192d Airlift Squadron The 192d Airlift Squadron ( 192 AS ) is a unit of the Nevada Air National Guard 152d Airlift Wing located at Reno Air National Guard Base , Nevada . The 192d is equipped with the C - 130H Hercules . History . World War II . Activated in October 1943 as the 408th Fighter Squadron at Hamilton Field , California . During World War II , the squadron was an Operational Training Unit ( OTU ) , equipped with second - line P - 39 Aircobra s and P - 40 Warhawk s . Its mission was to train newly graduated pilots from Training Command in combat tactics and maneuvers before being assigned to their permanent combat unit . Initially assigned to IV Fighter Command , then transferred to III Fighter Command in 1944 , being re - equipped with P - 51D Mustang s . It took part in air - ground maneuvers and demonstrations , participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers in the summer of 1944 and in similar activities in the US until after V - J Day . Inactivated in November 1945 . Nevada Air National Guard . The wartime 408th Fighter Squadron was re - activated and re - designated as the 192d Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Nevada Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Reno Air Force Base , Nevada and was extended federal recognition on 12 April 1948 by the National Guard Bureau . The 192d Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 408th Fighter Squadron . The squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was assigned to the California Air National Guard 61st Fighter Wing , although it was operationally under the control of the Nevada Air National Guard at Carson City , Nevada . During its early years with the F - 51D , the unit earned prominence as one of the Air Force ' s most respected aerial gunnery competitors . Korean War mobilization . On 1 March 1951 the 192d was federalized and brought to active - duty due to the Korean War . It was initially assigned to Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) and transferred to Bergstrom AFB , Texas and assigned to the Federalized Missouri ANG 131st Fighter - Bomber Group . The 131st FBG was composed of the 192d FS , the 110th Composite Squadron ( Missouri ) ; 170th Fighter Squadron ( Illinois ANG ) and 178th Fighter Squadron ( North Dakota ANG ) . At Bergstrom , its mission was a filler replacement for the 27th Fighter - Escort Group which was deployed to Japan as part of SAC ' s commitment to the Korean War . The unit was at Bergstrom until November when it was transferred to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) and moved to George AFB , California . At George , the unit was scheduled to be re - equipped with F - 84D Thunderjet s and was programmed for deployment to Japan , however the F - 84s were instead sent to France and the 131st Fighter - Bomber Wing remained in California and flew its F - 51 Mustangs for the remainder of its federal service . The 192d Fighter - Bomber Squadron was released from active duty and returned to Nevada state control on 15 October 1952 . Air Defense . Returning to Reno the unit was re - formed by 1 January 1953 . The 192d was transferred from Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) with a mission of Air Defense over Nevada and Northern California . On 1 November 1954 , the 192d began the transition from the piston - engine , propeller driven F - 51D to its first jet aircraft , the F - 86A Sabre used as a daylight interceptor . On 1 June 1955 , the 192d was re - designated as the 194th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . On 19 April 1958 , the 192d was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 152d Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 192d FIS 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 . Also in 1958 , the day - only F - 86As were sent to other units and the 192d received the day / night / all - weather F - 86L Sabre Interceptor aircraft . Tactical Reconnaissance . In 1961 Air Defense Command was reorganizing and the 192d was transferred to Tactical Air Command . TAC re - designated the 152d as a Tactical Reconnaissance Group , and equipped the 192d TRS with RB - 57B Canberra reconnaissance aircraft . Tactical Reconnaissance would be the mission of the unit for the next 30 years . The RB - 57s were the reconnaissance version of the B - 57 Canberra light bomber , which has replaced the World War II B - 25 Mitchell during the Korean War . The RB - 57s were used by the active - duty Air Force beginning in the mid - 1950s and it began to be sent to Air National Guard units in the late 1950s when the McDonnell RF - 101A Voodoo entered service . The 192d used the RB - 57s primarily to carry out out photographic surveys of areas hit by natural disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes . It was placed on alert during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis , however it was not activated or deployed overseas . In 1965 the RF - 4C Phantom II began to enter active USAF service , and the 192d received supersonic McDonnell RF - 101H Voodoo s to replace the subsonic RB - 57s . The unit served during the 1968 Pueblo Crisis . On 26 January 1968 the Nevada Air National Guard was called to active duty as part of a national effort to meet the threat posed by North Korean seizure of the U . S . Navy ship the " USS Pueblo . " During the next 16 months , Nevada Air Guardsmen served in Korea , Japan , Vietnam , Thailand , the Philippines , North Africa and some 18 bases within the United States . During this tour , the 192d Reconnaissance Squadron was awarded the 5th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award , only the second unit selected for this honor . All Nevada Air National Guard units were released from active duty on 9 June 1969 . In 1971 , the RF - 101Hs were replaced by RF - 