179th Airlift Wing

179th Airlift Wing
179th Airlift Wing C-27J Spartan flying over Mansfield Control Tower
Active	1962-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Ohio
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Tactical Airlift
Part of	Ohio Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, Mansfield, Ohio
Nickname(s)	Mansfield's Air Guard
Tail Code	"Mansfield"
Insignia
179th Airlift Wing emblem

The 179th Airlift Wing (179 AW) is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard, stationed at Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, Mansfield, Ohio. If activated to federal service, the 179 AW is gained by the Air Mobility Command as part of the United States Air Force. The 179th’s mission is to utilize the C-130H Hercules to provide direct airlift support to the United States Army. The primary mission of the C-130H is to deliver time sensitive/mission critical supplies the “last tactical mile,” as well as to provide for airlift in support of homeland defense operations.

The 179th Airlift Wing consists of the following units:

On 15 October 1962, the Ohio Air National Guard 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 179th Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 164th TFS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 179th Headquarters, 179th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 179th Combat Support Squadron, and the 179th USAF Dispensary.

Equipped with F-84F Thunderstreaks, the new group was assigned to the Ohio ANG 121st Tactical Fighter Wing at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. The 179th TFG was tasked with a tactical fighter-bomber mission to augment Tactical Air Command.

The squadron continued normal peacetime training throughout the 1960s. Individual squadron members volunteered for duty during the Vietnam War, however the 164th was not federalized in 1968 as the F-84Fs were not considered front line combat aircraft. In February 1972, the squadron retired its Thunderstreaks and converted to the F-100 Super Sabre as a result of the American draw-down from the Vietnam War.