Vermont Air Guard Says Last Of F-16s To Depart In April

158th Fighter Wing Air National Guard officials have announced that the last of the Vermont Air Guard’s F-16s will depart the base in April. Colonel David Smith says the F-16s 32-year history in Vermont ANG will end in April 2019. 

WCAX-TV Channel 3 in South Burlington reports at that point, the last of the Guard's planes will move to another Air Guard base. The first of the F-16s arrived at the base back in 1986. Smith says planes have been slowly sent away from the base over the past 12 months, and the Guard is working on a celebration for the F-16 send-off in April. Officials say the base is preparing for the arrival of F-35s in September.

Air Guard Assists Thousands Displaced by Gustav

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith, Special to American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 2, 2008 - With tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents in the potential path of Hurricane Gustav during the Labor Day weekend, Air National Guard members put aside their last-minute school shopping and backyard picnics to bring their states' Guard airpower to the displaced.

Taking to the skies Aug. 30 and 31 were Air Guard aeromedical evacuation squadrons from at least four states. They deployed their aircrews, aircraft and medical specialists to a mobile air staging facility in Carswell, Texas. In total, the team air evacuated more than 473 patients. At least seven other states prepared aeromedical teams to respond to calls for emergency assistance.

In all, the National Guard's soldiers and airmen helped evacuate nearly 17,000 Gulf Coast residents via the skies and roadways, including 325 special-needs patients, from New Orleans before the storm's arrival yesterday.

A medical team of Air Guard members including five C-130 Hercules aircraft and a Delaware Air Guard C-130 and airmen from West Virginia, Oklahoma and Tennessee helped airlift at least 247 patients from Beaumont, Texas. The patients were medically assessed, monitored and flown out of the storm's path to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The highly trained flight medics then boarded their aircraft and flew to Belle Chasse Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base outside New Orleans to assist in the Guard's continued Gustav relief missions.

"The Air National Guard medical community is honored and humbled to bring our medical talent and compassion to communities in times of need," said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Constance McNabb, Texas Military Forces joint surgeon, in a state news release. "Helping other people is why Guard medics serve."

On the receiving end, more than 160 Kentucky Air Guard members in Louisville assisted thousands of displaced people who were flown out of New Orleans on commercial aircraft to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base there. They were then taken by bus to Red Cross shelters at the Louisville fairgrounds and in Lexington.

"Kentucky is a reception state to displaced persons being evacuated from New Orleans via commercial airlines," Air Force Capt. Dale Greer, Kentucky Guard spokesman, said. He reported that the hurricane evacuation was a multi-agency effort calling on the resources of federal, state and local governments, as well as the American Red Cross.

Other Air Guard members at McGee Tyson Air Guard Base in Knoxville, Tenn., and in Nashville and Memphis, received similar evacuee missions at their bases.

Still other Air Guard units positioned their states' assets around the nation to better support potential storm-damaged states after Gustav's landfall.

In West Virginia, Air Guard aircrews and their C-130s from the 130th Airlift Wing in Charleston transported a special joint National Guard communications support team with their radio, telephone, video and satellite equipment to Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 31.

A Mississippi C-17 Globemaster III transport jet and aircrew of the 172nd Airlift Wing – which flies the nation's aeromedical evacuation missions from Balad Air Base, Iraq – flew to Anchorage, Alaska, and delivered two Army Guard HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Jackson, Miss.

In Sioux City, Iowa, an aircrew from the 185th Air Refueling Wing flew their KC-135 Stratotanker and transported 50 Army Guard members and equipment from the state to Alexandria, La.

In all, Guard officials said nearly 14,000 National Guard airmen and soldiers were positioned with their equipment over the holiday weekend.

The Kansas Air Guard's 190th Air Refueling Wing, which flew the state's 35th Infantry Division advance-party soldiers to Alexandria, La. -- Two Nevada Air Guard aircrews and C-130s from the 152nd Airlift Wing flew to the Gulf Coast area to prepare for airlift missions.

The New York Air Guard deployed 15 aeromedical airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing, as well as two HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and 16 airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing. In Mississippi, the 186th Air Refueling Wing in Meridian was on full alert with an RC-26 reconnaissance aircraft and aircrew to assist in hurricane response missions. The California Air Guard deployed 19 airmen, including pararescuemen and two HH-60s, and was planning to deploy additional Airmen, aircraft and pararescue equipment to the Gulf Coast.

Reserve Airmen train Guardsmen on Raptor

By Airman 1st Class David Carbajal, 3rd Wing Public Affairs
Airmen from the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing at Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska, receive training from 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Garrett Hothan)

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Reservists here are training members of the Air National Guard as part of total force integration.

Airmen from the 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here trained 13 Airmen from the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing Jan. 13 on take-off and recovery procedures for the F-22 Raptor. The Air Guard unit is stationed at nearby Kulis Air National Guard Base.

The training was to prepare for the possibility of a Raptor being unable to land on Elmendorf and needing to divert to an alternate airfield.

"During extreme winter conditions, Elmendorf's airfield can become too hazardous to land on for short periods of time," said Lt. Col. Gator Platt, the 477th AMXS commander. "In these times, Elmendorf's aircraft could be airborne, requiring divert fields, like Kulis, in which to recover."

With the varying experience levels of the Kulis Airmen, the Elmendorf crew chiefs went through detailed, step-by-step instruction to ensure safety of the maintainers and pilot.

"We're teaching them the exact procedures used after a Raptor lands on our runway," said Staff Sgt. Wesley Correro, a 477th AMXS crew chief. "After these (unit training assemblies), they will have ample training needed to recover the aircraft."

Some of the Guardsmen have been trained on recovery of heavy aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III.