101B Voodoos that were re - manufactured after serving in the Canadian Air Force . However , unlike the F - 101Hs , the " B " model was extremely expensive to operate in the field , requiring several costly and time - consuming fixes in order to maintain an acceptable operating standard . The career of the RF - 101B with the Nevada ANG was relatively brief , giving way to the RF - 4C Phantom II in 1975 . The 192d operated the RF - 4C Phantom for nearly 20 years . The RF - 4C was still in service at the time of the 1990 Gulf Crisis , In response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait , the 106th TRS of the 117th TRW of the Alabama ANG was deployed to Sheik Isa Air Base in Bahrain . This unit was reinforced in December 1990 by the 192d TRS which deployed to Doha International Airport , Qatar . With combat operations beginning in January as part of Operation Desert Storm , the 192d flew combat missions in the RF - 4C . When the first strikes against Iraq took place on 17 January 1991 , the RF - 4Cs were in action from the start . At first , they were limited to daylight operations , flying over Kuwait almost every day in search of Republican Guard units . They flew over Baghdad looking for such targets as rocket fuel plants , chemical weapons plants , and command and communications centers . Later , the RF - 4Cs were repeated diverted from other photographic missions to go and look for Scud launchers hiding in western Iraq . No RF - 4Cs were lost in action and eventually flew over 1 , 000 combat hours and 350 combat flying missions . The unarmed Nevada aircraft took over 19 , 000 photographic prints using 300 , 000 feet of film without a single target lost from processing . Following the end of Desert Storm , the RF - 4Cs began their retirement from USAF and Air National Guard service . The 192d RS finally turned in its last four RF - 4Cs on 27 September 1995 , their planes being flown to Davis - Monthan AFB for storage . These aircraft were the last RF - 4Cs in operational service , and with their retirement the era of RF - 4C service with United States armed forces to an end . Current operations . The Nevada Air National Guard began the conversion to a new aircraft and mission in October 1995 , with training and construction to support the Airlift mission and the Pacer Coin Reconnaissance mission . The unit received its first C - 130E Hercules aircraft on 9 April 1996 , and became an operational Airlift Wing in April 1997 . Pacer Coin was a day / night , all - weather reconnaissance and surveillance system which provided imagery intelligence support to theater and other commanders in support of drug interdiction operations for U . S . Southern Command . The unit assumed this mission when it converted to the C - 130E Hercules in October 1995 . The Nevada Air Guard had the only Pacer Coin aircraft in the inventory . The special sensors and optics on - board provided photo reconnaissance capability . The 152d AW also took part in " Operation Joint Guard " ( August 1997 - December 1997 ) in support of peacekeeping operations in Bosnia . The unit deployed one aircraft and 130 personnel to provide reconnaissance support to the region with its Pacer Coin capability . Operating from Aviano Air Base , Italy , the unit was scheduled to remain in - theater for approximately 60 days , but was not returned home until after 104 days . Their deployments complete , the Pacer Coin aircraft was retired on 15 May 1998 . In May 1998 , the United States military group ( USMILGP ) Commander Ecuador , requested the Nevada Air National Guard to send experienced individuals that could interface with the Ecuadorian Air Force , Army , and civilian mapping agency personnel . The purpose was to train them in the planning and execution of photo reconnaissance to assist them in their efforts to overcome the drug trafficking problems in their country . A week prior to the actual exercise to test the new methods and information , personnel from the 152nd AW deployed to Mariscal Sucre International Airport , Quito to conduct training and classes aimed at improving the skills of Aircrew and Photo Interpreters . Classes were conducted for a week with classroom training as well as practical exercises . The 152d Airlift Wing began conversion from the C - 130E to the C - 130H in 1998 . This conversion also included a modification , which provided additional Intelligence , Surveillance , and Reconnaissance ( ISR ) asset to the Air National Guard called Scathe View . Scathe View is composed of a high - endurance , adverse weather - operable , specially modified C - 130H aircraft ; a roll - on / roll - off sensor control and communications pallet operated by 2 on - board airborne imagery analysts ; and the Wescam ( subsequently L - 3 ) MX - 15 " pentasensor , " a day or night capable imagery sensor with a laser range finder and a laser illuminator . The Scathe View system disseminates intelligence data and information directly to ground forces in real time via on - board voice and data communications suites . Scathe View had been an essential component of search and rescue , aerial mapping and Humanitarian Relief Operations ( HUMRO ) during post - Hurricane Katrina operations in 2005 . In September 2007 , the Nevada Air National Guard utilized the Scathe View system in the search for millionaire adventurer and pilot Steve Fossett . The 152d Intelligence Squadron , part of the Nevada Air National Guard ' s 152d Airlift Wing , was the only unit at that time equipped with the Scathe View system . As of 2007 , the 152d Intelligence Squadron had 8 C - 130H aircraft fitted with the system . At that time it was also planned to upgrade the MX - 15 sensor and to provide a Beyond Line of Sight capability , allowing passing of data to intermediate higher headquarters and world - wide users .