127th Wing The 127th Wing ( 127 WG ) is a composite unit of the Michigan Air National Guard , stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base , Michigan . If activated to federal service , elements of the wing are gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command , Air Mobility Command , and Air Force Special Operations Command . The 107th Fighter Squadron , assigned to the Wings 127th Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the World War I 107th Aero Squadron , established on 27 August 1917 . It was reformed on 7 May 1926 , as the 107th Observation Squadron , and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II . Overview . Flying two aircraft and supporting three Air Force Major Commands , the 127th Wing is one of the most complex units in the Air National Guard . As a component of the Michigan Air National Guard , the Wing has a dual state and federal role and stands ready to serve both at home and abroad . the 127th Wing is composed of approximately 1 , 700 Citizen - Airmen and provides highly trained personnel and aircraft and support resources to serve the community , state and nation . The 127th Wing operates KC - 135 Stratotankers , providing global aerial refueling capability in support of Air Mobility Command , and the A - 10 Thunderbolt II , flying the close air support mission in support of Air Combat Command . The Wing also supports the Air Force Special Operations Command with its 107th Weather Flight . Units . The 127th Wing is composed of five groups , each of which are composed of various flights and squadrons In addition to the five groups , the Wing includes the 107th Weather Flight , a highly skilled Special Forces unit that has deployed to numerous contingencies and operations around the world . History . The Wing ' s origins begin on 30 December 1942 with the establishment of the 360th Fighter Group at Grand Central Air Terminal , California . The mission of the 360th was the training of newly trained and later replacement fighter pilots for combat in P - 38 Lightning s . Training was performed with four fighter training squadrons . Moved to several airfields in the Southern California region , the unit was disbanded in March 1944 when Army Air Force training units were re - designated as " Army Air Force Base Units " . In the spring of 1946 as part of establishing a new postwar Air National Guard , the 360th Fighter Group designation was changed to the 127th Fighter Group , and was allocated to the Michigan Air National Guard . The new Air National Guard unit received federal recognition and was activated on 29 September 1946 . The 127th Fighter Group was assigned the 107th Fighter Squadron , 171st Fighter Squadron and 172d Fighter Squadron as its operational components . At this time , the 107th and 171st were based at the Detroit Airport and the 172d was based at Battle Creek . Initially allocated F - 51H Mustang propeller - driven fighters , in the spring of 1950 the Detroit units converted to F - 84B / C Thunderjet s , becoming the first units of the Michigan ANG to transition to jets . During the Korean War , the 127th was federalized on 1 February 1951 and assigned to Air Training Command . The Detroit units ( 107th , 171st ) being assigned to Luke Air Force Base , Arizona under Air Training Command . ATC equipped the group with d F - 51 , F - 80 , and F - 84 aircraft and used it as a training organization . The 172d was moved to Selfridge AFB and was assigned to Air Defense Command , flying P - 51H Mustangs . The wing was returned to state control on 1 November 1952 and the Detroit units returned to Detroit , the Battle Creek unit moving back to Kellogg Field . Aircraft assigned were F - 51H , F - 86E and F - 89C . Was realigned to Air Defense Command in November 1953 with the squadrons being equipped with F - 89C Scorpion Interceptor . Its mission was the air defense of the southern Great Lakes area , including Chicago , Gary and Detroit . In September 1956 , the 172d was expanded to a Group level , forming the 110th Fighter - Interceptor Group at Battle Creek . The 127th returned to Tactical Air Command in 1958 , becoming a Tactical Reconnaissance Wing , flying RF - 84F Thunderstreaks . In September 1962 , the 171st was also expanded to a Group , forming the 191st Tactical Reconnaissance Group , although remaining at Detroit . The 127th and 191st TRG were both moved to the then active - duty Selfridge Air Force Base in 1971 due to traffic congestion at the Detroit - Wayne County airport . With the move to Selfridge , the obsolete RF - 84s were retired and the 121st received newer RF - 101C Voodoos . In 1972 , the 127th was upgraded to a Tactical Reconnaissance Wing , and the 107th was re - equipped with F - 100D Super Sabre tactical fighters . In 1979 the 107th converted to the A - 7D Corsair II with a mission of fighter - bomber support of ground combat forces and limited air superiority . The 127th distinguished itself during the period from 1 June 1983 through 31 December 1984 and was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award . The Air Force recognized the unit for demonstrating a high degree of combat readiness and outstanding performance in all mission support . The 107th retired its A - 7Ds in 1989 and was re - equipped with F - 16A Fighting Falcons . In 1996 in accordance with the Air Force ' s " One base , one wing policy , the 127th Fighter Wing and the 191st Airlift Group were merged into a composite unit . The 127th Wing combined the F - 16 fighter elements of the 107th Fighter Squadron with the C - 130 Hercules Transport 171st Airlift Group into a single unit , 127th Operations Group . The 191st Airlift Group being inactivated . This arrangement continued until 1999 when the 191st Airlift Group was re - activated as a component of the 127th Wing , the 127th OG retaining the F - 16 Fighter - equipped 107th FS . In 1996 , air crew members and maintainers from the airlift element of the 127th Wing deployed to Germany over a period of two months to fly support shuttle missions into Bosnia as part of Operation Joint Endeavor . The fighter element of the Wing took their F - 16 ' s to Singapore for training exercises with the Singapore Air Force , and then to Hawaii to participate in RIMPAC ' 96 , a multi - national maritime exercise . Early in 1997 , the air lifters returned to Panama . In 1997 the wing experienced its first Operational Readiness Inspection as a combined unit . In 1997 , the air lifters participated in another deployment to Panama , followed by one to Brazil , and the fighter element deployed to Southeast Asia . BRAC 2005 ordered a re - alignment of Selfridge ANGB , and the C - 130s were transferred to other bases in 2007 , inactivating the 191st Airlift Group . The elements of the 191st were placed under a new 127th Air Refueling Group as part of the Wing , equipped with KC - 135T Stratotankers . The F - 16s were reassigned and the 107th Fighter Squadron was re - equipped with A - 10 Thunderbolt II ground support aircraft , returning to the mission it had when equipped with the A - 7Ds in the 1980s .