page_title: 103d Airlift Wing
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: 103d Airlift Wing / History / Connecticut Air National Guard / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: 118th Fighter-Bomber Squadron - F-84D Thunderjet formation
context_page_description: The 103d Airlift Wing is a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard, stationed at Bradley Air National Guard Base at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 103 AW is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command.
  The 103 AW was first activated in 1943 as the 324th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. During World War II, the 324th served in combat with Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force, primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and Middle East Theater. It received two Distinguished Unit Citations for engagements in the Mediterranean and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France from 1944 to 1945.
  In 1946 the 324th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 103d Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard.
  The 118th Airlift Squadron, assigned to the wing's 103rd Operations Group, was first established during World War I as the 118th Aero Squadron on 31 August 1917.
context_section_description: The 103d was reactivated on 1 November 1952 with the end of the units federalization period and redesignated as the 103d Fighter-Bomber Wing, operationally-gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC).  However, air defense remained as a secondary mission.
  Upon the 118th's return, the F-47s were sent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for storage and the squadron was re-equipped with very long range F-51H Mustangs by TAC with an assigned mission of close air support (CAS). In January 1953, the 103d received several F-84D Thunderjets for maintenance instruction and the squadron was fully equipped with the Thunderjet during the summer of 1953.  In the spring of 1955, the F-84Gs were transferred to the Georgia Air National Guard's 128th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and the 118th converted to the F-94B Starfire.   However, the F-94Bs only remained with the 118th for about a year when they were replaced by the F-86H Sabre tactical fighter in 1957.  At this time the wing, now designated the 103d Air Defense Wing was inactivated.
  The Sabres were then replaced by F-100A Super Sabres during the summer of 1960 and the Wing becoming ADC-gained.   The F-100As gave way to Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in January 1966, standing a 24-hour air defense alert. then in 1971 the group transferred back to Tactical Air Command, becoming an F-100D Super Sabre Group.
  From 1971 to 1979, the 103d flew the F-100 Super Sabre and its mission was close air support and it began a NATO commitment, deploying frequently in the 1970s to bases in West Germany to reinforce United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). In 1979, the unit was assigned new A-10 Thunderbolt IIs as part of the "Total Force" concept which equipped Air National Guard units with front-line USAF aircraft.   The USAFE commitment continued, deploying the "Warthog" to bases in West Germany and Italy.
  In 1990 the 103d was programmed to receive the specialized Block 10 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, also referred to as the F/A-16 due to its close air support configuration.   The 1990 Gulf Crisis, however, delayed this transition.   During Operation Desert Storm, the F/A-16 was battle tested and it was discovered that the close air support F-16 project proved to be a failure.  Subsequently, the conversion of the wing was cancelled in 1993, and the 118th squadron remained an A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support squadron.
caption: 118th Fighter-Bomber Squadron – F-84D Thunderjet formation 1954
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