165th Airlift Wing The 165th Airlift Wing ( 165 AW ) is a unit of the Georgia Air National Guard , stationed at Savannah Air National Guard Base , Georgia . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . Overview . The mission of the 165th Airlift Wing is to provide tactical airlift of personnel , equipment and supplies worldwide . Units . The 165th Airlift Wing consists of the following units : History . On 10 July 1958 , the Georgia Air National Guard 158th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 165th Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 158th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 165th Headquarters , 165th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 165th Combat Support Squadron , and the 165th USAF Dispensary . Gained by Air Defense Command , along with the activation of the Group , the 158th FIS was re - equipped with the F - 86L Sabre Interceptor , a day / night / all - weather aircraft designed to be integrated into the ADC SAGE interceptor direction and control system . 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 . Airlift mission . Reorganization came in 1962 when the unit transitioned from a fighter mission to an airlift mission The 158th Fighter Squadron became 158th Air Transport Squadron on 1 July 1962 assigned to the 165th Air Group . They traded 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 in 1967 . Due to requirements generated by the Vietnam War , missions were flown across the Pacific to Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . On 8 August 1975 , the first of the C - 130E aircraft , aptly named " Hercules " , came to the City of Savannah at the international airport to replace the older C - 124 ' s . While the C - 124 ' s were being retired from the Air Force inventory , the C - 130 ' s were arriving at the 165th Tactical Airlift Group . The 158th received seven new C - 130H Hercules aircraft directly from the Lockheed Factory manufactured for the unit during September and October 1981 . On 15 April 1992 , the unit was redesignated the 165th Airlift Group . On 1 October 1995 , the unit received its current designation , the 165th Airlift Wing . In 2005 , the unit deployed aircraft and more than 100 personnel to Karshi - Khanabad , Uzbekistan , for 11 months . During this period , the unit airlifted more than 35 , 660 tons of cargo in support of the Global War on Terror . Since the beginning of operations in the Persian Gulf , the 165th Airlift Wing has been integrally involved in air operations . Several elements of the wing have been deployed throughout the region , with airmen serving in Uzbekistan , Turkey , Kuwait , Iraq and Afghanistan . In 2009 , the 165th Airlift Wing deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . Recent Deployments . On 25 January 2010 , a small group of Airmen deployed from the 165th Airlift Wing to Haiti in support of the Haitian relief efforts . In January 2011 , the last of six C - 130H2 Hercules aircraft began a three - month stint at Bagram Air Base . This was the ninth time the 165th has deployed – to Iraq or Afghanistan – since September 11 , 2001 , in support of the War on Terror . Deploying with the aircraft were more than 150 Georgia Guard Airmen , including all of the wing ’ s operations division and more than 50 percent of its maintenance department . During the summer 0f 2011 , Air Guard personnel from Savannah ’ s 165th Airlift Wing assisted the Georgia Forestry Commission in fighting wildfires in southern Georgia . Disaster Response . In January 2010 , in response to the earthquake in Haiti , the 165th Airlift Wing placed a C - 130 aircraft and crew on standby for the relief effort as ordered by the National Guard Bureau . The 165th quickly established a kitchen and dining area , one of fifteen in the burgeoning military sections of the city .