182d Fighter Squadron The 182d Fighter Squadron ( 182 FS ) is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing located at Kelly Field Annex , Joint Base San Antonio , Texas . The 115th is equipped with the F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . History . World War II . Established in mid - 1943 as a P - 47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron , trained under I Fighter Command on Long Island and Massachusetts . Moved to England , arriving in January 1944 . Began operations with IX Fighter Command on 14 March and flew a fighter sweep over the English Channel coast of France . Made strafing and bombing attacks on airfields , rail and highway bridges , trains , vehicles , flak positions , and V - weapon sites to help prepare for the invasion of France . Supported the landings in Normandy early in June 1944 and began operations from the Continent later the same month . Aided in the taking of Cherbourg , participated in the air operations that prepared the way for the Allied breakthrough at St Lo on 25 July , and supported ground forces during their drive across France . Continued to support ground forces , participated in the assault against the Siegfried Line , and took part in the Battle of the Bulge ( December 1944 – January 1945 ) by attacking rail lines and trains , marshalling yards , roads and vehicles , armored columns , and gun positions . Operated with the Allied forces that pushed across the Rhine and into Germany . After V - E Day , served with the army of occupation , being assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe . Inactivated in Germany on 20 August 1946 . Texas Air National Guard . The wartime 396th Fighter Squadron was re - designated as the 182d Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Texas Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at the Brooks Army Airfield and was extended federal recognition on 27 January 1947 by the National Guard Bureau . The 182d Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage , history , honors , and colors of the 396th Fighter Squadron . The squadron was assigned to the Texas Air National Guard 136th Fighter Group and was equipped with F - 51D Mustangs . The mission of the squadron was the air defense of Texas . During the postwar years , the 182d the 111th primarily trained the Hill Country and west Texas ; the 181st Fighter Squadron , based at Love Field , Dallas , covered the north Texas , and the 111th Fighter Squadron , based at Houston Municipal Airport , covered east and southeast Texas to the Mexican Border . Korean War Activation . As a result of the Korean War , the Texas Air National Guard was federalized and placed on active - duty status on 10 October 1950 , being assigned to Ninth Air Force , Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) . TAC ordered the 136th Fighter Group to Langley Air Force Base , Virginia , where the unit was re - designated to a Fighter - Bomber unit , and its status was changed to a Wing . At Langley , the 136th Fighter - Bomber Wing consisted of the following units : At Langley AFB , the 136th trained with their F - 51D Mustangs . Unfortunately losing two 111th FBS pilots in a training accident on 15 December . A third pilot was killed on 27 January 1951 in another accident . In February 1951 , the aged F - 51Ds that the unit had been flying since its activation in 1947 were replaced by F - 84E Thunderjet s , and the squadron began transition training on the jet fighter - bomber . Most of the training took place at Langley , although some pilots were sent to Shaw AFB , South Carolina . Maintenance crews , all new to jet aircraft , were trained at Langley and engine specialists were sent to the Allision plant in Indianapolis . Assigned to the Arkansas ANG 154th FBS at the time was a Navy exchange pilot , future NASA astronaut Lieutenant Walter Shirra ( who happened to be the only pilot assigned to the 136th at the time who was a qualified jet pilot ) . In May 1951 , less than seven months later , the wing was deployed to Japan , being attached to Far East Air Force and stationed at Itazuke Air Force Base , the first echelon of the 136th arriving on 18 May . The 136th replaced the Strategic Air Command 27th Fighter - Escort Wing , which had deployed to Far East Air Force in the early days of the Korean War . At Itazuke , the squadrons took over the F - 84Es of the 27th FEW , which remained in place , its aircraft being reassigned from SAC to Far East Air Force inventory records . On 2 June , the final elements of the 136th arrived in Japan , the national guardsmen officially relieved the 27th Fighter Bomber Wing and the SAC airmen departed for the United States . The 136th was the first Air National Guard wing in history to enter combat . From Japan the wing engaged in combat operations over South Korea , however flying in the North Pacific area was a challenge to the wing , losing seven F - 84Es in non - combat operations and three in combat . On 26 June , in one of the largest air - to - air battles in Korea , two 182d FBS pilots , Captain Harry Underwood and 1st LT Arthur Olighter shot down an enemy MiG - 15 that broke though an F - 86 Sabre escort of four B - 29s . Two other 111th FBS pilots , 1st Lt John Morse and John Marlins scored probables in the same encounter . These were the first combat victories by Air National Guard pilots . On 3 July the 136th sent their aircraft to North Korea , attacking FLAK batteries in downtown Pyongyang while other aircraft attacked North Korean airfields . However , the short - legged F - 84 had limited combat time over Korea , therefore on 16 November 1951 the wing moved to Taegu Air Force Base ( K - 2 ) in South Korea for its combat operations . In 1952 , the 136th was re - equipped with the F - 84G Thunderjet , designed for tactical close air support of ground forces . During its time in combat , the 136th flew 15 , 515 combat sorties ; was credited with 4 enemy aircraft destroyed ; 7 probables and 72 others damaged . It was the first ANG unit to down a MiG - 15 ; it dropped 23 , 749 ( 7 , 120 tons ) of bombs and expended over 3 million rounds of . 50 caliber ammunition ; being awarded Five Korean Campaign Ribbons . The 136th Fighter - Bomber Wing was released from active duty and returned to the United States on 10 July 1952 Air Defense Command . With the 182d ' s return from the Korean War , the squadron was re - equipped with the Very Long Range ( VLR ) F - 51H Mustang , which had been developed to escort B - 29 Superfortress bombers in the Pacific Theater from the Mariana Islands to the Japanese Home Islands . The F - 51H would allow the squadron to intercept any unidentified aircraft over any part of Texas . The squadron became part of Air Defense Command ( ADC ) and resumed its postwar mission of Texas air defense . It was not until August 1956 that the 182d received first - generation F - 80C Shooting Star jets , replacing some of the last F - 51H Mustangs in the USAF inventory . In 1957 , the squadron was selected by the Air Defense Command to man a runway alert program on full 24 - hour basis - with armed jet fighters ready to " scramble " at a moment ' s notice . This event brought the wing into the daily combat operational program of the USAF , placing us on " the end of the runway " alongside regular USAF - Air Defense Fighter Squadrons . The obsolescent F - 80 day fighters were upgraded to the all - weather / day / night F - 86D Sabre Interceptor by the end of the year . In June 1959 the squadron traded their F - 86Ds for the upgraded F - 86L Sabre Interceptor with uprated afterburning engines and new electronics . In July 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 . The 182d enjoyed the distinction of being the first F - 102 " Deuce " squadron in the Air National Guard . When flight operations ended at Brooks AFB in October 1960 , the squadron was moved to nearby Kelly Air Force Base , beginning operations on 1 November 1960 . In August 1961 , as part of an Air Defense Command re - organization , the 182d Fighter Interceptor Squadron ' s assignment to 136th Air Defense Wing was terminated with 136th being transferred to Tactical Air Command . As a result , the 182d was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 149th Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 182d Fighter Interceptor Squadron became the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 149th Headquarters , 149th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 149th Combat Support Squadron , and the 149th USAF Dispensary . The 149th was directly assigned to the Texas Air National Guard , being operationally gained by the Air Defense Command 33d Air Division . As with many other ANG squadrons , the 182d temporally operated two TF - 102 twin - seat trainers for ANG F - 102 pilots while remaining on runway alert status . Also , the squadron operated T - 33A Shooting Star jet trainers and a Convair VT - 29 transport for courier duties . Tactical Air Support . In 1968 , the Air National Guard began to retire its F - 102s and the 182d was ordered to send their aircraft to Davis - Monthan AFB for storage at AMARC . In July , as part of the drawdown of continental fighter air defense , the 149th FIG was transferred from Aerospace Defense Command to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) , with the Group and 182d being re - designated as a Tactical Fighter Group and Squadron . As an interim measure , the 182d Tactical Fighter Squadron was re - equipped with obsolescent F - 84F Thunderjet s by TAC . The squadron was the second - to - last ANG squadron to fly the F - 84F . During the summer of 1971 the 182d began to receive F - 100D / F Super Sabre tactical fighter bombers . The 182d was one of the first ANG squadrons to receive the Super Sabre , as most were being operated in South Vietnam at the time . The F - 100s received by the squadron were aircraft being withdrawn from the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Wethersfield , England , when Wethersfield was being closed for flight operations , and the wing being re - equipped with the new