175th Wing The 175th Wing ( 175 WG ) is a unit of the Maryland Air National Guard , stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base , Middle River , Maryland . If activated to federal service , components of the Wing are gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command , Air Mobility Command and the United States Air Forces in Europe . The 104th Fighter Squadron assigned to the Wings 175th Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the 104th Observation Squadron , established on 29 June 1921 . It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II . It is the oldest unit in the Maryland Air National Guard , having over 90 years of service to the state and nation . Overview . The 175th Wing is a composite fighter and tactical airlift unit . It is unique among Air National Guard units in that the 175 WG has three active USAF gaining commands : the Air Combat Command for its fighter aircraft , the Air Mobility Command for its airlift aircraft , and United States Air Forces in Europe for its 235th Civil Engineer Flight . The wing comprises two flying units , the 104th Fighter Squadron and the 135th Airlift Group , as well as support units including security forces , engineers , communications , logistics , aerial port and administrative support functions . Approximately 1 , 500 full - time and traditional part - time members of the Maryland Air National Guard are assigned to the 175 WG . The 175th Wing has both federal and state missions . Units . The 175th Wing is composed of the following major units : Heraldry . Symbolism : Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors . Blue alludes to the sky , the primary theater of Air Force Operations . Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel . The crossbow symbolizes the fighter mission and the Pegasus denotes the airlift mission . The representation of the Maryland state flag reflects the consolidation of these two missions within the wing and also indicates the unit ' s home location . Background : Approved by Air Force on 23 August 1996 . This insignia superseded one previously approved by the Air Force for the 175th Fighter Group following that unit ' s re - designation as the 175th Wing . History . On 1 October 1962 , the Maryland Air National Guard the 175th Tactical Fighter Group was federally recognized and activated by the National Guard Bureau . The 104th TFS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 175th Headquarters , 175th Material and Supply Squadron , 175th Combat Support Squadron , and the 175th USAF Dispensary . Equipped with F - 86H Sabres , the 175th TFG was operationally gained by Tactical Air Command . Tactical Air Command . On 13 May 1968 the 175th Tactical Fighter Group was federalized and ordered to active service . It was transferred to Cannon Air Force Base , New Mexico along with the NY ANG 139th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron as well as the 104th TFS . At Cannon AFB , the Group ' s mission was to act as a filler unit for the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing which were deployed to the Vietnam War . At Cannon , the squadron trained active Air Force pilots in forward air controller duties . The unit did not deploy overseas . The units were returned to New York and Maryland state control on 20 December 1968 when the TAC 4429th Combat Crew Training Squadron was activated with regular active - duty Air Force personnel . In 1970 the 175th TFG was realigned from a Tactical Fighter mission to a Special Operations mission when the F - 86H Sabres were transferred after being with the 104th TFS for thirteen years . The 104th was one of the last ANG units to fly the F - 86 . The Sabres , however , were not retired , but instead transferred to the United States Navy which used them both as target drones and as MiG simulators for TOP GUN aggressor training . The F - 86H had a similar size , shape , and performance as the MiG - 17 fighter then being encountered over North Vietnam , and many a Navy F - 4 pilot was " killed " by a F - 86H Sabre during these mock battles . In return , the 104th TFS received Cessna A - 37 Dragonfly counter - insurgency aircraft . In the Vietnam War , the A - 37 was a very effective ground support aircraft that was simple to operate , maintain and fly . The mission of the 104th was to train in the aircraft to support Air Force and Army special forces personnel and units . In 1974 , after the end of American participation in Vietnam , the unit began supporting the Military Assistance Program ( MAP ) by supplying training to Latin American Air Forces . In addition , in the OA - 37 configuration , the aircraft was used as a Forward Air Control ( FAC ) aircraft , that replaced the aging O - 2 Skymaster . In the OA - 37 configuration , the aircraft was equipped with small rocket pods , usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads used for target marking . In 1979 , the 175th was the first Air National Guard unit to receive the A - 10 Thunderbolt II ground support aircraft . The 104th received brand new A - 10A Thunderbolt II attack aircraft from the factory in Hagerstown , Maryland . The unit continues to fly the latest version ( A - 10C ) of the famed tank killer to this day . Modern era . Early in the 1990s with the declared end of the Cold War and the continued decline in military budgets , the Air Force restructured to meet changes in strategic requirements , decreasing personnel , and a smaller infrastructure . The 175th adopted the new USAF " Objective Organization " in early 1992 , with the word " tactical " being eliminated from its designation and becoming the 175th Fighter Group . Tactical Air Command was inactivated on 1 June , being replaced by the new Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . During the early 1990s , the 135th participated in humanitarian relief efforts in Somalia , peacekeeping and humanitarian relief in Bosnia , On 15 June 1996 , in accordance with the Air Force " One Wing , One Base " directive , the units of the 135th Airlift Group and 175th