Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force
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The 926th Wing is an associate unit to the United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis AFB. The unit provides reservists to the USAFWC as sustained expertise integrated at the operational and tactical levels of warfare. It continuously conducts combat operations, operational test and evaluation, tactics development, and advanced training to warfighters.[citation needed]
The 926th Wing's 726th Operations Group supports the U.S. Air Force's first Unmanned Aircraft Systems wing, the 432d Wing, equipped with more than 100 MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft, in its mission to train pilots, sensor operators and other unmanned aircraft crewmembers, and conduct combat surveillance and attack operations worldwide.[citation needed]
Units
The 926th Wing consists of two Operations Groups located at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases:
After May 1959, the reserve flying force consisted of 45 troop carrier squadrons assigned to 15 troop carrier wings.[b] The squadrons were not all located with their parent wings, but were spread over thirty-five USAF, U.S. Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning.[2] However, under this concept, all support organizations were located with the wing headquarters.[3] Although this was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. To resolve this, at the start of 1962, Continental Air Command, (ConAC) determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed.[4]
Activation of the 926th Troop Carrier Group
As a result, the 926th Troop Carrier Group was activated at Naval Air Station New Orleans, Louisiana on 17 January 1963 as the headquarters for the 706th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been stationed there since May 1961.[5] Along with group headquarters, a combat support squadron, materiel squadron and a tactical infirmary were organized to support the 68th.[citation needed]
If mobilized, the group was gained by Tactical Air Command (TAC), which was also responsible for its training. Its mission was to organize, recruit and train Air Force reservists in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems.[citation needed]
In 1967, the unit designation was changed to the 926th Tactical Airlift Group, reflecting broader airlift capabilities to include transporting equipment and supplies for deployments worldwide.[citation needed]
In 1969, the 926th experienced another conversion as it transitioned to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. In October 1972, members of the 926th flew two C-130 aircraft into South Vietnam as part of the USAF-wide program designed to provide the South Vietnamese with increased cargo capability before the Vietnam War came to an end.[citation needed]
In 1975, with the divestment of all C-130 tactical airlift aircraft from TAC, the gaining command for the 926 TAG was changed to the Military Airlift Command.[citation needed]
Conversion to fighter aircraft
In 1977, the Air Force announced the 926th would convert to the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly fighter aircraft, bringing with the conversion a combat mission and a new designation, the 926th Tactical Fighter Group, and a return to TAC as its gaining command. The 926th continued to fly the A-37 until June 1982 when the group completed a conversion to the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II.[citation needed]
Gulf War
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the 926th Group began deploying people and A-10 aircraft in support of Operation Desert Shield. Then, in December 1990, approximately 450 members of the 926th were recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm as the nation's first Air Force Reserve combat unit recalled to active duty.[citation needed]
Deployments
In February 1992, the unit was redesignated as the 926th Fighter Group. The name change reflected the inactivation of TAC and the establishment of its successor organization, Air Combat Command (ACC). The group began conversion from the A-10 to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, which was complete by October that year. Two years later, on 1 October 1994, the unit officially became the 926th Fighter Wing.[citation needed]
In 1995, the wing converted back to the A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The conversion was completed and the unit became combat-ready in September 1997.[citation needed]
