130th Airlift Wing

130th Airlift Wing
130th Airlift Wing emblem
Active	1955 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift Wing
Role	Provide support for airlift missions at both the state and federal level
Size	8 C-130Hs
Part of	Air National Guard Air Mobility Command
Garrison/HQ	Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia
Nickname	Mountaineers
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Tim Fyre

The United States Air Force's 130th Airlift Wing is an airlift unit located at Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia. It provides support for airlift missions at both the state and federal level.

The unit's history includes:

• Being the first Air Guard unit to deploy outside the United States, February 1965.^[1]
• First Air Guard unit to participate in "Operation Bright Star" near Cairo, Egypt in 1981.
• First Air Guard unit to participate in Red Flag exercises in 1981.
• Only Air Guard unit to participate in the 40th year anniversary of D-Day, held in France in 1984.
• First unit to combine with the active force for an ORI inspection in 1987.
• Aug 1990 - Headed volunteer package 1630th TAS(P) during Desert Shield. Based at Al Ain Air Base, UAE the 1630 flew missions to every country in the Southwest Asia AOR.
• Oct 1990 - Members of the 130th Tactical Airlift Squadron and 130th Maintenance Squadron were activated by Presidential Order and joined other members of the 1630th TAS(P) already in place for Desert Shield.
• Nov 1990 - The 130th Tactical Clinic was activated by Presidential Order and sent to England to head up a hospital for war casualties.
• Dec 1990 - 130th Mobile Aerial Port activated by Presidential Order and sent to Dover AFB, DE in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
• Jan 1991 - Desert Storm - Several members of the 1630th Tactical Airlift Squadron (Provisional) and aircraft deployed to King Fahd AB, KSA, in support of the air portion of Operation Desert Storm. The unit moved more cargo and troops (weight) in 12 days than in the entire Berlin Airlift.
• April 1991 - Unit returned home
• April 1992 - Some unit members and aircraft deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany in support of the Bosnian Airlift, Operation "Provide Promise". The 130th has deployed several times since this date for "Provide Promise", the latest being 21 Sept 98 to 29 Oct 98.
• Aug 1993 - One aircraft and 2 crews were sent to Operation Support Hope for 30 days in Rwanda, Africa.
• Jan - Mar 1996 - Unit deployed 2 aircraft, 6 crews and maintenance support to D'haran, KSA in support of Operation Southern Watch.
• Apr - Jun 1998 - Support of Operation Southern Watch from Prince Sultan Air Base, KSA.

Recent events

C-130s lined up on the tarmac while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom

On May 13, 2005, the United States Department of Defense released its Base Realignment and Closure, 2005 (BRAC) report, and the 130th Airlift Wing was one of the units slated to be eventually decommissioned. Its complement of 8 C-130H aircraft would be transferred to Pope Air Force Base, and its complement of expeditionary combat support (ECS) personnel to the 167th Airlift Wing.

Upon learning of this, several former commanders of the 130th Airlift Wing along with members of the local Kanawha County Commission and the Yeager Airport Board of Directors and formed the Keep 'Em Flying grassroots organization to try to prevent the unit from being decommissioned. Following an outpouring of community support, money was raised for newspaper and radio ads and to hire analysts familiar with BRAC, all in an attempt to save the unit. Funds were contributed from Yeager Airport, the Kanawha County Commission and the local economic development organization, the Charleston Area Alliance. On June 13, 2005, members of the BRAC commission came to Charleston to evaluate the base and talk to General Tackett, Governor Joe Manchin, Senator Robert Byrd, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and Col. Bill Peters, Jr, former commander of the 130th and chair for Keep 'Em Flying.

Following this visit, and taking in all the information that was presented to them during that time, the BRAC commission voted unanimously, 9-0, to keep the unit intact.

Assignments

Operation Southern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom

Major Command

• Air Mobility Command (1992–Present)
• Air Combat Command (???-1992)
• Military Airlift Command (???-???)
• Tactical Airlift Command (???-???)

Previous designations^[2]

• 130th Airlift Wing (1995–Present)
• 130th Airlift Group (1992–1995)
• 130th Tactical Airlift Group (1975–1992)
• 130th Special Operations Group (???-1975)
• 130th Air Commando Group (1960-???)
• 130th Troop Carrier Squadron (1955–1960)

Squadrons assigned

• 130th Airlift Squadron (1955–Present)

Bases stationed

• Kanawha Airport/Yeager AIrport, Charleston, West Virginia (1955–Present)

Aircraft operated

^[3]

• C-130E/H Hercules (1975–Present)
• C-54 Skymaster (1967–1971)
• U-6 Beaver (1965–1967)
• C-119 Flying Boxcar (1963–1975)
• U-10 Courier (1963–1974)
• C-47 Skytrain (1963–1967)
• SA/HU-16 Albatros (1956–1963)
• C-46 Commando (1955–1958)
• C-45 Expeditor (1955–1960)
• P/F-51 Mustang (1948–1955)
• B-26 Marauder (1947–1950)
• P-47 Thunderbolt (1947–1948)
• T-6 Texan (1947–1955)

Decorations

• Air Force Outstanding Unit Award^[4]

References

1. ^ West Virginia Air National Guard
2. ^ Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
3. ^ World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN 1-880588-01-3
4. ^ Air Force Personnel Center Awards Search (Post-1991)

External links

United States Air Force portal

• http://www.globalsecurity.org/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/webinator/search/?pr=default&order=r&query=130th+Airlift+Wing+&submit=Submit
• http://modernamerica.blogspot.com/2005/06/honorable-senator-byrd.html - Keep'em Flying Article on Efforts to Keep the 130th
• 130th Airlift Wing

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