The 122nd Fighter Wing (122 FW sometimes 122nd) is a unit of the

Indiana Air National Guard The Indiana Air National Guard (IN ANG) is the aerial militia of the Indiana, state of Indiana, United States, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Indiana Army National Guard, an element of ...

, stationed at

Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Fort Wayne International Airport, Indiana. It is located south-southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Initially established in 1941 as a training airfield for the Army ...

, Fort Wayne, Indiana. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

Units

* 122nd Operations Group (Tail code formerly "FW," now "IN.") : 163rd Fighter Squadron * 122nd Maintenance Group * 122nd Mission Support Group * 122nd Medical Group

History

The 358th Fighter Group trained in the Mid-Atlantic United States with

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

s, 1943. While in training also used for air defense of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

area. Moved to England during September and October 1943, they were equipped with

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

s and began operations on 20 December 1943 and served in combat with Eighth and later, Ninth Air Forces until

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

. In 2005 the wing introduced the reconnaissance Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System, becoming one of the first units to fly with it. In 2008, after having flown for 17 years with the block 25 aircraft, these F-16s were nearing the end of their planned operational lifespans. The aircraft the 122nd received were only somewhat newer; Block 30 F-16C/Ds, manufactured between 1987 and 1989. These models were provided by the

Michigan Air National Guard The Michigan Air National Guard (MI ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Michigan, United States of America. It is, along with the Michigan Army National Guard, an element of the Michigan National Guard of the larger United States Nationa ...

107th Fighter Squadron The 107th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Michigan Air National Guard 127th Wing. It is assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan and is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The squadron is a des ...

, which was then transitioning to the

A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic ...

at the time. With the upgrade to the Block 30 aircraft, the tail code of the 163rd was changed from "FW" (Fort Wayne) to "IN" (Indiana) in 2009 when the

181st Fighter Wing The 181st Intelligence Wing (181 IW) is a unit of the Indiana Air National Guard, stationed at Terre Haute Air National Guard Base, Indiana. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Intelligence, Su ...

at Hulman Field became a non-flying unit. However, only a few of the F-16s were re-coded. In 2009 – the year the unit honored its predecessor unit – the 358th FG – with a heritage jet – it was decided that the squadron was to retire their 20-year-old F-16s and become an A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron. The conversion happened in 2010. In 2023, the unit converted back to the F-16 platform as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act. These started arriving in October 2023 and will continue until all 21 have arrived.

Lineage

122d Fighter Wing 158th Fighter Wing and 177th Fighter Wing Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

* Constituted as 358th Fighter Group on 20 December 1942 : Activated on 1 January 1943 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945 * Re-designated: 122nd Fighter Group and allocated to Indiana ANG on 24 May 1946 : Extended federal recognition on 9 December 1946 : Federalized and ordered to active service on: 10 February 1951 * Established as 122nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing, extended federal recognition and activated on 10 February 1951 :: Group re-designated as 122nd Fighter-Interceptor Group and assigned as subordinate unit : Inactivated on 7 February 1952 : Released from active duty and returned to Indiana state control, 1 November 1952 * Re-activated on 1 November 1952 : Re-designated: 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1954 :: Group re-designated 122nd Tactical Fighter Group : Re-designated: 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing (Special Delivery), 1 July 1959 :: Group re-designated 122nd Tactical Fighter Group (Special Delivery) : Federalized and ordered to active service on: 1 October 1961 : Operated as: 7122nd Tactical Wing (Special Delivery), 1 October 1961 – 31 August 1962 : Released from active duty and returned to Indiana state control, 31 August 1962 :: 122nd Tactical Fighter Group inactivated 30 June 1974. : Re-designated: 122nd Fighter Wing, 16 March 1992 – present :: Group re-activated and re-designated 122nd Operations Group

Assignments

I Fighter Command I Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during World War II. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st Inter ...

