120th Airlift Wing

120th Airlift Wing
120th Fighter Wing - Formation
Active	1955-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Montana
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Tactical Airlift
Size	900+
Part of	Montana Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Great Falls Air National Guard Base, Great Falls, Montana
Motto(s)	Vigilantes
Tail Code	White tail stripe "Montana"; Steer/mountain skyline
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Pete Hronek
Insignia
120th Airlift Wing emblem

The 120th Airlift Wing (120 AW) is a unit of the Montana Air National Guard, stationed at Great Falls Air National Guard Base at Great Falls International Airport, Montana. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command.

The 120th Airlift Wing, as part of the Montana Air National Guard, serves a dual mission:

The 120th Airlift Wing consists of the following units:

On 1 July 1955, the Montana Air National Guard 186th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 120th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 186th FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 120th Headquarters, 120th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 120th Combat Support Squadron, and the 120th USAF Dispensary. The group was gained by the 29th Air Division, Air Defense Command with a mission for the air defense of the northern tier of the United States.

In 1958, the 120th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program, in which interceptors of the 186th FIS were committed to a five-minute runway alert, a task that would last for 38 years. The arrival of the F-102 Delta Dagger in 1966 ushered in the supersonic age. In 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated as Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM). In 1972, the unit was redesignated the 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group and assigned the F-106 Delta Dart, the first Air National Guard unit to receive this aircraft. With the F-106, the squadron competed in and won its first William Tell, a live-fire missile competition held at Tyndall AFB, Florida. Performed air defense duties along the northern tier of the United States until 1978 when ADCOM was merged into Tactical Air Command. Continued air defense mission for ADTAC component of TAC with the F-106s, transferring to First Air Force when ADTAC was replaced in 1985.