138th Fighter Wing The 138th Fighter Wing ( 138 FW ) is a unit of the Oklahoma Air National Guard , stationed at Tulsa Air National Guard Base , Oklahoma . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . Overview . The 138th Fighter Wing is a fighter unit stationed at Tulsa Air National Guard Base at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa , Oklahoma . An Air National Guard unit operationally gained by the Air Combat Command , the Wing flies the F - 16 Fighting Falcon fighter . The federal mission of the 138th Fighter Wing is to maintain combat forces ready for mobilization , deployment , and employment as needed to support national security objectives . Additionally , the 138th ' s state mission is to support the Governor of the state of Oklahoma with units organized , equipped , and trained in the protection of life and property , and the preservation of peace , order , and public safety . Units . The 138th Fighter Wing consists of the following units : History . In 1957 the Oklahoma Air National Guard was given a fighter - interceptor mission in Air Defense Command ( ADC ) , and on 1 August , the 125th Fighter - Bomber Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level . The 138th Fighter - Interceptor Group was authorized and extended federal recognition by the National Guard Bureau . The 125th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron becoming the group ' s flying unit . Other support squadrons assigned into the group were the 138th Headquarters , 138th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 138th Combat Support Squadron , and the 138th USAF Dispensary . With the Fighter - Interceptor mission assignment , the 125th also assumed ADC runway alert program on full 24 - hour basis - with armed jet fighters ready to " scramble " at a moment ' s notice . This event brought the group 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 . Air Transport mission . In January 1960 , the 138th FIS was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , trading in its Sabre interceptors for 4 - engined C - 97 Stratofreighter transports . With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need , the unit was re - designated the 138th Air Transport Wing ( Heavy ) with the 125th Air Transport Squadron . During the 1961 Berlin Crisis , both the Group and squadron were federalized on 1 October 1961 . From Tulsa , the 125th ATS augmented MATS airlift capability world - wide in support of the Air Force ’ s needs . It returned again to Oklahoma state control on 31 August 1962 . Throughout the 1960s , the 125th flew long - distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements , frequently sending aircraft to the Caribbean , Europe , Australia , Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , and during the Vietnam War , to both South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . The C - 97s were retired in 1968 and the unit was transferred to Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) , being re - equipped with C - 124C Globemaster II heavy transports . The Group continued to fly long - distance intercontinental airlift flights until the Globemasters were retired at the end of 1972 . Tactical Fighter mission . With the retirement of the Globemasters , the 138th was transferred to Tactical Air Command on 25 January 1973 , with the 125th Tactical Fighter Squadron being re - equipped with veteran F - 100D / F Super Sabre tactical fighter bombers that were returning from the Vietnam War . 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 125th 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 . In 1978 , the F - 100s were being retired , and they were replaced with A - 7D Corsair II subsonic tactical close air support aircraft from the 23d Tactical Fighter Wing , England AFB , Louisiana along with the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing , Myrtle Beach AFB , South Carolina which were converting to the A - 10 Thunderbolt II . The aircraft had excellent accuracy with the aid of an automatic electronic navigation and weapons delivery system . Although designed primarily as a ground attack aircraft , it also had limited air - to - air combat capability . In 1980 , the 125th received the new twin - seat A - 7K trainer and also received the Low Altitude Night Attack modification to the A - 7D . 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 138th adopted the new USAF " Objective Organization " in early 1992 , with the word " tactical " being eliminated from its designation and becoming the 138th Fighter Group . Tactical Air Command was inactivated on 1 June , being replaced by the new Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . The 125th Fighter Squadron flew A - 7D ' s until 1993 when it began to receive Block 42 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon s , replacing the venerable A - 7D in the attack roles . Most of these aircraft came from the 51st Fighter Wing , Osan Air Base , South Korea and the 20th Fighter Wing , Shaw AFB , South Carolina , which units ’ were trading in Block 42 for more advanced F - 16s . The 125th , although an Air National Guard unit , which were mostly tasked with air defense of US mainland , was tasked with a conventional attack mission . This was already the case in the A - 7D and even in the F - 100 era . The squadron was one of the first Air National Guard units to be equipped with the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night , or LANTIRN system to be able to illuminate their own ground targets . At the time of conversion this unit was one of the most advanced within the Air National Guard . 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 . In October 1996 , the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ( 125 EFS ) was first formed from 138th FW personnel and aircraft and deployed to Incirlik Air Base , Turkey , to join with other active - duty and national guard squadrons as part of Operation Northern Watch . This mission was part of a multi - unit Air National Guard " rainbow " deployment involving the Air National Guard block 42 F - 16 squadrons . Each squadron provided eight aircraft to a total of 24 aircraft deployed . The 125th EFS returned to Tulsa and was inactivated on 7 January 1997 . Further Northern Watch activations of the 125th EFS and subsequent deployments to Incirlik AB occurred in the spring of 1998 and fall of 2001 . The 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron has also been deployed to Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait for Operation Southern Watch in 2001 , and several times to Balad Air Base , Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In 2011 , the 125th EFS deployed to Iraq for the final time , when more than 200 members deployed there to provide air support to the final drawdown of U . S . and coalition forces , being able to respond quickly to any needs troops in combat may have as they left the country . On 14 March 2008 a 138th Fighter Wing - assigned fighter aircraft en route to the Smokey Hill Gunnery Range in Salina , Kansas accidentally dropped a 22 - pound , non - explosive practice bomb on an apartment complex in Tulsa , damaging a building foundation and knocking out the power to the building . No one was injured and the 138th Fighter Wing announced that they were investigating the incident themselves .