A F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 122nd Fighter Wing taxis at the Fort Wayne Indiana Air National Guard Base in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oct. 20, 2023. The aircraft was the first to arrive at the base since conversion began in April.
Ten original members of the 358th Fighter Group pose in front of the U.S. Air Force 122nd Fighter Wing's heritage jet at their final reunion, which was hosted by the 122nd Fighter Wing in Terre Haute AGB, Indiana in October 2008. The 358th FG, the "Orange Tails", was activated in January 1943. During the Second World War this unit was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations and the Croix de Guerre.
[n 2005 the wing introduced the reconnaissance Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System, becoming one of the first units to fly with it.
In 2008, after having flown for 17 years with the block 25 aircraft, these F-16s were nearing the end of their planned operational lifespans. The aircraft the 122nd received were only somewhat newer; Block 30 F-16C/Ds, manufactured between 1987 and 1989. These models were provided by the Michigan Air National Guard107th Fighter Squadron, which was then transitioning to the A-10 Thunderbolt II at the time. With the upgrade to the Block 30 aircraft, the tail code of the 163rd was changed from "FW" (Fort Wayne) to "IN" (Indiana) in 2009 when the 181st Fighter Wing at Hulman Field became a non-flying unit. However, only a few of the F-16s were re-coded.
In 2009 – the year the unit honored its predecessor unit – the 358th FG – with a heritage jet – it was decided that the squadron was to retire their 20-year-old F-16s and become an A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron. The conversion happened in 2010.
In 2023, the unit converted back to the F-16 platform as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act. These started arriving in October 2023 and will continue until all 21 have arrived.
Lineage
2006 Operation Iraqi Freedom patch
Established as the 122nd Fighter Wing c. 30 October 1950
Activated c. 1 November 1950
Redesignated 122nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing and called to active duty on 10 February 1951[1]
Inactivated on 7 February 1952
Released from active duty, redesignated 122nd Fighter-Bomber Wing and activated in the National Guard on 1 November 1952
Redesignated: 122nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 July 1955
Redesignated: 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 November 1958
Redesignated 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing (Special Delivery) on 1 July 1959
Federalized and ordered to active service on 1 October 1961
Released from active duty and returned to Indiana state control on 31 August 1962
Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN0-89201-092-4.
Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN1-85780-197-0
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