104th Fighter Wing

The 104th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard headquartered at Barnes Air National Guard Base, part of Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, Massachusetts. In its state mission, it forms part of the Massachusetts National Guard; when placed in federal service, it is assigned to the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command. The wing combines an operational fighter mission with air defense, combat support, training, readiness, and expeditionary responsibilities. The wing's principal flying unit is the 131st Fighter Squadron, supported by the 104th Operations Group, 104th Maintenance Group, 104th Mission Support Group, and 104th Medical Group. Its current mission centers on operating the F-15 Eagle while maintaining a continuous Air Control Alert capability for protection of the northeastern United States. The wing also organizes, trains, and equips combat-ready personnel and support elements for Air Force contingency operations. It has received nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. The organization's roots reach back to the post-Second World War expansion of the Air National Guard in western Massachusetts. The National Guard Bureau authorized a Massachusetts unit in 1946, and the 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron and associated support elements received federal recognition on 24 February 1947. The unit initially operated the P-47 Thunderbolt and later flew the P-51 Mustang, F-94 Starfire, F-86H Sabre, F-84F Thunderstreak, F-100D Super Sabre, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and F-15 Eagle. It also supported ceremonial and public-facing activities, including a flyover at President Harry Truman's inauguration and publication of a long-running unit newspaper. The 104th became a fighter group in 1956 and initially performed air defense for Massachusetts. Its mission changed in 1958 when the Massachusetts Air National Guard moved from Air Defense Command to Tactical Air Command and converted to the F-86H fighter-bomber. During the 1961 Berlin Crisis, the 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron was federalized, with approximately 730 personnel placed on active duty and deployed to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base in France. The unit maintained alert duties, supported NATO planning, trained at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, and participated in exercises in Europe before returning to Massachusetts in 1962. A major operational transition occurred in 1979, when the unit exchanged the F-100 for new A-10 aircraft and assumed a close-air-support role. During the following decades, A-10 elements deployed frequently to NATO locations and later flew combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The wing's first combat sorties were flown during the 1995 NATO operation in Bosnia, and its personnel later participated in operations over Kosovo and in the post-2001 wars. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process brought another fundamental change. The wing's A-10 mission was transferred to the Maryland Air National Guard, while the 104th assumed an F-15-based homeland-defense role associated with the former 102nd Fighter Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base. F-15C aircraft and an F-15D trainer arrived at Barnes during 2007. The wing has continued to combine domestic air defense with overseas Air Expeditionary Force responsibilities. In 2023, its F-15s assisted F-22 aircraft in monitoring a Chinese high-altitude balloon over the continental United States. The wing has also been selected to transition from the F-15 to the F-35A Lightning II, with replacement expected around 2026, subject to implementation of the planned modernization.

The 104th Fighter Wing developed from the postwar expansion of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. A western Massachusetts unit was authorized in 1946, and on 24 February 1947 the 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron, a utility flight, a weather flight, and a support detachment received federal recognition. The organization received P-47 Thunderbolts in 1949 and participated in a flyover for President Harry Truman's inauguration. Its unit newspaper, first called the Thunderbolt and later Airscoop, became a long-running publication that received Department of Defense recognition. The 131st became the flying component of a larger group structure that included headquarters, maintenance, combat support, and medical elements. In 1950 the unit received the Spaatz Trophy for overall performance in areas including maintenance, training, safety, supply, and personnel administration. It transitioned to the P-51 Mustang in 1951 and then to the F-94 Starfire, placing the squadron in the jet-fighter era. Barnes Air National Guard Base was dedicated in October 1952. In 1954, the unit began a dawn-to-dusk air-defense alert with F-94 aircraft, an early form of the continuous alert mission it would later maintain. The 104th Fighter Group was activated and federally recognized on 1 May 1956. Its initial mission was Massachusetts air defense under Air Defense Command. On 10 November 1958 it moved to Tactical Air Command and became a tactical fighter group, converting to the F-86H Sabre fighter-bomber. During the 1961 Berlin Crisis, the 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron was federalized on 1 October, placing roughly 730 members on active duty. The unit deployed to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base in France, where it prepared for close air support and air-interdiction missions in support of NATO. It maintained round-the-clock aircraft alert, trained at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, and participated in exercises in France and West Germany. The unit returned to the United States in July 1962. The gaining-command arrangement with Tactical Air Command improved readiness through closer Air Force oversight, operational inspections, and more structured training. The squadron changed from the F-86H to the F-84F Thunderstreak in 1964 and later received the F-100D Super Sabre in 1971. Although the squadron was not federalized as a flying unit for the Vietnam War, some pilots volunteered for service in Southeast Asia. In July 1979, the organization began operating new A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The conversion marked the start of a nearly three-decade close-air-support period and made the wing a more integrated component of the Air Force's Total Force concept. A-10 operations generated repeated deployments to West Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and other NATO locations. During the 1990-1991 Gulf crisis and war, the wing's flying units were not mobilized for combat, but mission-support personnel helped backfill active Air Force organizations. The post-Cold War reorganization changed the unit's formal identity and command relationships. In March 1992 it became the 104th Fighter Group, while Tactical Air Command was replaced by Air Combat Command in June. In 1995, the Air Force's One Base-One Wing restructuring returned the organization to wing status and placed the 131st Fighter Squadron under the new 104th Operations Group. The wing entered combat operations during the 1990s. Approximately 400 personnel deployed to Aviano Air Base in Italy from August through October 1995 for the NATO effort against Serbian forces in Bosnia, producing the 131st Fighter Squadron's first combat sorties. In 1999, elements of the wing flew A-10 missions against Serbian forces in Kosovo. The developing Air Expeditionary Force system increasingly combined aircraft and personnel from active, reserve, and National Guard units rather than deploying an entire permanent wing as a single formation. The global war on terrorism brought deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2003, the 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew hundreds of A-10 combat missions supporting U.S. Army and Marine operations, including interdiction and close-air-support activity during Operation Iraqi Freedom and missions associated with Operation Enduring Freedom. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations ended the wing's A-10 mission at Barnes. The aircraft moved to the Maryland Air National Guard, while the 104th assumed the F-15 homeland-defense role associated with the former 102d Fighter Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base. The change also ended nearly 30 years of close-air-support operations. F-15C fighters and an F-15D trainer arrived during 2007, establishing the wing's present-generation fighter and air-defense role. The wing continued to perform domestic alert duties and overseas expeditionary missions, including a Middle East deployment completed in July 2012. In 2013, some F-15 aircraft temporarily moved to Otis while the Barnes runway underwent renovation. In August 2014, a wing aircraft crashed near Elliot Knob, Virginia, killing Lieutenant Colonel Morris Fontenot Jr. In February 2023, the wing's F-15s assisted F-22 aircraft in monitoring a Chinese high-altitude balloon over the United States. The wing has since been selected for a future transition to the F-35A Lightning II, expected around 2026.

