192d Fighter Wing The 192d Fighter Wing ( 192 FW ) is a unit of the Virginia Air National Guard , stationed at Joint Base Langley - Eustis , Virginia . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . Mission . This is an Air National Guard unit co - located with the active duty 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley - Eustis , Virginia . The 192d Fighter Wing has a dual mission . The federal mission is to maintain a well - trained , well - equipped unit to be available for prompt mobilization during war and provide assistance during national emergencies ( such as natural disasters or civil disturbances ) . Under the state mission , the 192d provides protection of life , property and preserves peace , order and public safety . These missions are accomplished through emergency relief support during natural disasters such as floods , earthquakes and forest fires ; search and rescue operations ; support to civil defense authorities ; maintenance of vital public services and counterdrug operations . Units . The 192d Fighter Wing consists of the following units : History . On 15 October 1962 , the Virginia Air National Guard 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 192d Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 149th TFS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 192d Headquarters , 192d Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 192d Combat Support Squadron , and the 192d USAF Dispensary . During 1971 , the 192d was assigned the F - 105D Thunderchief , a battle - hardened supersonic fighter - bomber that was the backbone of America ’ s fighter element during the Vietnam War . The group ’ s special tasks during the next decade included several deployments to Red Flag live - fire exercises in Nevada and a deployment to RAF Lakenheath , England , in 1976 . In 1981 , the unit converted to the A - 7D Corsair II , a subsonic jet designed for close - air support . The decade long A - 7 era included several deployments to Panama to aid the defense of the Panama Canal and two trips to Norway , in 1985 and 1989 . Shortly after a deployment to Ecuador , the 192d deployed in September 1985 to Evenes Air Station , Norway ; above the Arctic Circle . A few weeks later , a Virginia contingent competed in Gunsmoke ' 85 , the Air Force ' s tactical fighter competition , and the 192d was named the world ' s " Best A - 7 Unit " . The 192d also earned the General Spruance Safety Award and was recognized as having the best Operational Readiness Inspection in the Ninth Air Force during 1985 . In 1987 , the 192d earned its first USAF Outstanding Unit Award . In 1991 , the 192d became the first Air National Guard unit to receive the Air Force ' s upgraded Fighting Falcon — the F - 16C / D . The unit was initially assigned 24 single - seat F - 16C models and two F - 16D models . By early 1994 , defense cutbacks reduced the unit ' s assigned inventory to 18 F - 16s , and eventually to 15 . Conversion to the F - 16 airframe required the 192d to build a $ 2 million " hush house " , a special noise - suppression hangar to test the jets engines without bothering neighbors . The 192d ' s designation shortened during 1992 , from 192d Tactical Fighter Group to 192d Fighter Group , reflecting the retirement of former Tactical Air Command and creation of the multi - role mission of the new Air Combat Command . After the 192d became fully operational with the F - 16 , it was chosen as the lead unit in a four - state Air National Guard F - 16 " rainbow " detachment deployment to Incirlik Air Base , Turkey to support Operation Provide Comfort II . Between 1 December 1993 , and 15 January 1994 , ANG pilots patrolled the no - fly zone over northern Iraq to prevent Iraqi forces from inflicting damage on the villages of Kurdish minorities . This marked the first time Air National Guard units were called to active duty in the Middle East , following Iraq ’ s defeat in 1991 . The unit returned to Incirlik in February 1996 for another round of patrols over Iraq . During October 1995 , the wing designation was changed to 192d Fighter Wing . At the direction of the commander of Air Combat Command , in January , the 192d became a test regional repair center for F - 16 engines . The 18 - month assignment called for the 192d propulsion section to strip and rebuild General Electric F110 - GE - 100 engines for its own F - 16s as well as for F - 16s assigned to Pope AFB , NC . The Air Force aimed to reduce the number of F - 16 maintenance workers , consolidate their training , reduce duplication of resources , and lower maintenance costs per flying hour . The 192d FW was selected to test the capability of electro - optical " recce " pods . After becoming mission capable with the pods in April 1996 , the fighter wing deployed to Aviano AB , Italy , in May 1996 for the first contingency use of the new pods and computerized imaging equipment . For 45 days , the 192d FW flew " recce " missions over Bosnia to support international peacekeeping efforts . In December 1996 , the wing was awarded its second Air Force Outstanding Unit Award . In December 2000 , 29 members of the 192d deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Southern Watch . In addition to Turkey and Kuwait , they were deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base and Eskan Village , Saudi Arabia ; Aviano Air Base , Italy ; and Qatar . Also in December , the 192d deployed on its first Aerospace Expeditionary Force assignment . A 130 - person detachment went to Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles as part of Operation Coronet Nighthawk , an effort to stop drug smuggling into the United States . On 21 September 2000 , the 192d hosted a reunion for the 352nd Fighter Group , the highly decorated World War II unit to which the 192d ' s 149th Fighter Squadron traces its military lineage . More than 100 World War II veterans and nearly 300 of their family members attended . In the wake of September 11 , 2001 , more than 400 unit members were called to active duty for up to two years ; marking a period of prolonged intensity at the Air Guard base , unmatched since the Berlin call - up of 1961 – 62 . Beginning in mid - September , combat air patrols were flown day and night for 218 consecutive days until mid - April 2002 for a total of 820 operational sorties and 3 , 515 . 5 flying hours . To support 24 - hour - a - day operations , the unit installed three alert trailers for F - 16 crews , and set up on - base laundry facilities , a mini - BX , and a small gymnasium . In September – October 2003 , in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom , the 192d Fighter Wing deployed more than 300 personnel to an undisclosed base in Southwest Asia . On 13 October 2007 , the order to reactivate the 192d FW was read by Lt . Col . Dave Kolmer at the Activation Ceremony held at the 27th Fighter Squadron , Langley AFB . Integration with the active duty 1st FW allows the Air National Guard to be at the forefront of the latest design of fighter craft . Transitioned from F - 16s to F - 22 Raptors and moved from Richmond International Airport , Richmond to Langley AFB , Virginia . Jointly flies and maintains aircraft assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing .