page_title: 149th Fighter Squadron
section_title: Virginia Air National Guard
hierarchical_section_title: 149th Fighter Squadron / History / Virginia Air National Guard
caption_attribution_description: English: VA ANG 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron A-7D-7-CV Corsair II 70-955 1971: Aircraft delivered to 354th Tactical Fighter Wing/356th TFS, Myrtle Beach AFB, SC (C/N D-101) Transferred to 23d Tactical Fighter Wing/75th TFS, 1978 Transferred to 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron, VA Air National Guard, 1982 Transferred to AMARC as AE0126 Feb 18, 1991 Sent to reclamation, April 1997
context_page_description: The 149th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Virginia Air National Guard's 192d Fighter Wing located at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia. The 149th is the first Air National Guard fighter squadron to fly the F-22 Raptor.
context_section_description: The wartime 328th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 149th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Virginia ANG, on 24 May 1946.  It was organized at Byrd Field, Richmond, Virginia and was extended federal recognition on 21 June 1947. The 149th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history, honors, and colors of the 328th.  The squadron was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was allocated to the Fourteenth Air Force, Continental Air Command by the National Guard Bureau.
  The unit was called to active federal service on 1 March 1951. This activation temporarily resulted in the dissolution of the Virginia Air National Guard, as members were sent to various places, including for many, duty in the Korean War.  The squadron was sent to Turner AFB, Georgia where it was assigned to the federalized 108th Fighter-Bomber Group with a mission to provide fighter escorts to Strategic Air Command B-50 Superfortress bombers on training missions.  In December 1951 it was moved to Godman AFB, Kentucky where it replaced a unit deployed to England.  It was released from active duty and returned to Virginia state control on 10 November 1952.
  Upon return to state control, the squadron was reorganized as a B-26 Invader light bombardment squadron and allocated to Tactical Air Command.  In June 1957 a jurisdictional tug-of-war began between Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Command occurred for control of the squadron.  The unit was redesignated the 149th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and was scheduled to get F-86E Sabre jets. However, later that year, the unit became the Tactical Air Command-gained 49th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and F-84F Thunderstreaks began replacing the obsolescent B-26s.
  At the height of the Cold War in 1961, the squadron was federalized as a result of tensions concerning the Berlin Wall.  Part of the squadron remained at Richmond in an active-duty status for about a year before being released. Twenty-two Virginia ANG members were sent to Chaumont-Semoutiers AB, France, in December 1961 to support the USAFE 7108h Tactical Wing, a deployed unit of the 108th Tactical Fighter Wing, New Jersey ANG.  They spent eight months in Europe.
  On 15 October 1962, the 149th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 192d Tactical Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau.  The 149th TFS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 192d Headquarters, 192d Material Squadron (Maintenance), 192d Combat Support Squadron, and the 192d USAF Dispensary.
  During 1971, the squadron was assigned the F-105D Thunderchief, a battle-hardened supersonic fighter-bomber that was the backbone of America's fighter element during the Vietnam War. The group's special tasking during the next 10 years included several deployments to Red Flag live-fire exercises at Nellis AFB, Nevada and a Crested Cap NATO deployment to RAF Lakenheath, England, in 1976.
  In 1981, the unit transitioned to the Vought A-7D Corsair II, a subsonic jet designed primarily for close-air support. The 10-year A-7 era included several deployments, to Ecuador, Norway, and to Panama, in support of the defense of the Panama Canal. A Virginia contingent competed in Gunsmoke '85, the Air Force's tactical fighter competition, and the 149th was named the world's "Best A-7 Unit." The squadron also earned the General Spruance Safety Award and was recognized as having had the best Operational Readiness Inspection in the Ninth Air Force during 1985. That string of accomplishments helped the squadron earn its first USAF Outstanding Unit Award, which was presented in 1987.
  On 20 December 1989, the United States unleashed Operation Just Cause – the emergency dispatch of U.S. forces to Panama to try to oust Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega, break up his army and pave the way for democratic elections. The Virginia Air Guard flew 59 Guardsmen and five A-7s to Howard AFB, near Panama City, on 20 January 1990 for its turn in the rotation. The 149th replaced the Ohio ANG's 180th Tactical Fighter Group, whose A-7 pilots had flown 76
caption: Virginia ANG 149th TFS A-7D Corsair II 70-955
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