The 127th Air Refueling Group is a unit of the Michigan Air National Guard, assigned to the 127th Wing,

Selfridge Air National Guard Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...

, Michigan.

History

Established in 1962 when the Michigan ANG 171st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was expanded to a Group. Was primarily a training unit flying second-line RF-84F Thundersteak reconnaissance aircraft for

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 ...

, upgrading to the newer RF-101 Voodoo in 1971. Reassigned to

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major 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 Defense Command, was establishe ...

(ADCOM) in 1973, equipped with

F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart is an all-weather interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. The F-106 was designed in response to the 1954 interceptor program. Envisioned as an imagined "Ultimate In ...

interceptors. Performed air defense duties of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

area until 1978 when ADCOM was merged into Tactical Air Command. Continued air defense mission for ADTAC component of TAC with

F-4 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 ...

s, transferring to

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission i ...

when ADTAC was replaced in 1985. Upgraded to F-16A Fighting Falcons in 1990. Transferred to

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

in 1993 when the group became a

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

Tactical Airlift unit. Inactivated in April 1996 when the 127th Fighter Wing and 191st Airlift Group were merged due to the One-Base, One Wing policy. Reactivated in May 1999 as a group under the 127th Wing, operating the C-130 airlift element of the composite wing. Inactivated in September 2007 with the realignment of Selfridge and transfer of the C-130s and the transition to the

KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

due to BRAC 2005. The 191st Group was inactivated, however the 191st Operation Support Flight, 191st Maintenance Squadron, 191st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 191st Maintenance Operations Flight and the 171st Air Refueling Squadron were reassigned to the 127th Air Refueling Group, 127th Wing. On January 11, 2024, it was announced that the group would be transitioning over to the new KC-46A Pegasus, possibly in 2028. The group of 12 aircraft would replace the eight that are currently a part of the wing.

Lineage

* Established as the 191st Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 11 September 1962 and allotted to the Air National Guard : Activated on 1 October 1962 : Redesignated 191st Fighter-Interceptor Group c. 21 July 1972 : Redesignated 191st Fighter Group on 15 March 1992 : Redesignated 191st Airlift Group on 15 July 1994 : Inactivated on 1 April 1996 * Activated on 1 May 1999 : Redesignated 127th Air Refueling Group, 30 September 2007,

Assignments

* 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 October 1962 * 835th Air Division, 1 July 1967 * 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1967 * 102nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing, c. 21 Jul 1972 * 144th Fighter-Interceptor Wing * 127th Wing, 15 March 1992 – 1 April 1996 * 127th Wing, 1 May 1999 – present Michigan Air National Guard, 1 Oct 1962 – 1 April 1996 : Gained by

, 1 October 1962 : Gained by

, c. 21 July 1972 : Gained by

, 1 June 1978 : Gained by

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 ...

, 1 June 1992 : Gained by

, 1 October 1993

Components

* 171st Tactical Reconnaissance (later Fighter-Interceptor, later Tactical Fighter, Later Fighter, Later Airlift) Squadron, 1 October 1962 – 1 April 1996; 1 May 1999 – 30 September 2007

Stations

* Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, Michigan, 1 October 1962 *

(prev. Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, 1 July 1971 – 1 April 1996; 1 May 1999 – 30 September 2007)

Aircraft

* RF-84F Thunderstreak, 1962–1971 * RF-101C Voodoo, 1971–1972 *

, 1972–1978 * F-4C Phantom II, 1978–1986 * F-4D Phantom II, 1986–1990 * F-16A Fighting Falcon, 1990 *

, 1993–1996; 1999–2007 *

, 2007–Present * KC-46A Pegasus - future

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

191st Airlift Group Lineage and History
*Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.

External links

{{US Air Force navbox Groups of the United States Air National Guard Military units and formations in Michigan Air refueling groups of the United States Air Force