page_title: 118th Airlift Squadron
section_title: Airlift mission
hierarchical_section_title: 118th Airlift Squadron / History / Connecticut Air National Guard / Airlift mission
caption_attribution_description: English: 118th Airlift Squadron C-21A Learjet
context_page_description: The 118th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard 103d Airlift Wing stationed at Bradley Air National Guard Base, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The 118th is equipped with the C-21A Learjet and C-130H.
  The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 118th Aero Squadron, established on 31 August 1917. It was reformed on 1 November 1923, as the 118th Observation Squadron, and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.
context_section_description: In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to realign Bradley International Airport Air Guard Station by distributing the 103rd's A-10s to the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Municipal Airport Air Guard Station, MA (nine aircraft) and retirement (six aircraft). The wing's expeditionary combat support (ECS) elements would remain in place at Bradley and Bradley would retain capability to support a Homeland Defense mission. By combining the two units into one squadron the Air Force would retain the trained A-10 pilots and maintenance technicians in the area and create an optimum-sized and more effective squadron.
  In April 2008, the 103d became an Airlift Wing. Its new missions now include; a bridge mission flying C-21A Learjets supporting JOSAC VIP airlift, counter drug operations in the U.S., Central America, South America and the Caribbean, A Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility (CIRF) for TF-34 engines used on A-10 attack aircraft and an Air Operations Center (AOC) responsible for Command and Control operations during wartime.
  Sometime between FY 2012 and 2014, the 103d was programmed to receive the new Joint Cargo Aircraft, the C-27 Spartan.  However, the Air Force has recently announced the end of the C-27 Spartan program, eliminating the aircraft from Air National Guards units.   It was speculated that the 103d will transition to an MC-12W mission.  The primary use of the MC-12W is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, support directly to ground forces however it is changing to the C-130
caption: 118th Airlift Squadron C-21A Learjet.
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