147th Reconnaissance Wing The 147th Reconnaissance Wing ( 147 RW ) is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard , stationed at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base , Houston , Texas . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . The 111th Reconnaissance Squadron , assigned to the Wings 167th Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the World War I 111th Aero Squadron , established on 14 August 1917 . It was reformed on 29 June 1923 , as the 111th 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 . Overview . The 147th Reconnaissance Wing provides two 24 / 7 MQ - 1B Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems combat support sorties , which provide theater and national - level leadership with critical real - time Intelligence , Surveillance , and Reconnaissance and air - to - ground munitions and strike capability . Also , the Air Support Operations Squadron provides terminal control for weapons employment in a close air support scenario integrating combat air and ground operations . Units . The 147th Reconnaissance Wing consists of the following units : History . In 1957 , the Texas Air National Guard 111th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , stationed at Ellington Air Force Base , near Houston was authorized to expand to a group level under the 136th Air Defense Wing . On 1 July 1957 , the National Guard Bureau extended federal recognition to the 147th Fighter - Interceptor Group . The 111th FIS was reassigned from the 136th Fighter - Interceptor Group to the 147th FIG , becoming the new group ' s flying squadron . Support squadrons of the 147th FIG were the 144th Headquarters , 144th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 144th Combat Support Squadron , and the 144th USAF Dispensary . Air Defense . Initially equipped with the F - 86D Sabre Inerceptor , in June 1959 the squadron traded their F - 86Ds for the upgraded F - 86L Sabre Interceptor with uprated afterburning engines and new electronics . In August 1960 the unit became one of the first to transition to the F - 102A Delta Dagger Mach - 2 all - weather interceptor and began a 24 - hour alert to guard the Texas Gulf coast . In August 1961 , as part of an Air Defense Command re - organization , the Group ' s assignment to 136th Air Defense Wing was terminated with 136th being transferred to Tactical Air Command . The 147th was directly assigned to the Texas Air National Guard , being operationally gained by the Air Defense Command 33d Air Division . On 1 January 1970 , the squadron was re - designated as the 111th Combat Crew Training Squadron and served as the Air National Guard ' s RTU ( Replacement Training Unit ) for the TF / F - 102A , In 1971 , when the active - duty force ceased F - 102A training and closed Perrin AFB , Texas on 30 June 1971 , the Houston - based 111th FIS became the Replacement Training Unit ( RTU ) for all Air Defense Command F - 102 pilots , and the squadron received several TF - 102A dual - seat trainers which were transferred from Perrin AFB while also retaining the T - 33A instrument training function . One pilot who flew TF / F - 102As with the 111th was 1st Lt . George W . Bush , a future Governor of Texas and future President of the United States . George W . Bush ' s military service began in 1968 when he enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard after graduating with a bachelor ' s degree in history from Yale University . After being accepted into the ANG , Airman Basic Bush was selected to attend pilot training . His six weeks of basic training was completed at Lackland AFB in Texas during July and August 1968 . Upon its completion , Bush was promoted to the officer ' s rank of second lieutenant required for pilot candidates . He spent the next year in flight school at Moody AFB in Georgia from November 1968 to November 1969 . Bush then returned to Ellington AFB in Texas to complete seven months of combat crew training on the F - 102 from December 1969 to June 1970 . This period included five weeks of training on the T - 33 Shooting Star and 16 weeks aboard the TF - 102 Delta Dagger two - seat trainer and finally the single - seat F - 102A . Bush graduated from the training program in June 1970 . Lt . Bush remained in the Texas ANG as a certified F - 102 pilot who participated in frequent drills and alerts through April 1972 . Lt . Bush was honorably discharged from the Air National Guard in October 1973 at the rank of First Lieutenant . An ANG physical dated 15 May 1971 indicates that he had logged 625 flight hours by that time , and he ultimately completed 326 hours as pilot and 10 as co - pilot while serving with the 111th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . In May 1971 , the 111th added F - 101B / F Voodoo s and became the RTU tar the twin seat F - 101F type , while continuing as the F - 102 Delta Dagger RTU . In January 1975 , after 14 