116th Air Control Wing The 116th Air Control Wing ( 116 ACW ) is a unit of the Georgia Air National Guard , stationed at Robins Air Force Base , Georgia . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . The 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron assigned to the Wing ' s 116th Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the World War I 840th Aero Squadron , established on 1 February 1918 . It was reformed on 1 May 1941 , as the 128th Observation Squadron , one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II . Overview . The 116th ACW is the only Air National Guard unit operating the E - 8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System ( Joint STARS ) , an advanced ground surveillance and battle management system . Joint STARS detects , locates , classifies , tracks and targets ground movements on the battlefield , communicating real - time information through secure data links with U . S . Forces command posts . On 1 October 2002 , the 116th ACW was established as the first ( and only ) Joint Air National Guard / United States Air Force Unit . The Joint Unit was inactivated on 30 September 2011 and the 116th ACW was returned to the sole jurisdiction of the Georgia Air National Guard on 1 October 2011 . History . World War II . The group was organized as the 353d Fighter Group ( FG ) at Mitchel Field , New York , although it did not receive any pilots until it moved to Richmond AAB , Virginia . The group trained in the Mid - Atlantic states during 1942 – 1943 while also serving as an air defense organization . Its original squadrons were the 350th , 351st , and 352d Fighter Squadron s . The group was equipped with Curtiss P - 40N Warhawk s that had been used by other units , but in February 1943 , it began receiving Republic P - 47B Thunderbolt s . The 353d moved to England May through June 1943 , where it was assigned to the 66th Fighter Wing of VIII Fighter Command at Sawston Hall , Cambridge . The group was equipped with newer P - 47D Thunderbolts and was the fourth P - 47 unit to join the Eighth Air Force . Operations commenced on 9 August 1943 when sixteen planes joined P - 47s of the 56th Fighter Group on an uneventful fighter sweep over the Netherlands . The group ' s first mission on its own was a bomber escort mission on 14 August . On the 16th , the group had its first engagement with enemy Me 109 and FW 190 fighters . Unfortunately , the first group commander , Lt . Col . Joseph A . Morris was lost in combat that day . From Metfield the 353d flew numerous counter - air missions and provided escort for bombers that attacked targets in western Europe , made counter - air sweeps over France and the Low Countries , and dive bombed targets in France . In March 1944 the group commander . Col . Duncan , proposed to Maj Gen . Kepner , the commander of VIII Fighter Command , that a group of pilots be assembled who would be specialists in the art of ground strafing . On 15 March sixteen pilots from the 353d , 355th , 359th and 361st Fighter Group s were assembled under Col . Duncan and nicknamed " Bill ' s Buzz Boys " . These pilots flew P - 47s equipped with " paddle blade " propellors which improved the low altitude performance of their Thunderbolts . Until " Bill ' s Buzz Boys " were disbanded on April 12 they developed tactics for low level strafing attacks on enemy airfields , which prevented the Luftwaffe from shepherding their air defense forces on the ground , in order to use them only when they had an advantage minmizing losses , because the aircraft were vulnerable both in the air and on the ground . During the Battle of Normandy , the 353d supported the breakthrough at Saint - Lô in July . The group received the Distinguished Unit Citation for supporting Operation Market Garden , the airborne attack on Arnhem and Nijmegen ( Operation Market ) and the advance of British Forces to link up with the airhead and attack across the Rhine River ( Operation Garden ) between 17 and 23 September 1944 . On the 17th and 18th the group concentrated on strikes against enemy flak positions threatening the landing of airborne troops , claiming the destruction of 64 flak positions and damage to 22 more in the two days . These attacks also resulted in the loss of two of the group ' s planes and flak damage to 17 more . After standing down for two days due to weather , the 353d provided top cover to the Douglas C - 53 Skytrooper and Douglas C - 47 Skytrain aircraft carrying out the operation . While protecting the troop carriers the group claimed 25 victories over enemy fighters attacking the drop and landing zones while losing four more of its P - 47s . In October 1944 , the group converted to the North American P - 51 Mustang . The