, 1 January–September 1943 : Attached to:

Philadelphia Fighter Wing The Philadelphia Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command, stationed at Philadelphia Airport, Pennsylvania, where it was inactivated on 3 April 1946. History The wing was a ...

, 28 April–September 1943 *

IX Fighter Command The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, where it was inactivated on 16 November 1945. IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fight ...

: Attached to:

VIII Fighter Command The VIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit of command above the wings and below the numbered air force. Its primary mission was command of fighter operations within the Eighth Air Force. In the World War II European Thea ...

, 20 October 1943 *

71st Fighter Wing The 71st Fighter Wing (71 FW) is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. It was withdrawn from the Missouri Air National Guard (MO ANG) and inactivated on 31 October 1950. This wing ...

: Attached to:

IX Tactical Air Command The IX Tactical Air Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. It fought in the European theater of World War II. Its last assignment was at Camp Shanks, New York, where it was inactivated on 25 October 1945. History Formed ...

, 1 August 1944 * 70th Fighter Wing : Attached to:

, 1 October 1944 *

XIX Tactical Air Command The XIX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The unit's last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force based at Biggs Field, Texas, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1946. During World War II, the mission of the ...

, 16 January–July 1945 *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

, 3 August – 7 November 1945 *

66th Fighter Wing The 66th Fighter Wing is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Chicago Municipal Airport, Illinois. It was withdrawn from the Illinois Air National Guard and inactivated on 31 October 1950. History World War II Es ...

, 9 December 1946 *

55th Fighter Wing The 55th Fighter Wing is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. It was withdrawn from the Ohio Air National Guard and inactivated on 31 October 1950 when the Guard adopted the Wing B ...

, 7 December 1947 *

, 31 October 1950 : Gained by:

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...

Eastern Air Defense Force The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960. History EADF wa ...

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 ...

, 10 February 1951 *

Central Air Defense Force The Central Air Defense Force (CADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960. History ...

, 1 December 1951 – 7 February 1952 *

, 1 November 1952 : Gained by:

: Gained by:

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

, 1 July 1954 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, 1 October 1961 : Attached to

Seventeenth Air Force The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during 1953–1996 and AFAFRICA, United Stat ...

, 1 October 1961 – 31 August 1962 *

, 1 September 1962 : Gained by:

: Gained by:

, 1 June 1992 – present

Components

* 122nd Fighter-Interceptor (later Tactical Fighter) Group, 10 February 1951 – 30 June 1974 : Re-designated: 163rd Operations Group, 16 March 1992 – present * 112th Fighter (later Fighter-Interceptor, Tactical Fighter) Squadron, 9 December 1946 – 30 September 1962 (Ohio ANG) * 113th Fighter (later Fighter-Interceptor, Tactical Fighter) Squadron, 9 December 1946 – 30 September 1962 (GSU at Terre Haute, IN) * 163rd Fighter (later Fighter-Interceptor, Tactical Fighter, Fighter) Squadron, 9 December 1946 – Present *

365th Fighter Squadron 365th may refer to: *365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' des ...

: 1 January 1943 – 7 November 1945 * 366th Fighter Squadron: 1 January 1943 – 7 November 1945 *

367th Fighter Squadron The 367th Fighter Squadron is a "reverse" associate United States Air Force unit, stationed at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, where it operates and maintains the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 482d Fighter Wing of the Air F ...

: 1 January 1943 – 7 November 1945

Stations

Richmond Army Air Base Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, 1 January 1943 *

Baltimore Municipal Airport Baltimore Municipal Airport ("Harbor Field") is a former airport and United States Air Force airfield about 6 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland, on an artificial peninsula. Construction began in 1929 with a seaplane base and was complet ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, 28 April 1943 * Camp Springs AAF,

, 28 May 1943 *

Philadelphia Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary international airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It served 30.8 million passengers annually in 2024, making it the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st-busies ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, 16 June 1943 *

, 13 August – 25 September—1943 *

RAF Goxhill Royal Air Force Goxhill or RAF Goxhill is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located east of Goxhill, on the south bank of the Humber, Humber Estuary in north Lincolnshire, England, opposite the city of Kin ...

