183d Fighter Wing

183d Fighter Wing
170th Fighter Squadron - 60th Anniversary F-16. USAF F-16C block 30 #87-0296 from the 170th FS is leaving Springfield IAP for its final training flight in September 2008 before the unit's inactivation
Active	15 October 1962-present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Illinois
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Part of	Illinois Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Capital Airport Air National Guard Station, Springfield, Illinois
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel John Patterson
Insignia
183d Fighter Wing emblem

The 183d Fighter Wing (183 FW) is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, stationed at Capital Airport Air National Guard Station, Springfield, Illinois. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

A non-flying wing, the 183d Fighter Wing is tasked with augmenting Component Numbered Air Force (C-NAF) in both the Air and Space Operations Centers (AOC) and the Air Force Forces staff (AFFOR), A1 to A9. The mission of the 183d Fighter Wing consists of supporting the assigned groups and tenant units with traditional military services as well as all services for force sustainment including civil engineering, personnel, logistics, communications, medical, security, family support, and all other host services.

The primary unit of the 183d Fighter Wing is the 183d Air Operations Group (183 AOG).

The 183 AOG is capable of augmenting C-NAF staffs worldwide, therefore affording AOG personnel the opportunity to train at various locations - CONUS and OCONUS. The role of the AOG is to assist the AOC in organizing, planning, and executing the "air war" in a contingency or campaign and assist the AFFOR staff in bedding down Air Force forces in the theater. The 183rd AOG is aligned with Twelfth Air Force / AFSOUTH at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

Other units of the 183 FW are:

On 15 October 1962, the Illinois Air National Guard 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 183d Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 170th TFS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 183d Headquarters, 183d Material Squadron (Maintenance), 183d Combat Support Squadron, and the 183d USAF Dispensary.

The 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was equipped with F-84F Thunderstreaks. It continued to fly the aircraft throughout the 1960s. The squadron was not activated for service during the Vietnam War, although from 1968 to 1971 many of its personnel were activated and some saw service in Southeast Asia. All F-84Fs were grounded in November 1971, after a 170th pilot was killed when his plane lost a wing during exercises at the Hardwood Gunnery range in Findley, Wisconsin. The accident was caused by the "milkbone" joining bolt in the main wing which had been weakened by years of flying and failed in-flight. Inspections of other F-84Fs in the Air National Guard found the same issue affected many other aircraft. The problem was deemed too-widespread to justify the economic repair of the aircraft, and it was decided to retire the ANG's fleet of F-84Fs and replace them with more modern aircraft. All F-84s were retired to AMARC at Davis-Monthan AFB, the 170th having the distinction of flying the F-84F longer than any other USAF/ANG squadron.