page_title: Ohio Air National Guard
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Ohio Air National Guard / History / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules (s/n 90-1794) from the 164th Airlift Squadron, 179th Airlift Wing, Ohio Air National Guard flies over Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put In Bay, Ohio (USA), on 17 July 2008. The aircraft was being showcased as a recruiting tool for the 179th AW and was painted in the 1944 colours of the 363rd Fighter Squadron, the predecessor unit of the 164th AS.
context_page_description: The Ohio Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is, along with the Ohio Army National Guard, an element of the Ohio National Guard.
  As state militia units, the units in the Ohio Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Ohio through the office of the Ohio Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Ohio Air National Guard is headquartered at Beightler Armory, Columbus, and its commander is Major General Mark E. Bartman.
context_section_description: The 121st Fighter Wing, of which the 121st FG was initially a part, was created as the 55th Fighter Wing on December 7, 1947, to continue the history and the lineage of the 55th Bomb Wing, a B-24 outfit that saw combat in Italy during World War II.
  In November 1950 it was redesignated as the 121st Fighter Wing and equipped with the first jet aircraft to serve in the OHANG. The 121st FW was called to federal service during the Korean War, although neither it nor its squadrons saw combat. Other units saw service during the Berlin Airlift, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm.
  The 160th Air Refueling Wing was assigned to the Strategic Air Command on July 1, 1976. It was initially equipped with Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighters. The unit was based at Rickenbacker AFB and equipped with Boeing KC-135s, the 160th ARW was one of 13 Air Guard refueling units assigned to SAC as part of the initial integration of Air Reserve Component units into its forces and mission. On the disbandment of SAC, the 160th Wing was reassigned to Air Mobility Command, Fifteenth Air Force on May 31, 1992, and its 160th Air Refueling Group merged with the 121st Fighter Wing to become the current 121st Air Refueling Wing. The 160th ARG was inactivated but its 145th ARS continues as a unit of the 121st ARW today. The Major Command assignment of the 121st ARW is the Air Mobility Command.
  The 178th Tactical Fighter Group was formed on October 15, 1962, from the 162nd Tactical Fighter Squadron and its supporting units after serving on active duty in response to the 1961 Berlin Crisis. In 1993 it also transitioned from A-7 Corsair fighter bombers to F-16s and became the 178th Fighter Wing. The Major Command assignment of the 178th FW is the Air Education and Training Command. The 178th is currently a Fighter Training Unit and the mission since 2007 has been a Foreign Sales Mission. The 178th engages in full scale training of the Royal Netherlands Air Force under the FSM. This mission is scheduled through 2010.
  The 179th Tactical Fighter Group was formed out of the 164th TFS on October 19, 1962, after its release from federal service. Initially equipped with F-84s, the group converted to C-130 Hercules airlifters in January 1976 and became the 179th Tactical Airlift Group. It underwent its most current redesignation on October 1, 1995, when it became the 179th Airlift Wing.
  The 179th is currently re-equipping with the C-27 Spartan tactical airlifter with planned initial operational capability delayed until 2011, and a deployment to Afghanistan originally scheduled for March 2011 delayed four months. The Major Command assignment of the 179th AW is the Air Mobility Command.
  The 180th Tactical Fighter Group was formed in October 1962 flying F-84 Thunderstreak fighter bombers, shortly after its release from federal service. It later converted to F-100 Super Sabres and A-7s, and participated in Operation Just Cause in 1989. In 1993 it acquired F-16 fighters and became the 180th Fighter Wing. The Major Command assignment of the 180th FW is the Air Combat Command.
  Currently, the Ohio Air National Guard is serving a joint state-federal mission as part of the Global War on Terror. F-16 and C-130 aircraft of all OHANG units display the tail code "OH". In 2005 the 179th Airlift Wing, 121st Air Refueling Wing, 180th Fighter Wing, 178th Fighter Wing, 200th Red Horse Squadron, 251st Combat Communications Group, 269th combat Communications Squadron, 123rd Air Control Squadron where deployed in response to Hurricane Katrina.
caption: A C-130H Hercules of the 179th Airlift Wing
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