(AAF-345), England, 20 October 1943 *

RAF Leiston Royal Air Force Leiston or more simply RAF Leiston is a former Royal Air Force station located northwest of Leiston and south of Theberton, Suffolk, England. History USAAF use Originally intended as a fighter station for RAF Fighter Command ...

(AAF-373), England, 29 November 1943 *

RAF Raydon Royal Air Force Raydon or more simply RAF Raydon is a former Royal Air Force station located just to the northeast of the village of Raydon, about from Ipswich, England. History Construction Raydon airfield was constructed by the 833rd and 86 ...

(AAF-157), England, 31 January 1944 * RAF High Halden (AAF-411), England, 13 April 1944 * Cretteville Airfield (A-14), France, 3 July 1944 * Pontorson Airfield (A-28), France, 14 August 1944 *

Vitry Airfield Vitry-en-Artois Airfield was originally a grass airfield dating back prior to 1914, located northeast of Vitry-en-Artois; north-northeast of Paris. During World War I it was used by the Imperial German Air Service. With the outbreak of World ...

(A-67), France, 14 September 1944 *

Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in France. It lies approximately 1 mile (2 km) east-southeast of Mourmelon-le-Grand and 93 miles (150 km) northeast of Paris. The airfield was a semi-permanent ...

(A-80), France, 16 October 1944 *

Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield is a former military airfield which is located approximately northeast of Toul (Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine); east of Paris. The airfield had its probable origins as early as 1912, as an History of ...

(A-90), France, 9 November 1944 * Mannheim/Sandhofen Airfield (Y-79), Germany, 2 April 1945 * Reims/Champagne Airfield, France, c. 23 June–July 1945 * La Junta Army Air Field,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 3 August – 7 November 1945 * Stout Field, Indianapolis, Indiana, 9 December 1946 *

Baer Field Baer (or Bär, from ) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Baer * Alan Baer, American tuba player * Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist * Buddy Baer (1915–1986), American boxer * ...

, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1 May 1951 : Designated:

, 1991 – present

Aircraft

, 1943 * P-47D/N Thunderbolt, 1943–1945 *

F-51D Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA- ...

, 1946–1951 *

F-51H Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA- ...

, 1951–1954 * F-80C Shooting Star, 1954–1956 *

F-86A Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, 1956–1958 *

F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak is an American swept-wing turbojet-powered fighter-bomber. The RF-84F Thunderflash is variant of the F-84F that was designed for photo reconnaissance. The design was originally intended to be a relatively simp ...

, 1958–1962; 1964–1971 *

RF-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak is an American swept-wing turbojet-powered fighter-bomber. The RF-84F Thunderflash is variant of the F-84F that was designed for photo reconnaissance. The design was originally intended to be a relatively simple ...

, 1962–1964 *

F-100D/F Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United S ...

, 1971–1979 *

F-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

, 1979–1986 * F-4E Phantom II, 1986–1991 *

F-16C/D Fighting Falcon A large number of variants of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon have been produced by General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and various licensed manufacturers. The details of the F-16 variants, along with major modification programs and der ...

, 1991–2010 *

, 2010 – 2023 *

, 2023 – present

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. * Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. * McLaren, David. Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Thunderstreak & Thunderflash: A Photo Chronicle. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1998. .

External links

Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, Mildred W., ''A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980'', Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO (1980).

* https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/indiana/articles/2018-03-05/new-commander-named-for-air-national-guards-fort-wayne-base {{Indiana Wings of the United States Air National Guard Military in units based in Indiana

122 122 may refer to: * 122 (number), a natural number * AD 122, a year in the 2nd century AD * 122 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * ''122'' (film), a 2019 Egyptian psychological horror film *" One Twenty Two", a 2022 single by the American rock band ...

Military units and formations established in 1950