"Some of our guys have prior-service experience and had the opportunity to handle some of the aircraft, but the Raptor is one that we haven't had first-hand experience with," said Senior Master Sgt. Kerry James, the lead Guardsman who attended the training.

Beginning the training early, the crews worked until late afternoon.

"The Airmen of the 477th AMXS are some of the best around," said Colonel Platt. "I am confident that these opportunities will provide the Guard the training to help fulfill our mission at Elmendorf."

Airmen with the 477th AMXS have scheduled another training session in March.

Air Guard officials break ground for new readiness center

by Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith, National Guard Bureau Public Affairs

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) -- Officials broke ground on a $52 million Air National Guard Readiness Center expansion here Nov. 19.

When completed, the four-story complex will unite the existing ANGRC here with its Air Guard offices in Arlington, Va.

Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Air National Guard director, said the expansion on Andrews reflects new realities in force protection since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The reason we are here today is that, after 9/11, force protection became a major issue, especially in the city," he said. He explained that the Base Realignment and Closure commission moved government offices at risk of terrorist attack away from downtown areas.

An added benefit from the project is that the Air Guard will have all nine of its directorate offices under one roof. The directorates serve the Air Guard's day-to-day operations of 88 flying units and more than 200 geographically-separated units.

"It will give the commander of the ANGRC a chance to have a span of control over all the people that work for him, and it will streamline and make more orderly the process of command," McKinley said.

The centralized ANGRC campus will be occupied by more than 1,100 airmen and federal employees by September 2011. Clarke Construction of Bethesda, Md., has the contract for the expansion.

"It will be one of the most sustainable and energy efficient (buildings) that the Air Guard has built to date," said Ben Lawless, chief of the engineering division in the Air Guard's Installation and Mission Support directorate.

Energy-saving features include interior lighting that will adjust automatically with the amount of natural daylight. Storm water will be recycled and filtered through a special drainage system before it's discharged. Air conditioning and heating controls will be located at work stations and fed underneath the floor which, officials said, provides better occupant comfort and energy efficiency.

Officials will have the project certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which is a nationally-accepted benchmark for green buildings.

"It's going to set the example for energy conservation, which is really important to everyone," Mr. Lawless said. "I think it's also going to set the tone for the future of the Air Guard in terms of facilities that can be reconfigured for new occupants and new missions and functions."

Lawless explained that moveable wall partitions will allow occupants to simply reconfigure their office space to meet future mission requirements. Officials also hope to lay out an open-working environment that fosters teamwork.

The new building will be landscaped with a variety of native plants and trees, and it will be next to Conaway Hall, the existing ANGRC building.

Conaway Hall opened in 1985 and was renamed in 1991 after retired Lt. Gen. John Conaway. General Conaway, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, is a former Air Guard director and chief of the National Guard Bureau. He helped advocate for the ANGRC's original construction. Prior to that, the initial activation of an Air Guard support center was in 1976.

Guard wing transitions to Langley

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing records its last F-16 Fighting Falcon training mission June 20.

The wing, which has flown the F-16 since 1991 and is the nation's first ANG unit to fly the F-22 Raptor, will conduct associated operations with the 1st Fighter Wing here.

More than 20 192nd Fighter Wing pilots are trained to fly the F-22 and a growing number of the wing's fulltime and traditional status Guardsmen are working alongside their active-duty counterparts, changing the face of the Virginia ANG.

At Langley, 192nd FW Airmen will associate themselves with the F-22A Raptor mission, the 480th Intelligence Wing's Distributed Ground Station imagery analysis mission and the Combat Air Force Logistic Support Center, said Col. Jay Pearsall, 192nd Fighter Wing commander.

The move is part of the Air Force's Total Force Integration initiative, which spans the entire Air Force mission and represents the service's reality of "One team, one fight, with a shared, disciplined combat focus."

Tarheel Unit Returns Home

The 145 Air Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard, flying the C-130 Hercules, has returned to their home base in Charlotte, NC. They were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Photo: Master Sgt. James Holder directs a C-130 Hercules April 6 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. The plane and crew are assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing of the North Carolina Air National Guard, and was returning from a tour of duty in Afganistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen)

First C-21 arrives in North Dakota

By 1st Lt. Penny Ripperger North Dakota Air National Guard

1/11/2007 - FARGO, N.D. (AFNEWS) -- The first official 119th Fighter Wing C-21 aircraft arrived Jan. 10 in Fargo.

The aircraft marks the unit's transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the C-21 and MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.

"The Happy Hooligans have proven themselves as the best of the best in every mission they have been assigned," North Dakota Governor John Hoeven said. "The C-21 mission along with the new Predator mission will ensure that the North Dakota Air National Guard continues to play a vital role in the security of our state and nation."

"The 119th Fighter Wing will receive a total of eight C-21 aircraft and will be experiencing the largest transformation in their 60-year history," said Army Maj. Gen. David A. Sprynczynatyk, the state's National Guard adjutant general. "Personnel have been training diligently for the past year to ensure that they are prepared for these new missions that will ensure that our Air National Guard remains relevant and vital to the defense of the nation."

"The Happy Hooligans have prepared for the C-21 by having trained pilots and maintenance personnel ready to work on these aircraft," said Col. Robert Becklund, 119th Fighter Wing commander. "I am confident that we will continue to perform with the high standards and impressive work ethic that the Hooligans are already well-known for in the fighter community."

The C-21 aircraft is considered a "bridge mission" until approximately 2010 when it is expected to be replaced by the new joint cargo aircraft.

UAV operations are expected to begin at the Fargo base aroun March 2007. North Dakota will be one of five states where Air Guard units will operate the unmanned aerial vehicles; others are Texas, California, Arizona and New York.