General Dynamics F - 111 at a new base , RAF Upper Heyford . The Super Sabre was dedicated fighter - bomber , with no concession being made to a secondary air - superiority role and the squadron trained in using the fighter for ground support . Beginning in 1975 , the 182d began a NATO commitment , with squadron aircraft and personnel deploying to the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) for Autumn Forge / Cold Fire / Reforger exercises . By 1979 , the Super Sabres were being retired , and were replaced by McDonnell F - 4C Phantom II s , largely Vietnam War veteran aircraft , that were made available to the Air National Guard . With the Phantom , the 182d continued their tactical fighter mission with the more capable aircraft . The squadron also continued its NATO deployments , exercising at USAFE bases in West Germany , England , the Netherlands and Denmark . In 1986 , the Phantoms were reaching the end of the operational service , and they were replaced by the F - 16A Fighting Falcon . The F - 16s were transferred from the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing , Moody AFB , Georgia . Initially the squadron began to receive Block 15 single - seat F - 16As , and a few twin - seat F - 16Bs . The Block 15 was the major production model of the F - 16A . The F - 16s received were modified the Air National Guard ' s new priority in the 1980s , when it was assigned the primary responsibility of the aerial defense of the continental United States . The aircraft received were the F - 16A Air Defense ( ADF ) variant , being equipped with HF radio and an improved APG - 66 radar that was compatible with the AIM - 7 Sparrow and AIM - 120 AMRAAM radar - guided missiles for air - to - air interceptor missions . A spotlight was installed on the side of the nose to aid in the identification of nighttime intruders . At its peak , the ANG ADF force equipped a defensive chain which surrounded the entire perimeter of the continental United States . Higher - performance Block 25 F - 16C / D aircraft replaced the Block 15 A / B model aircraft in 1996 . Although similar in appearance to the earlier models , the Block 25 aircraft were a considerable advancement with the Westinghouse AN / APG - 68 ( V ) multi - mode radar with better range , sharper resolution , and expanded operating modes . The planar array in the nose provides numerous air - to - air modes , including range - while - search , uplook and velocity search , single target track , raid cluster resolution , and track - while - scan for up to 10 targets . The radar was capable of handling the guidance of the AGM - 65 Maverick air - to - surface missile . Upgraded engines made the aircraft capable of Mach - 2 performance . In 1997 , the squadron deployed aircraft and personnel to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait , in support of Operation Southern Watch . However , the Block 25 aircraft were all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100 - PW - 200 turbofan , which were prone to engine stalls . In 1998 , the squadron received Block 30 aircraft , with wider intakes and the General Electric F - 110 engine . However , by the mid - 1990s and with the end of the Cold War , there appeared to be no longer any threat to America ' s homeland from bombers or cruise missiles . Modern era . In 1999 , the mission of the 149th Fighter Group was changed from Air Combat operations to becoming a Formal Training Unit ( FTU ) for Air National Guard F - 16 pilots under Air Education and Training Command . The 182d provides combat training for active duty , Air National Guard , and Reserve F - 16 pilots , including recent graduates from USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training making them combat ready upon graduation of a 9 - month course . Almost all instructor pilots within the unit are former active duty F - 16 pilots . Although the squadron is not officially a combat unit , after the 9 / 11 attacks in 2001 and 2002 , the squadron flew Operation Noble Eagle air defense missions in the United States in support of USNORTHCOM and the U . S . Department of Homeland Security . It also deploys to other bases , flying Dissimilar air combat training missions against active - duty , reserve and ANG units . In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations , DoD recommended to realign the 178th Fighter Wing , Ohio Air National Guard to an MQ - 1 Predator ISR mission and transfer six additional Block 30 F - 16 aircraft to the 182d Fighter Squadron . DoD claimed that its recommendation was made because Lackland ( Kelly Annex ) ( 47 ) had higher military value than Springfield - Beckley AGB ( 128 ) . This recommendation also would optimize the squadron size of the 182d , the only ANG F - 16 Flying Training Unit . The squadron ' s Block 30 aircraft , manufactured between 1987 and 1989 are currently reaching the end of their service life . They have been certified by Boeing though at least 2015 , however it is unclear what aircraft or what the mission of the unit will transition to in the future .