years of service , the unit ' s F - 102s were retired , but the unit maintained a full fleet of F - 101s . The 111th also operated detachment 1 of the 147th FIW at New Orleans . The detachment was apart from the squadron in that it maintained constant alert status whilst facing towards Cuba . In October 1979 , in as part of the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command , the USAF gained command responsibilities which shifted to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) and a sub - organization equivalent to a numbered air force designated as Air Defense , Tactical Air Command ( ADTAC ) . In 1982 , the F - 101s were retired and ADTAC re - equipped the 111th with the McDonnell F - 4C Phantom II and continued its air defense mission . Most of the F - 4Cs the squadron received were Vietnam War veteran aircraft . In November 1986 , the F - 4Cs were replaced by later - model F - 4Ds . In December 1989 the 111th FIS started receiving block 15 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon aircraft to replace their F - 4Ds . The last F - 16 arrived in April 1990 . In 1992 , only a few years following the acceptance of their block 15s , they converted to the ADF variant of the block 15 . On 15 March 1992 the 111th FIS was re - designated the 111th Fighter Squadron when its parent 147th Fighter Group converted to the USAF Objective Organization plan . Also in 1992 the 111th FS celebrated their 75th anniversary . To commemorate this F - 16A ADF # 82 - 1001 was painted in special markings including a big Texas flag panted on the fuselage underside . During September 1995 , the 111th FS ended its alert detachment in New Orleans with the F - 101 Voodoo , also the 147th was upgraded to a Wing , with the 111th Fighter Squadron being assigned to the new 147th Operations Group . Tactical Fighter mission . In late 1996 the 111th started to retire their ADF F - 16s to AMARC . To replace these aircraft the squadron received the block 25 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . Transition started in September 1996 and was completed by February 1997 . This brought a change in role which officially happened in October 1998 . The role went from air - to - air to an air - to - ground mission . After returning from an Operation Southern Watch mission at Prince Sultan Air Base , Saudi Arabia in October 2000 , the squadron added Precision Guided Munitions to its arsenal . Global War on Terrorism . Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks , four 111th Fighter Squadron aircraft were launched to escort President George W . Bush , onboard Air Force 1 from Florida to Louisiana , Nebraska and finally back to Washington DC that same day . December 2001 saw the 111th deploy to Atlantic City , New Jersey , to fly Air Defense Combat Air Patrol missions over New York , Philadelphia and Washington DC in support of Operation Noble Eagle . In August 2005 components of the 111th Fighter Squadron and 147th Fighter Wing deployed to Balad Airbase , Iraq to conduct combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism . The men and women of the 111th FS / 147th FW once again distinguished themselves by flying 462 sorties and almost 1 , 900 hours in a two - month span ; with a perfect record of 100 % maintenance delivery ( zero missed sorties ) , 100 % mission effectiveness , and 100 % weapons employment / hits under the most challenging combat conditions . In April 2007 , components of the 111th Fighter Squadron and 147th Fighter Wing again deployed to Balad Airbase , Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism , where the men and women of the 111th FS / 147th FW continued their distinguished combat tradition . On this deployment the 111th Fighter Squadron flew 348 tasked sorties , plus six no - notice Close Air Support ( CAS ) alert scrambles and four short - notice ( less than 30 minute & not on the ATO ) pre - planned alert launches . With an average combat sortie lasting almost 4 . 42 hours , the unit accumulated a total of 1537 . 1 combat hours . Maintenance delivery effectiveness for this deployment was an astonishing 102 % due to the inclusion of the unscheduled CAS scrambles . Mission effectiveness and weapons employment were both once again a perfect 100 % . BRAC 2005 reorganization . During the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission , it was recommended that the F - 16 block 25s be retired . Texas Governor , Rick Perry , reacted quickly and made sure the unit could remain alive and did so by securing MQ - 1 Predator operations . This is an unmanned aircraft and although not exactly what the 111th FS had hoped for , it would keep the unit going well into the future . As was earlier planned in 2005 , the 111th FS gave up its last two F - 16s on 7 June 2008 and F - 16 operations drew to a close . The MQ - 1 replaced the F - 16 and the parent wing was renamed the 147th Reconnaissance Wing that same month .