• 2023

  Support during Chinese balloon monitoring

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  Wing F-15s assisted F-22 aircraft in tracking a Chinese high-altitude balloon over the continental United States.

• 2007

  F-15 mission established at Barnes

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The wing completed its transition from A-10 aircraft to F-15C fighters and an F-15D trainer.

• 2003

  Combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew A-10 missions in support of U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• 1995

  Return to wing status

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 104th Fighter Group was redesignated the 104th Fighter Wing on 1 October, and the 131st Fighter Squadron joined the 104th Operations Group.

• 1979

  A-10 close-air-support era begins

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The wing replaced the F-100 with new A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

• 1961

  Berlin Crisis federalization

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron was federalized and deployed to France in response to the Berlin Crisis.

• 1958

  Transfer to Tactical Air Command

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The unit left Air Defense Command, became a tactical fighter group, and converted to the F-86H Sabre.

• 1956

  104th Fighter Group established

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 104th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was activated in the Massachusetts Air National Guard on 1 May.

• 1947

  Federal recognition of predecessor units

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron and associated utility, weather, and support elements were federally recognized on 24 February.

• 1946

  Western Massachusetts Guard unit authorized

  [1]104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The National Guard Bureau authorized an Air National Guard unit in western Massachusetts.

A highly decorated Air National Guard fighter wing positioned as a dual-mission force: a standing homeland-defense organization for the northeastern United States and a deployable combat unit for Air Combat Command and joint or NATO operations.

• Multirole and air-superiority fighter · 2007

  F-15 Eagle

  The F-15 is the wing's current principal fighter platform and supports homeland-defense alert duties, air sovereignty missions, training, and expeditionary operations. The wing received F-15C aircraft and an F-15D trainer during the 2007 transition from the A-10 mission.

• Fifth-generation fighter

  F-35A Lightning II

  The F-35A has been selected as the wing's next-generation fighter. The planned transition is intended to replace the aging F-15 fleet and provide modern stealth, sensor, networking, and precision-engagement capabilities for Air Combat Command missions.

• Close-air-support aircraft · 1979

  A-10 Thunderbolt II

  The A-10 formed the wing's close-air-support capability from 1979 until the 2005 realignment. During this period, the aircraft supported NATO commitments and later combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq before the mission and aircraft moved to the Maryland Air National Guard.

• 2003Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom

  Afghanistan · Iraq

  The 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew hundreds of A-10 missions supporting U.S. Army and Marine forces, including close air support and interdiction missions.

  Outcome. The wing contributed air support to major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  Source
• 1999Kosovo air operations

  Kosovo · Former Yugoslavia

  Elements of the wing deployed as part of an Air National Guard A-10 group and flew missions against Serbian forces in Kosovo.

  Outcome. The deployment expanded the wing's operational combat experience in the post-Cold War period.

  Source
• 1995NATO Bosnia operation

  Bosnia and Herzegovina · Italy

  About 400 personnel deployed to Aviano Air Base in support of NATO operations against Serbian forces in Bosnia.

  Outcome. The deployment produced the 131st Fighter Squadron's first combat sorties.

  Source
• 1961Berlin Crisis deployment

  France · West Germany · Libya

  Federalized personnel deployed to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, maintained alert status, participated in NATO exercises, and trained at Wheelus Air Base during the Berlin Crisis.

  Outcome. The unit returned to Massachusetts in July 1962 after the crisis-related deployment.

  Source

• 2020

  Selection for F-35A conversionGeneration change

  Background

  The wing's F-15 fleet was identified for modernization as part of the Air National Guard's next-generation fighter transition.

  Action taken

  The 104th was selected to replace its F-15 aircraft with F-35A Lightning II fighters, with the transition expected around 2026.

  Aftermath

  The planned conversion would give the wing a fifth-generation fighter capability while preserving its homeland-defense and expeditionary missions.

  Source

• 2005

  Base Realignment and Closure mission changeStrategy

  Background

  The Department of Defense's 2005 BRAC recommendations proposed moving the wing's A-10 aircraft and replacing its close-air-support role with an F-15 homeland-defense mission.

  Action taken

  The A-10s moved to the Maryland Air National Guard, while the 104th assumed the former 102d Fighter Wing's F-15 and homeland-security mission.

  Aftermath

  The change ended nearly three decades of A-10 close-air-support operations at Barnes and established the wing's current F-15-based role.

  Source

1. 1104th Fighter Wingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2104th Fighter Wing official website104fw.ang.af.mil