129th Rescue Squadron The 129th Rescue Squadron ( 129 RQS ) is a unit of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing located at Moffett Federal Airfield , Mountain View , California . The 129th is equipped with the HH - 60G Pave Hawk helicopter . Overview . The primary mission is to prepare for wartime taskings as specified by applicable gaining commands . The peacetime mission is under the control of the Governor of California . Upon mobilization , primary specified mission is combat search and rescue ( CSAR ) . When directed by the California State Office of Emergency Services ( OES ) and / or the Department of Defense ( DoD ) , the mission is to provide disaster relief support as required . This includes search and rescue ( SAR ) assistance to civil authorities , including International Civil Aeronautics Organization ( ICAO ) signatories , and foreign governments . Federal Mission ( United States Air Force ) : To provide manpower , material and equipment resources to conduct and complete combat search and rescue operations on a worldwide basis . To provide manpower , material and equipment to conduct and complete peacetime search operations . State Mission ( California Air National Guard ) : To furnish trained personnel to respond to state emergencies , such as natural disasters , and to assist civil authorities in the enforcement of the law . History . Special operations . The California Air National Guard ' s introduction to the world of special operations began when Air Force leaders decided to phase out active duty air commando units ( Known as Air Resupply units ) in 1954 . Despite the decision , there was still a need to maintain a limited number of crews and aircraft to support unconventional warfare missions . After lengthy deliberations , the Air Force decided in 1955 to establish four special air warfare units within the Air National Guard : the 129th in California , the 130th in West Virginia , the 143d in Rhode Island , and the 135th Air Resupply Group in Maryland . The 129th Air Resupply Squadron was established in April 1955 as a new California Air National Guard unit with no previous United States Air Force history or lineage by the National Guard Bureau . Activated on 4 April at Hayward Municipal Airport , the squadron was assigned to the 129th Air Resupply Group . Allocated to Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , and equipped with C - 46 Commando transports . The 129th was designated at the time as a " Psychological Warfare " unit which supported USAF unconventional warfare ( guerrilla warfare ) , direct action ( commando - type raids ) , strategic reconnaissance ( intelligence gathering ) , and PSYWAR operations . The C - 46 was supplemented by SA - 16 Albatross amphibious aircraft beginning in 1956 . The SA - 16 ( later redesignated HU - 16 ) completely replaced the C - 46s in 1963 . Training for water landings with the SA - 16 was extremely hazardous . To make matters worse , doctrine required pilots to land their aircraft on water at night , with no landing lights . Ultimately , the 129th ' s mission included counterinsurgency , military civic action , psychological operations , tactical air operations , and unconventional warfare . In addition to blacked - out water landings , the SA - 16 crews practiced pulling personnel from the ground by means of the Fulton Recovery System , which was " like bungee jumping in reverse . " Reassigned to Tactical Air Command in 1963 and re - designated as Air Commando unit , following the revival of an active duty air commando unit at Hurlburt Field , Florida in line with President John F . Kennedy ' s initiative to bolster the United States military special forces during the early involvement in the Vietnam War . In 1963 , the 129th participated in Exercise Swift Strike III , one of the largest military maneuvers since World War II . During the exercise , the unit not only flew a variety of special air warfare missions . Continuing its mission and training with the Active duty 1st Air Commando Group in Northern Florida , in 1968 HQ USAF directed all Air Commando organizations be re - designated as " Special Operations " units to be more descriptive of their mission . Rescue and recovery . In May 1975 after the end of the Vietnam War , the mission of the 129th was realigned , and the unit became part of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service , Military Airlift Command . In 1980 the unit moved from Heywood to Naval Air Station Moffett Field . The 129th has been assigned to support operation Iraqi Freedom . In 2003 by the Air Force Special Operations Command re - organized Air National Guard rescue units and created separate squadrons for fixed - wing , helicopter and pararescue elements of the 129th Rescue Squadron . The HH - 60 helicopter flight became 129th Rescue Squadron ; the HC - 130P Hercules flight become the 130th Rescue Squadron , and the pararescue flight became the 131st Rescue Squadron . The 129th RQS has been assigned to support Operation Iraqi Freedom ( Iraq ) and Operation Enduring Freedom ( Afghanistan ) in support of the Global War on Terrorism .