The 127th Wing is a composite wing of the United States Air Force, Air National Guard and Michigan National Guard. It comprises approximately 1,400 citizen airmen and provides highly trained personnel, aircraft, and support resources to serve the Michigan community, the state and the United States. The Wing operates Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, providing global aerial refueling capability supporting Air Mobility Command and the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, flying the close-air support mission for Air Combat Command. The current commander of the 127th Wing is Brig. Gen. Matthew G. Brancato. The 127th Wing's is host unit of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the largest facility managed by a reserve component (Air National Guard or U.S. Air Force Reserve) of the U.S. Air Force.
History
In the fall of 1950, the Air National Guard reorganized its tactical units according to the United States Air Force's Wing Base Organization, which combined tactical and support units under a single wing. On 1 November 1950, the 127th Fighter Wing was activated with the 127th Fighter, Air Base, Maintenance & Supply, and Medical Groups assigned.
In February 1951, the wing and groups were called to active duty. Unlike other Air National Guard wings called to active duty for the Korean War, the 127th became part of Air Training Command and moved to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, becoming the 127th Pilot Training Wing.[2] Seventeen members of the wing's 172nd Squadron had already volunteered for duty overseas as members of the regular Air Force the previous month.[3] The 197th Pilot Training Squadron of the Arizona Air National Guard, already at Luke, equipped with Republic F-84 Thunderjets, joined the wing.[3] The wing trained fighter pilots with North American F-51 Mustangs, Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars and Republic F-84 Thunderjets. On 1 November 1952, the wing was inactivated and returned to the Air National Guard as the 127th Fighter-Bomber Wing, transferring its equipment and most of its personnel at Luke to the newly formed 3600th Flying Training Wing.[2]
In April 1962, Volunteer pilots and ground support personnel from the wing's 172nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron began training at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, for Operation Blue Straw, nuclear tests conducted at Christmas Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Flying specially equipped Martin RB-57 Canberras, their pilots flew through nuclear dust clouds to gather samples for study.[3]
In July 1967, over 80 per cent of the Michigan Air Guard's personnel were ordered on active duty to help deal with massive rioting, looting, and arson in Detroit. They guarded utility installations, rode with police and firefighters, guarded prisoners, and secured a base at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated, and the unit's Air Police contingent was flown to the city. Its RB-57s flew over damaged parts of the city, producing over 9,000 photos. By July 30, all unit personnel but the Air Police had been demobilized.[3]
Prompted by a disastrous tornado in Lubbock, Texas, in 1970, the National Guard Bureau set up a pilot program for nationwide civil defense tornado aerial photographic assessment and assigned the mission to the wing's 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Group.[3]
The wing also supported the Air Force Special Operations Command with its 107th Weather Flight (inactivated by 30 September 2017).[4]
In 2022, the squadron made national headlines when it became the first Air Force squadron to demonstrate that military aircraft could use modern highways as temporary airstrips. It was the first time integrated combat turns had been executed on a public highway in the United States.[5]
From July 2023 to November 2023, the 127th Air Refueling Group was deployed in support of U.S. Central Command.
It was announced on January 11, 2024 that the Air Refueling Group will be moving over from the KC-135 Stratotanker to the KC-46A Pegasus, due to arrive in possibly 2028. These 12 will replace the current 8 that are assigned to the group.[6]
Lineage
Constituted c. 25 October 1950 as the 127th Fighter Wing and allotted to the Air National Guard
Activated on 1 November 1950
Called to active duty c. 1 February 1951
Redesignated 127th Pilot Training Wing on 10 February 1951
Inactivated on 1 November 1952 and returned to the Air National Guard
Redesignated 127th Fighter-Bomber Wing and activated on 1 November 1952
Redesignated 127th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 July 1955
Redesignated 127th Air Defense Wing on 16 April 1956
Redesignated 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing on 12 April 1958
Redesignated 127th Tactical Fighter Wing on 30 June 1972
127th Fighter Group (later 127th Pilot Training Group, 127th Fighter-Bomber Group, 127th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 127th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 127th Tactical Fighter Group, 127th Operations Group), 1 November 1950 – 1 November 1952, 1Noovember 1952 – 9 December 1974, c. 1 January 1993 – present
127th Air Base Group, 1 November 1950 – 1 November 1952, 1 November 1952 – 15 April 1956, 12 April 1958 – 1 October 1962
127th Combat Support Group (later 127th Combat Support Squadron, 127th Mission Support Squadron, 127th Support Group, 127th Mission Support Group), 9 December 1974 – present
127th Maintenance & Supply Group (later 127th Logistics Group, 127th Maintenance Group), 1 November 1950 – 1 November 1952, 1 November 1952 – 15 April 1956, 12 April 1958 – c. 1 December 1959, c. 1 January 1993 – present
127th Medical Group (later 127th Tactical Hospital, 127th USAF Dispensary, 127th Tactical Clinic, 127th Medical Squadron, 127th Medical Group), 1 November 1950 – 1 November 1952, 1 November 1952 – present
191st Tactical Reconnaissance Group (later 191st Fighter Group, 191st Airlift Group, 127th Air Refueling Group), 1 October 1962 – 1 July 1967, 1968 – c. 21 July 1972, 15 March 1992 – 1 April 1996, 1 May 1999 – present
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