group flew its first Mustang mission escorting Boeing B - 17 s on 2 October . This mission was the only one in which the group flew both P - 47s and P - 51s , although Thunderbolts continued to fly separate missions until the conversion was complete . Four days later Lt . C . W . Mueller claimed Eighth Air Force ' s second victory over a jet - propelled Me 262 fighter . About this time Raydon was known colloquially as " Bomb Alley " due to the number of German V - 1 " Doodlebug " flying bombs which flew directly overhead on their way to London . One V - 1 blew up as it went over and the engine narrowly missed the bomb dump in Raydon Great Wood . The group continued its fighter - bomber , escort , and counter - air activities , participating in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945 and Operation Varsity , the airborne attack across the Rhine in March 1945 . The group had two " aces in a day " on March 24 when Lt . Col . Wayne Blickenstaff and Maj . Robert Elder each claimed five victories . The group encountered a formation of FW 190 aircraft loaded with bombs , with another formation of Me 109 s flying top cover for them . The group attacked the enemy formations , claiming a total of 29 destroyed while losing five aircraft . This was the only time in the history of Eighth Air Force when two pilots from the same unit destroyed five or more enemy aircraft in the same engagement . The 353d ' s flew its last combat mission ( its 448th ) on 25 April 1945 , when it escorted Royal Air Force and 398th Bombardment Group bombers attacking Berchtesgaden and Pilsen . It had lost 152 aircraft in combat . 50 of the pilots had become prisoners of war or evadees ( including group commander , Col . Glenn E . Duncan ) , but most aircraft losses also involved the loss of the pilot . After the end of hostilities , the group trained and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Theater . With the end of World War II in September , the group left Raydon and transferred back to Camp Kilmer , New Jersey where it was inactivated on 18 October 1945 . After VE day in May 1945 , Colonel Glen E . Duncan received a B - 17 Flying Fortress from school friend Colonel John B Kidd from the 100th Bomb Group in return for Kidd flying a P - 47 Thunderbolt . The B - 17 was painted in the 353rd colors ( yellow / black checkerboard cowls ) and used to fly ground crewmembers over Germany so that they could observe the impact their aircraft had made in the war . Aerial Victories . Aerial Victories by the 353d Ftr Gp Aces of the 353d Ftr Gp Georgia Air National Guard . The wartime 353d Fighter Group was redesignated as the 116th Fighter Group , and was allotted to the Georgia Air National Guard on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Marietta Army Airfield , Georgia , and was extended federal recognition on 20 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau . The 116th Fighter Group was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 353d Fighter Group . It was assigned to the 54th Fighter Wing . The 116th Fighter Group consisted of the 128th Fighter Squadron at Marietta AAF , and the 158th Fighter Squadron at Chatam Army Airfield , near Savannah . As part of the Continental Air Command Fourteenth Air Force , the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air to air combat . On 1 October 2011 the 116th Air Control Wing was inactivated as a Joint Air National Guard / United States Air Force Unit . Reasons cited were that updated Air Force regulations did not cover the blended unit , leading to issues of how promotions , disciplinary actions and other administrative issues were handled , according to the Air Force The 116th ACW was returned to the sole jurisdiction of the Georgia Air National Guard on 1 October 2011 and reactivated . The unit ’ s 17 J - STARS aircraft remained under the domain of the Georgia Air National Guard , though the active duty pilots continue to fly with their Guard counterparts . Combat in Korean War . The 116th Fighter Group was federalized on 10 October 1950 due to the Korean War . It was assigned to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) on 1 November and was moved to George AFB , California . At George AFB , the 116th was changed in status to become the 116th Fighter - Bomber Wing on 11 November . The wing was formed with the following operational squadrons : At George the three fighter squadrons were equipped with F - 80C Shooting Star s and began operational training . After losing many of their F - 80 pilots to assignment to Far East Air Force ( FEAF ) as replacements , all three squadrons were forced to transfer pilots between themselves in order to maintain a balance of qualified pilots , and they were no