187th Fighter Wing The 187th Fighter Wing ( 187 FW ) is a unit of the Alabama Air National Guard , stationed at Montgomery Air National Guard Base , Alabama . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . Mission . To provide the state Governor , National Command Authority , and Combatant Commanders with a superbly equipped and trained general purpose F - 16C + Block 30 Aviation Package , associated Expeditionary Combat Support functions and RC - 26B counter drug package for worldwide combat and peacetime / humanitarian tasking in support of our community , state , and national interests . Units . The 187th Fighter Wing consists of the following units : History . On 15 October 1962 , the Alabama Air National Guard 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 160th TRS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 187th Headquarters , 1187th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 187th Combat Support Squadron , and the 187th USAF Dispensary . The unit was flying the RF - 84F Thunderstreak . In 1971 the RF - 4C Phantom II photo - reconnaissance aircraft was being withdrawn from Southeast Asia , and the 160th began to receive these Vietnam War veteran aircraft . The RF - 84Fs were retired and during the 1970s the squadron flew the Phantoms in its aerial reconnaissance mission . Tactical Fighter . In 1983 the 187th was re - aligned from its photo - reconnaissance mission and converted to a tactical fighter mission , transferring its RF - 4Cs and receiving Vietnam Veteran F - 4D Phantom II s . The F - 4D Phantoms were part of a batch equipped to use the AVQ - 23 Pave Spike laser designation pod and the AGM - 65 Maverick ASM in the 1970s . By 1988 the Phantoms were being withdrawn from the Air National Guard inventory , and the 160th began to receive Block 30 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon s to use in the tactical fighter mission . During the 1990s , the 187th has undertaken an ambitious and successful regimen of participation in many Total Force deployments . These deployments have taken the men and women of the 187th to exercises in South Korea , Norway , Guam , Hawaii , Alaska , and many other stateside locations . By far the most significant deployments have been for contingency operations enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq . In 1995 , the unit deployed for a 30 - day rotation to Incirlik AB , Turkey for Operation Provide Comfort II . The following year , the Wing deployed to Al Jaber AB , Kuwait for Operation Southern Watch . Then in 1997 , the Wing returned to Incirlik for Operation Northern Watch . These operations were to enforce the respective northern and southern no - fly zones over Iraq . Global War on Terrorism . After the 9 / 11 attacks , the 187th performed Combat Air Patrol flights as part of Operation Noble Eagle in the United States . The unit sustained this effort for Operation Noble Eagle for one year following the events of September 11 . The 187th was again called to active duty in January until April 2003 as part of the largest military mobilization since the 1991 Gulf War . This marked the largest unit activation in the units 50 - year history with over 500 personnel being deployed along with aircraft and equipment for Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) . The 187th , as an integral part of the Total Force , deployed to Prince Hassan Air Base ( H - 5 ) and Shahid Muafaq Al - Salti Air Base , Jordan , as the lead unit , commanding a mixture of Air National Guard , Air Force Reserve , Active Air Force and British Royal Air Force units comprising the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing . This marked the largest integration of coalition Air and Special Forces Operations in history with over 3 , 500 personnel operating out of this location . The 410th ' s mission was to prevent Iraqi missile launches against coalition forces and neighboring countries . In September 2004 the unit again deployed over 300 personnel with aircraft and equipment to Al Udeid AB , Qatar for Operation Iraqi Freedom . This deployment also marked a significant first for the unit and the U . S . Military . The 187th was the first unit to ever use the GBU - 38 Joint Direct Attack Munition in combat . The GBU - 38 is a 500 lb global positioning system ( GPS ) guided bomb which , while being very effective , minimizes collateral damage . The GBU - 38 is a precision guided munition commonly referred to as a " Smart Bomb " . This weapon was effectively employed by the 187th in the Battle of Fallujah . In 2006 , the 160th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed to Balad AB , Iraq for 90 days and became part of the 322d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) . In 2007 , the Alabama legislature requested the National Guard Bureau to allow the Alabama Air National Guard 160th Fighter Squadron to be re - designated as the 100th Fighter Squadron so the state could honor the legacy of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen . This was obtained from the Air Force and on 12 September 2009 , the 100th Flying Training Squadron was inactivated . The designation was transferred to the National Guard Bureau by the Air Force and it was allotted to the Alabama ANG . As a result , the 160th Fighter Squadron was inactivated , and the new 100th Fighter Squadron assumed its personnel , equipment and aircraft . The 160th Fighter Squadron stood down in a ceremony at Montgomery Air National Guard Base , on 13 September 2007 , with the 100th Fighter Squadron standing up and being bequeathed the history , lineage , and honors of the World War II 100th Fighter Squadron and its successor units . In August 2009 , the 100th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed 240 airmen and aircraft to Balad AB , Iraq as part of the 332d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron supporting Operation Iraq Freedom . This was the first deployment of the 100th FS to the middle east and over 2 , 000 hours were flown and Precision Guided Munitions were employed . The unit returned to Montgomery in November 2009 . The squadron deployed to Romania in August 2012 to participate in Dacian Viper 2012 , a three - week joint exercise with the Romanian Air Force . The Alabama ANG contingent , which included nearly twenty fighter pilots and eight F - 16s , exercised with approximately 200 Romanian soldiers , technical staff , and pilots flying six MiG - 21 " Fishbed " fighters at 71st Air Base , located near the town of Câmpia Turzii in the northwestern part of Romania .