II. With close air support as its bread
and butter mission, the wing provided
critical support for ground units not only
in the US, but during deployments to
Europe and Central America, embracing
a readiness for worldwide tasking.
In fact, in 1991, the unit received the
rst ‘outstanding’ rating ever for any
ghter command in a unit e ectiveness
inspection. That achievement was a rst
for any active or reserve unit in the history
of Tactical Air Command.
Redesignated the 128th Fighter Wing,
under the newly formed Air Combat
Command, in 1992, it began conversion
to the F-16, which it continues to y
to this day. In October 1995, the 128th
FW was renumbered as the 115th FW.
During 1997 and 1998 it ew its rst F-16
combat missions, deploying to Turkey for
Operation ‘Northern Watch’ and to Kuwait
for ‘Southern Watch’.
The 115th was tasked to provide
homeland defense from September
11, 2001 — the rst time since 1974
that the wing was given a ‘24/7’ alert
commitment. In 2004 it deployed to
the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in
South-west Asia, and in 2006, 2008, and
2009 it went to Balad, Iraq, in support of
Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’.
Forty active-duty personnel arrived
at Truax Field in February 2015 as the
495th Fighter Group, Detachment
176, joined the ranks of the 115th
FW. This partnership highlights the
USAF’s Total Force Integration (TFI)
construct, further strengthening
the bonds between active-duty, reserve,
and ANG components.
Even as the unit continues to support
worldwide contingency operations
and homeland air defense, all eyes are
to the future. The men and women
of the 115th^ FW are exceptionally
proud to have been chosen as the
second ANG F-35 squadron and look
to set the standard for the next several
decades. ‘It’s exciting,’ says Lt Col Charlie
‘Skipper’ Merkel, veteran ghter pilot
and head of the newly formed
F-35 integration o ce for
the Wisconsin Air National
Guard. ‘It’s cutting-
edge and puts this
base on the map
worldwide.’
continental US capability. It was also
during the unit’s activation that the 176th
FS became the rst in the ANG to y the
F-89 Scorpion. However, this conversion
only lasted seven months before it
returned to the F-51. On October 31, 1952,
the squadron was o cially released from
active duty and fell back to the control of
the state government.
The following year, it was redesignated
as the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
(FIS) and converted rst to the F-86A
Sabre, but ultimately back to the F-89
in October 1955. During the next 12
years, the squadron’s role went from
that of stand-by reserve force to a critical
component in the air defense of the North
American continent.
The Scorpions were traded for F-102
Delta Daggers during 1965, ful lling a
round-the-clock alert commitment for the
next nine years. For its e orts, the 176th
was recognized as the best F-102 unit in
the US Air Force in 1972.
Modern era
The 176th left the ghter business in 1974
but returned in 1981 under the ag of the
128th Tactical Fighter Wing. This time, the
command elded the A-10 Thunderbolt
Right: The
115th Fighter
Wing’s recently
painted 70th
anniversary
F-16C.
Scott Wolff
The wing
received
notifi cation this past
December that it has
become a preferred
candidate base
for the bed-down of
the F-35A Lightning II
http://www.combataircraft.net // November 2018 23