longer individual squadrons of Georgia , Florida and California . In April 1951 116th FBW began receiving brand new F - 84E Thunderjet s directly from Republic . On 14 May the 116th FBW received a Warning Order for an impending transfer , and they expected to be transferred to Europe . With a Readiness Date of 25 June , the 116th FBW was ready to move , and by 1 July they had sent their seventy - five F - 84Es to the New York POE for shipment to France . However , on 3 July 1951 they received orders transferring them to Japan . Fifty - four F - 84Es had to be obtained from Bergstrom AFB , Texas and Langley AFB , Virginia as partial replacements for these Thunderjets . The 116th FBG with the 158th and 159th FBS ' s departed from San Diego on the transport aircraft carrier USS Windham Bay on 12 July , white the 196th FBS had preceded them by two days on the USS Sitkoh Bay . The USAF , having learned from the expensive previous experience with open air transportation of the F - 84 on an aircraft carrier deck , heavily protected their F - 84s this time with cosmoline and tarpaulins . The Wing off - loaded at Yokosuka Naval Base , Japan between 24 – 27 July , with their aircraft being barged to Kisarazu , Japan for cleaning and preparation for flight . Regardless of the care taken , thirty - three F - 84s suffered some degree of salt damage . Two squadrons , the 158th and 159th FBS ' s were then sent to Misawa Air Base , Japan while the 196th was established at Chitose Air Base , Japan . Their initial role was to serve as an augmentation of Japanese air defenses , and their op¬erational training began on 6 August . The 116th FBW remained on garrison duty in Japan into the Fall of 1951 . During this period they concentrated on providing air - to - ground support to Army units training in Japan as well as assisting in providing aerial defense of northern Japan as a supplement to the other air defense units . On 30 November 1951 the 159th FBS was alerted for a combat role , and on 2 December they dispatched sixteen F - 84Es to Taegu AB ( K - 2 ) , South Korea . The 159th FBS flew their first combat mission of twelve Thunderjets to rail targets at Wonsan in southeastern North Korea that morning . Three F - 84s suffered flak damage . They then returned again that afternoon . The following day they again returned to Wonsan two fly two more strikes . Further missions were flown on 4 and 5 December , and then on 6 December they sent twelve F - 84s to Sinanju and Sunchon , also in North Korea on a rail cutting mission , and then returned to Misawa AB . On 12 December the 1116th FBW pilots flew eighty - eight effective combat sorties . On 25 December 15 the 158th FBS was attacking a train when they were jumped by North Korean MiG - 15 s that attacked from 20 , 000 feet in pairs from the F - 84s Six O ' clock High position . Captain Paul Mitchel , flying as " Able 3 " saw two MiGs behind two F - 84s , so he came in behind them and closed to 100 feet , firing on the MiG leader ' s wingman . The MiG pilot bailed out , and his leader slowed down to see what was happening , so Mitchel fired on him , too , scoring some hits . Mitchel was credited with 1 - 0 - 1 , obtaining the last officially credited F - 84 MiG kill during the Korean War , and the only " kill " for the 116th FBW . The following day , 16 December the 158th FBS lost their only aircraft attributed to enemy action during the conflict . While strafing ox carts south of Pyongyang Captain David Mather , " George 3 , " was hit by antiaircraft fire and his F - 84 burst into flames . His wingman told him to bailout , and Mather ' s canopy was seen to come off , but the F - 84 crashed before he could get out . On 18 December the 158th FBS returned to Japan . The 196th FBS , started for Taegu AB ( K - 2 ) on 26 December for their turn , but didn ' t get there until 28 December , because of weather problems . The 196th FBS flew missions from K - 2 until 3 January 1952 , mostly close air support , with a 70 % accuracy , and returned to Japan on 4 January 1952 . The 116th FBG returned to combat on 26 May 1952 . The first mission was with sixteen F - 84Es that flew from Misawa to Chitose AB for a pilot briefing , and then after arming with 500 pound General Purpose bombs , they took off for an attack against Sariwon , in southwestern North Korea . The F - 84s were refueled en route by KB - 29 Superfortress tankers near Taegu , South Korea upon their return from the target , which gave any aircraft unable to be aerial refueled an alternate landing spot . After refueling the mission landed at Johnson Air Base , Japan and resumed the air defense mission . On 10 June 1952 the 116th FBW was relieved from assignment to Tactical Air Command and