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116th Air Control Wing
116th Air Control Wing emblem
Active	2002-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Air Control
Role	Combat Support
Garrison/HQ	Robins AFB, Georgia

The United States Air Force's 116th Air Control Wing (116 ACW) is an joint active duty/Air National Guard air control wing located at Robins AFB, Georgia.

Contents 1 Mission 2 History 3 Assignments 3.1 Major Command/Gaining Command 4 Previous designations 5 Squadrons assigned 6 Bases stationed 7 Aircraft Operated[1] 8 References 9 External links

The heritage of the 116th Bomb Wing can be traced to Mitchell Field, New York, where it was formed on 28 September 1942, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. Shortly afterwards on 1 October 1942, it was redesignated as the 353rd Fighter Group and assigned to 8th Air Force. The new unit flew missions in support of the D-Day landings in Normandy during WWII and participated in the Ardennes, Northern France, Central Europe, and Rhineland Campaigns. The 353rd was honored with a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for actions over Holland in 1944 and finished the war with 35 aces and over 300 kills of enemy aircraft.

After being inactivated on 18 October 1945 at Camp Kilmer, NJ, the 353rd Fighter Group was redesignated as Headquarters, 116th Fighter Group allotted to the Georgia National Guard (ANG) and stood up on 9 September 1946 under the 54th Fighter Wing at Dobbins (formerly Marietta) AFB.

In October of 1950, after the start of the Korean War, the Group activated and moved to George AFB, California where it reorganized under Tactical Air Command (TAC) as the 116th Fighter Bomber Wing flying the F-84 “Thunderjet.” After several months of fighter/bomber tactical training the wing deployed to Misawa Air Base, Japan in July of 1951 to support the air defense of the northern portion of the island. Beginning in December of 1951 the wing flew attack missions against North Korean forces until July of 1952 when it returned to state control in Georgia at Dobbins AFB. There it continued to fly fighter type aircraft until 1961, including F-51s, F-84Fs, F-84Ds, and F-86Ls.

After flying fighters and bombers since its initial activation, the 116th became the Georgia ANG Air Transport Wing on 1 June 1961 and converted to the C-97 “Stratofreighter” transport, marking a major change in wing history. Later, in December of 1966, it became the first ANG unit to receive the new C-124 Globemaster.

Numerous combat support missions to every corner of the globe, including Vietnam, kept the 116th busy until it again became a fighter unit in 1974, equipped with the F-100D Super Saber. Designated as the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing, the 116th flew the Super Saber jets for six accident-free years until May of 1979 when the last aircraft left Dobbins AFB for the “Bone-yard” at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona. From then until 1996, the 116th flew F-105G Wild Weasels, F-4D Phantoms, and F-15A/B Eagles at Dobbins AFB, Georgia. During this period, the wing developed an impressive record of accomplishment and was awarded nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.

After calling Dobbins AFB home for many years, the 116th was presented with a new challenge in 1996. The wing simultaneously converted from fighters to the B-1 Bomber and moved 110 miles south to Robins AFB in Warner Robins, Georgia. Having to make the most of the available facilities, including the former Strategic Air Command alert facility, the 116th Bomb Wing was quickly up and running and participated in a number of deployments and exercises around the world in the B-1B.

In the summer of 2001 the wing rose to a new and unique challenge. In order to streamline the B-1 Bomber program, the Department of Defense reorganized the fleet, which required that they leave Robins AFB. Immediately the 116th began the initial stages of an untried process with a vast amount of potential benefit to the Air Force, transitioning into the first ever “blended wing”. The new wing was to be composed of active duty and ANG personnel, facilities and equipment of both the 116th BW and the co-located active-duty 93d Air Control Wing (ACW), which operated the E-8C Joint STARS battlefield surveillance aircraft.

As a testament to the enduring efforts of its members, the 116th ACW stood up on 1 October 2002 and currently supports operations around the world as the only Air Force organization operating the Joint STARS aircraft.

• Air National Guard/Air Combat Command (1 Jun 1992-Present)
• Air National Guard/Tactical Air Command (???-1 Jun 1992)

• 116th Air Control Wing (???-Present)
• 116th Bomb Wing ()
• 116th Fighter Wing (1 Jun 1992-???)
• 116th Tactical Fighter Wing (???-1 Jun 1992)
• 116th Tactical Fighter Group (???)

• 128th Air Control Squadron ()

• Robins AFB, Georgia (???-Present)
• Dobbins ARB, Georgia (1950-???)

• E-8A (???-Present)
• B-1B (???-???)
• F-15 (1986-???)
• F-4D (1983-1986)
• F-105G (1979-1983)
• F-100D (1973-1979)
• C-124C (1966-1973)
• C-97G (196?-1966)
• C-97F (1961-196?)
• F-86L (1960-1961)
• F-84F (1955-1960)
• F-84D (1952-1955)
• F-51 Mustang (1950-1952)

1. ^ World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN: 1-880588-01-3

• 116th Air Control Wing Official Website