Fighter Wing merged to form the 175th Wing . The 175th Wing , is a composite organization with an Air Combat Command - gained fighter unit , an Air Mobility Command - gained airlift unit , a United States Air Forces in Europe - gained civil engineer flight , and , since 2006 , a network warfare squadron . In mid - 1996 , the Air Force , in response to budget cuts , and changing world situations , began experimenting with Air Expeditionary organizations . The Air Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) concept was developed that would mix Active - Duty , Reserve and Air National Guard elements into a combined force . Instead of entire permanent units deploying as " Provisional " as in the 1991 Gulf War , Expeditionary units are composed of " aviation packages " from several wings , including active - duty Air Force , the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard , would be married together to carry out the assigned deployment rotation . The wing has been deeply involved in fielding the latest Air Force aircraft . In 1999 , it dedicated its first C - 130J Hercules , the latest and most advanced version of the venerable transport . The 135th had played a major role in the test and evaluation of the aircraft and its procedures and was the first fully equipped C - 130J unit in the U . S . Air Force . The wing was also selected to be the Air Force ' s lead unit in converting to the new " precision engagement " A - 10C Thunderbolt II . Wing personnel were deeply involved in the test and evaluation process and in September 2007 , the 104th Fighter Squadron became the first unit to take the A - 10C into combat , when it deployed to Al Asad Air Base , Iraq . Since Sept . 11 , 2001 , members of the 175th Wing have repeatedly volunteered or been mobilized to take part in the Global War on Terrorism . From January to June 2003 , the 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron was formed and deployed to Bagram Air Base , Afghanistan , where it flew strikes against Taliban and al Qaeda forces and earned the distinction of being the longest - deployed Air National Guard fighter squadron at Bagram . When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 , the 175th Wing was among the first to respond , flying 42 relief missions and deploying nearly 200 troops to support recovery and relief efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi . From 2006 to 2008 , numerous wing members deployed to the U . S . - Mexican border as part of Operation Jump Start , the National Guard mission supporting the U . S . Border Patrol . BRAC 2005 determined to realign Martin State Air Guard Station ( AGS ) , MD . Distribute the eight C - 130J aircraft of the 175th Wing ( ANG ) to the 146th Airlift Wing ( ANG ) , Channel Islands AGS , CA ( four aircraft ) , and 143d Airlift Wing ( ANG ) , Quonset State Airport AGS , RI ( four aircraft ) . In return , the 135th Airlift Squadron would receive the new C - 27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft ( also known as the mini - herc ) . Maryland Air National Guard marked its 90th year of operation in 2011 . The year saw big changes for the unit with the transition from C - 130J Hercules to the new C - 27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft that will allow the unit to continue airlift transport capabilities around the world . The unit saw the completion of the $ 7 . 9 million 12 bay fire station , now centrally located on base to handle any aircraft emergencies . Joint HQ office provided support to more than 200 full - time members that were mobilized in 2011 . The 175th Wing performed humanitarian and domestic operations as seen in the responses to the earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Irene . Three lifesaving humanitarian airlift missions for 28 patients were performed as part of Joint Task Force Haiti . During Hurricane Irene , the wing established a receiving , staging and shipping warehouse operation to support various government agencies in distributing 195 pallets of water and food to Maryland locations throughout the state . The wing conducted operations in Cypress , Afghanistan , Iraq , Africa , Kyrgyzstan , Germany , Kuwait , Qatar , United Arab Emirates , Haiti , Estonia , Cuba and Puerto Rico . Beginning in July 2011 , the 135th EAS along with the Ohio Air National Guard 164th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron began rotational deployments for joint operations of the C - 27J from Kandahar Airfield , Afghanistan as the 702d Expeditionary Airlift Squadron . The 702d EAS flew the two aircraft on 3 , 200 missions , moved 1 , 400 tons of cargo , transported 25 , 000 passengers and executed 71 airdrops , according to Air Force data . In June 2012 , operations of the 702d EAS were suspended by the Air Force and returned to the United States . Originally , C - 27J aircraft were supposed to remain in theater through 2014 , but the Air Force decided to bring all of the aircraft back to the U . S . before the end of July after it submitted its 2013 budget proposal , which recommends terminating the C - 27J and retiring the aircraft . L - 3 Communications , which has maintained the aircraft in Afghanistan , is shutting down its operations in the country and is having its equipment withdrawn as well , an Air Force official said . The Air Force decided to bring the aircraft back to the U . S . ahead of schedule because the maintenance contract with L - 3 will expire this summer , the service official said . Keeping the aircraft in theater would mean spending an additional $ 20 million to $ 25 million in maintenance costs , the official said . The end of the C - 27J program " . . . would leave the Maryland Air Guard without the airlift capability it has used to deliver troops , equipment and supplies to isolated terrain in combat overseas and disasters in the United States . " It also would leave the 250 pilots , loadmasters , maintenance workers and other personnel of the 135th Airlift Group without an assignment . It is unclear what will become of the group . "