reassigned to Far East Air Force without personnel . The Guardsmen were returned to the United States , the jets and equipment of the Wing were then re - designated as the 474th Fighter - Bomber Wing and assigned to Fifth Air Force . Air Defense Command . The 116th Fighter - Bomber Group designation was returned to the Georgia Air National Guard on 10 July at Dobbins AFB . At this time the Group was restructured to include the 128th and 158th Fighter Squadrons . Initially upon their return to State Control both squadrons were equipped with the long - range F - 51H Mustang and given an air defense mission . The 116th was assigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) , being assigned to the 35th Air Division with a mission of the air defense of the Southeastern United States . Commencing in February 1953 the 128th began conversion to F - 84D Thunderjet , yet most were not received until mid summer . During the summer of 1955 the 128th was re - designated as the 128th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and converted the swept - wing F - 84F Thunderstreak . Strangely enough , it was not until March 1957 that the surviving D models were dispatched for salvage , with eleven of those aged D models having been lost in accidents while serving with the 128th FBS . In 1958 , the 116th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program , in which interceptors of the 128th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron were committed to a five - minute runway alert . In 1960 the F - 84s were again replaced by the F - 86L Sabre Interceptor , a day / night / all - weather aircraft designed to be integrated into the ADC SAGE interceptor direction and control system . Air Transport . In 1961 , the 116th FIG was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , trading in its Sabre interceptors for 4 - engines C - 97 Stratofreighter transports . With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need , the squadron was re - designated the 128th Air Transport Squadron ( Heavy ) . The 116th ATG was assigned to the MATS Eastern Transport Air Force , ( EASTAF ) , and the squadron flew long - distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements , frequently sending aircraft to the Caribbean , Europe Greenland , and the Middle East in support of Air Force requirements . In 1966 MATS became the Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) and EASTAF became the MAC Twenty - First Air Force . The 116th ATG was upgraded to the C - 124 Globemaster II strategic heavy airlifter , being the first Air National Guard unit to receive the aircraft . Due to requirements generated by the Vietnam War , missions were flown across the Pacific to Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . Post - Vietnam . In the years after the Vietnam War , the transport requirements of MAC along with the retirement of the C - 124 led the 116th to be reassigned back to Tactical Air Command in 1974 and was re - equipped with F - 100 Super Sabre tactical fighter - bombers , many aircraft being veterans of the Vietnam War . The 116th was changed in status from a Group to a Wing with the reassignment to TAC , and the 128th flew the Super Saber jets for six accident - free years until May 1979 when the last aircraft left Dobbins AFB to be retired as part of the phaseout of the F - 100 from the inventory . During that time , one F - 100D made a crash landing at Dobbins AFB due to its nose gear failing to lower and lock in place shortly before the aircraft were to be retired . The F - 100s were replaced with other Vietnam - era hand - me - down combat veteran aircraft by TAC during the early 1980s , as F - 105G Thunderchief Wild Weasel electronic warfare aircraft were assigned , then retired and F - 4D Phantom II fighter bombers in their final years of service . In 1986 the 116th retired the last of its Vietnam War Phantoms and received F - 15A Eagle air superiority fighters . The F - 15A was introduced into the inventory in the mid - 1970s and now were being upgraded in the active duty by the improved F - 15C . The 128th flew the F - 15 for the next ten years . The 116th Tactical Fighter Wing developed an impressive record of accomplishment and was awarded nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s . B - 1B Lancer . In 1992 as part of the post Cold - War reorganizations of the Air Force , the 116th converted to the Air Force Objective organization and the 128th was assigned to the new 116th Operations Group . In 1992 Tactical Air Command was inactivated and the 116th was assigned to the new Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . After calling Dobbins AFB home for 50 years , the 116th was presented with a new challenge in 1996 . The wing simultaneously converted from the F - 15 Eagle fighters to the B - 1B Lancer strategic bomber and moved 110 miles south to Robins AFB in Warner Robins , Georgia . As part of the post Cold - War drawdown , the active - duty fleet of B - 1Bs were being reduced for budget reductions and being taken off Alert Status by the former Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , which itself was inactivated in 1992 . Having to make the most of the available facilities , including the former Strategic Air Command alert facility at Robins AFB , the 116th Bomb Wing was quickly up and running and participated in a number of deployments and exercises around the world in the B - 1B . Airborne Command and Control . In order to save money , in 2002 the USAF agreed to reduce its fleet of B - 1Bs from 92 to 60 aircraft . The 116th Bomb Wing , having older aircraft was ordered to send its aircraft to " active storage " which meant that they could be quickly returned to service should circumstances dictate . Its first B - 1B was flown to AMARC storage at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona on 20 August . Under the Air Force ' s Total Force Initiative as a " blended " wing . America ' s first " Total Force " wing , the former 93d Air Control Wing , an active - duty Air Combat Command unit , and the 116th Bomb Wing , a Georgia Air National Guard unit , were inactivated effective 1 October 2002 . The 116th was immediately re - activated and re - designated as the 116th Air Control Wing . The 116th ACW was a blend of active - duty and national guard Airmen into a single unit . The 116th ACW was equipped with the new E - 8C Joint STARS airborne battle management aircraft . Its mission is command and control , intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance . Its primary mission is to provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting that contributes to the delay , disruption and destruction of enemy forces . The E - 8C evolved from Army and Air Force programs to develop , detect , locate and attack enemy armor at ranges beyond the forward area of troops . In 2006 , the National Guard Bureau conducted a facility assessment and determined that the 116th CES was residing in the second worst engineering compound in the Air National Guard . This led to another building being identified for the squadron ’ s new compound , and funding being appropriated for a concept study on how to adapt the facility for CES ’ needs . In April 2010 , The 116th Air Control Wing became the first ever Georgia Air National Guard unit to send a team to the Mountain Man Memorial March , held in Gatlinburg , Tenn . to honor those who have fallen in combat . The 116th ACW team sponsored Capt . Dixon L . Walters , who was shot down over Kuwait 31 Jan 1991 . The 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron has flown more than 82 , 000 combat hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom , Operation Iraqi Freedom , Operation New Dawn Operation Odyssey Dawn , and Operation Unified Protector . Beginning in 2011 , its operational resume expanded to include support of five Combatant Commands including U . S . Pacific Command , U . S . Northern Command and U . S . Southern Command . On 24 November 2010 , the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Designated the 116th Air Control Wing as an " Active Associate " wing and reorganized the " blended " wing concept . As a result of this reorganization , a new active duty Associate Wing was formed . The structure is an Active Association , composed of the Georgia Air Guard ' s 116th ACW , and active duty ' s 461st Air Control Wing . They will continue to operate together to accomplish the shared J - STARS mission by integrating Air Guard and active duty personnel to the maximum extent possible in groups , squadrons , and shops . The Active Association model is one in which a reserve component ( the Air Guard ) has principal responsibility for the weapon system that it shares with one or more Active Duty Units . On 1 October 2011 the 116th Air Control Wing was inactivated as a Joint Air National Guard / United States Air Force Unit . Reasons cited were that updated Air Force regulations did not cover the blended unit , leading to issues of how promotions , disciplinary actions and other administrative issues were handled , according to the Air Force . The 116th ACW was returned to the sole jurisdiction of the Georgia Air National Guard on 1 October 2011 and reactivated . The unit ’ s 17 J - STARS aircraft remained under the domain of the Georgia Air National Guard , though the active duty pilots continue to fly with their Guard counterparts . Lineage . 116th Operations Group 116th Air Control Wing