
  As the wing approached its fortieth year of service in Germany, the first F-16C Fighting Falcon arrived on 20 September 1985 and the  512th TFS converted to the General Dynamics Block 25 F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the 526th retired their F-4Es in June 1986, also receiving Block 25 F-16s.  The 86th TFW supported numerous military units located in the area and participated in numerous exercises that provided the wing with air combat tactics training essential to their mission.
  With the rest of the world, the members of the 86th watched the Communist Bloc countries of Eastern Europe with fascination as the events of the late 1989 unfolded. When the Berlin Wall finally began to come down on 9 November 1989 and the celebrations began, many members of the Ramstein community and 86th TFW went to Berlin to see the events and take pieces of the Wall.
  The 86th TFW and Ramstein had just begun to absorb the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War when, in August 1990, the Iraqis invaded Kuwait. Under Operati
caption: 86th TFW General Dynamics F-16C Block 30F Fighting Falcon AF Serial No. 87-0242
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