Montgomery Air National Guard Base
Encyclopedia
- See: Montgomery Regional AirportMontgomery Regional AirportMontgomery Regional Airport , also known as Dannelly Field, is a joint civil-military public airport located six miles southwest of the central business district of Montgomery, a city in Montgomery County and the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama...
for civil airport information
Montgomery Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Alabama Air National Guard
Alabama Air National Guard
The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...
187th Fighter Wing
187th Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 187th Fighter Wing is a unit located at Dannelly Field, Alabama.-Mission:To provide the state Governor, National Command Authority, and Combatant Commanders with a superbly equipped and trained general purpose F-16C+ Block 30 Aviation Package, associated Expeditionary...
.
Overview
Some of the world's best fighter pilots and support personnel call Montgomery Regional Airport (Dannelly Field) home. The Alabama Air National GuardAlabama Air National Guard
The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...
's 187th Fighter Wing
187th Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 187th Fighter Wing is a unit located at Dannelly Field, Alabama.-Mission:To provide the state Governor, National Command Authority, and Combatant Commanders with a superbly equipped and trained general purpose F-16C+ Block 30 Aviation Package, associated Expeditionary...
has F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
s based at the airport and has been recognized as a leader in mission preparedness. The airport supports the Alabama Army and Air National Guard, and often times the Air Force will use Montgomery ANGB to take advantage of its long runway. It is not unusual to see Air Force C-17, C-5 and KC-135 aircraft at the airport.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to relocate the 117th Air Refueling Wing
117th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 117th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard air refueling unit located at Birmingham International Airport, Alabama.-Mission:...
's firefighter positions from Birmingham Air National Guard Base
Birmingham Air National Guard Base
Birmingham Air National Guard Base is the home of the United States Air Force 117th Air Refueling Wing.-Overview:Birmingham ANGB consists of approximately 147 acres and essential facilities to support the mission of the 117th Air Refueling Wing and its assigned units...
to Montgomery ANGB.
In another recommendation, DoD recommended to realign Great Falls Air National Guard Base
Great Falls Air National Guard Base
Great Falls Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Montana Air National Guard 120th Fighter Wing.-Overview:The 120th Fighter Wing of the Montana Air National Guard occupies of leased land on the Great Falls International Airport , located approximately southwest of downtown Great Falls,...
, Montana. It would distribute the 120th Fighter Wing
120th Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 120th Fighter Wing is a unit located at Great Falls International Airport, Montana.-Mission:The 120th Fighter Wing, as part of the Montana Air National Guard,serves a dual mission:...
's F-16s to the 187th Fighter Wing, Montgomery ANGB (three aircraft) and another installation. DoD recommended this realignment because Great Falls (117) ranked lower in military value than did Montgomery (60).
History
The roots of the 187th Fighter Wing date back to 1952 when the Alabama Air National Guard organized the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
equipped with the RF-51 Mustang. The squadron moved to Dannelly Field on January 1, 1953, and entered the jet age with the arrival of the RF-80 Shooting Star in 1955. Within a year the 160th transitioned to the RF-84 Thunderflash aircraft, which served as the squadron's primary aircraft for the next 15 years.
The squadron was mobilized during the Berlin Crisis in 1961-1962 and deployed to Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
, France. In August 1962, the squadron returned to normal peacetime status and was reorganized. It was then officially designated the 187th Reconnaissance Group.
In 1971, the Thunderflash was replaced by the RF-4C Phantom II, which was flown for 17 years. From 1971-1982, the group remained in the reconnaissance role. The 187th won many honors during this timeframe, including the best reconnaissance unit in the nation in the Photo Finish "81" competition.
In 1982, the 187th changed missions from reconnaissance to the multi-purpose fighter role after acquiring the F-4D. The Group established itself as a premier tactical fighter unit by capturing overall top honors in the ANG Fangsmoke competition in 1987. In October 1988, the Group converted to the F-16 aircraft. In October 1995, the Group was designated a Wing under Air Force reorganization; becoming the 187th Fighter Wing.