The 108th Attack Squadron is a unit of the

New York Air National Guard The New York Air National Guard (NY ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of New York. It is an element of the New York National Guard as part of the larger Air National Guard, a reservist force under the command of the United States Ai ...

, stationed at

Hancock Field Air National Guard Base Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It is located north-northeast of Syracuse, New York, at 6001 East Molloy Road in Mattydale. The installation consis ...

, New York. It was most recently activated on 5 October 2014 and assigned to the

174th Operations Group The 174th Attack Wing (174 ATKW) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gaine ...

. The squadron operates the

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

Mission

The squadron is a Formal Training Unit for the

. It produces newly qualified aircrew, launch and recovery qualified aircrew, and instructor qualified aircrew for the Air National Guard and active duty Air Force. Also, it conducts continuation training and

exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

support by launching and recovering Reapers that can be controlled from any other MQ-9A unit. It can also be tasked to launch domestic operations missions to support the

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

or national missions when federally activated.

History

Radar operations

The squadron was first organized in 1948 as the 108th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Hancock Field, receiving federal recognition as part of the 152nd Aircraft Control and Warning Group. Its first equipment was the AN/CPS-6 radar with a range of 100 miles. With the onset of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, the squadron was called to active duty in September 1951, moving to

Grenier Air Force Base Grenier is a surname. It is a French word for ''attic, loft,'' or ''granary''. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Grenier * Angèle Grenier, Canadian maple syrup producer * Auguste Jean François Grenier (1814–1890), French doctor ...

, New Hampshire for training as

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

(ADC) expanded its radar network. Within six months of its activation, the squadron was earmarked for overseas deployment. In February 1952, ADC reorganized its defenses and the squadron was reassigned directly to the

32nd Air Division The 32d Air Division (32d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was last active with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969. The div ...

.Cornett & Johnson, p. 94 As the

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

system expanded to provide earlier warning, in January 1953, the squadron moved to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, where it manned a new radar site under the command of

Northeast Air Command Northeast Air Command (NEAC) was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major command (military formation), Command of the United States Air Force, responsible for the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador, ...

. It served there until August 1953, when its assets were transferred to the 642d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and the squadron was returned to state control. The unit was activated again in the National Guard the following month with reduced size as the 108th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight. In 1958, the flight won the Commander's Trophy as the best unit in the New York Air National Guard. In October 1961, the flight was again called to active service during the

1961 Berlin Crisis The Berlin Crisis of 1961 () was the last major European political and military incident of the Cold War concerning the status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The crisis culminated in the city's ''de fact ...

, moving to Germany, where it manned a radar site under the

86th Air Division The 86th Air Division (86 AD) is a former designation of the 86th Airlift Wing, a United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 14 November 1 ...

. It was returned to state control the following August. The flight was inactivated in November 1965, when the 108th Tactical Control Squadron was activated. The new unit was redesignated the 108th Air Control Squadron in 1992. The squadron was inactivated in 1994.

Unmanned aerial vehicle training

The squadron was redesignated the 108th Attack Squadron and reactivated in October 2104, to assume the training mission of the

138th Attack Squadron The 138th Attack Squadron is a unit of the New York Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing located at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York. The 138th is equipped with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted airc ...

, which then focused on operational missions. On 3 May 2015, the squadron opened a renovated Formal Training Unit facility to train pilots, sensor operators, and mission coordinators. The former

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

avionics building is named after Major General Robert A. Knaff who saw the squadron's transition from F-16s to MQ-9s and increases the student body at the base to around 90. Renovations began on the facility in May 2014 and cost $3.5 million, half the projected cost of an entirely new building. In 2019, the squadron was the first to bring MQ-9 Reapers to

Red Flag – Alaska Red Flag-Alaska is a realistic, ten-day air combat United States Air Force (USAF) training exercise held up to four times a year. It is held at Eielson Air Force Base and Elmendorf Air Force Base in the State of Alaska. Each ''Red Flag-Alaska' ...

, flying out of

Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redesignated Eielson Ai ...

while the pilots remained at their home station in New York, over away. On 25 June 2020, one of the squadron's MQ-9s crashed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base after losing engine power. An investigation determined that the cause of the accident was pilot error when it was found that the pilot accidentally cut the fuel supply to the drone's engine causing a crash.

Lineage

; 108th Aircraft Warning and Control Squadron * Constituted on 24 May 1946 as the 108th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and allotted to the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

: Organized on 15 January 1948 : Received federal recognition on 22 November 1948 * Called to active duty on 1 September 1951 : Returned to state control on 1 August 1953 and redesignated 108th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight * Activated on 1 September 1953 * Called to active duty 1 October 1961 * Returned to state control on 1 August 1962 : Inactivated c. 1 November 1965 * Consolidated with 108th Tactical Control Squadron ; 108th Attack Squadron * Constituted as the 108th Tactical Control Squadron (CRC) on 1 September 1965 and allotted to the Air National Guard : Activated c. 1 November 1965 : Redesignated 108th Tactical Control Squadron (FACP) on 1 September 1965 : Redesignated 108th Tactical Control Squadron on 1 September 1965 : Redesignated 108th Air Control Squadron in 1992 : Inactivated on 16 February 1994 * Redesignated 108th Attack Squadron and activated on 5 October 2014

Assignments

* 152nd Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 22 November 1948 * 32nd Air Division, 6 February 1952 * Northeast Air Command, 19 January 1953 * 152nd Tactical Control Group, 1 August 1953''See'' organizational chart at * 86th Air Division, 1 November 1961 * 152nd Tactical Control Group (later 152nd Air Control Group), 1 August 1962 – c. 1 November 1965, c. 1 November 1965 – 16 February 1994 *

, 5 October 2014 – present

Stations

* Hancock Field, New York, 15 January 1948 *

, New Hampshire, August 1951 *

Pepperrell Air Force Base Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, is a decommissioned United States military base located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada which operated from 1 ...

, Newfoundland, c. 7 April 1952 * Torbay Air Station, Newfoundland, c. April 1952 *

Red Cliff Air Station Red Cliff Air Station (Also known as St. Johns) (ID: N-22, C-22) was a General Surveillance Radar station. The remains of which are located north-northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was closed in 1961. Histor ...

, Newfoundland, 1 January – 1 August 1953 * Hancock Field, 1 September 1953 * Mainz Kastel Air Station, 1 August 1961 * Gutersloh Air Station, Germany, 1962 *

Roslyn Air Force Station Roslyn Air National Guard Station (ADC ID: P-3) is a closed United States Air Force station. It was located in East Hills, New York, on Long Island. It was originally part of Clarence MacKay's Harbor Hill estate. It was closed in 2000. Histor ...

, 1 August 1962 – 1 November 1965 * Hancock Field (later Hancock Field Air National Guard Base), New York, 1 November 1965 – 16 February 1994 * Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, New York, 5 October 2014 – present

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * (not all years reported) {{New York Squadrons of the United States Air National Guard Military units and formations in New York (state) Attack squadrons of the United States Air Force