Approximately 2,300 men and women serve in the Wisconsin’s Air National Guard. Air Guard units include the 115th Fighter Wing, Madison; 128th Air Control Squadron and Combat Readiness Training Center, Volk Field; and the 128th Air Refueling Wing, Milwaukee. Subordinate units are located throughout Wisconsin.
The Air National Guard is administered by the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the departments of the Army and Air Force, located in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. It is one of the seven Reserve components of the United States armed forces that augments the active components in the performance of their missions.
115th Fighter Wing
The 115th Fighter Wing (FW) is located at Truax Field, Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wis. The unit is equipped with 23 F-16C Block 30 aircraft as the primary aircraft assigned and a single RC-26B Metroliner as a secondary aircraft. The F-16C is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.
The 115th Fighter Wing was recently selected by the Air Force to receive a new fleet of F-35A Lightning II aircraft and to host the F-35A mission. The F-35 is one of the world’s premiere fighter aircraft that has the ability to perform air-to-air, air-to-ground and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The unit expects to receive the first F-35A aircraft in the Spring of 2023.
Additionally, the 115th Fighter Wing supports many domestic operations missions. These missions include a world class fatality search and rescue, explosive ordinance disposal, firefighting and emergency response for the Dane County Regional Airport, debris clearance removal, and other domestic and local missions as assigned and requested by the Governor of Wisconsin.
Volk Field Combat
Readiness Center
Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) is located in Camp Douglas, Wis. The unit is one of only four CRTCs in the United States. Volk Field does not have an assigned aircraft mission. Tenant units include the 128th Air Control Squadron (ACS) and the 126 Weather Flight (WF).
Utilizing the Total Force concept, the unit provides tailored, cost effective, and realistic combat training to all branches of the U.S. military. It is a full spectrum center with anti-access area denial specialties and maintains Wing-level fly in annual training capacities.
Volk Field CRTC is home to the internationally acclaimed Northern Lightning exercise. This annual event provides tactical level, joint Counterland training fighter exercise that emphasize full spectrum, high-end training with a focus on opposed air interdiction and close air support against highly integrated air defense systems.
128th Air Refueling Wing
The 128th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) is located in Milwaukee, WI at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The unit is equipped with ten KC-135 aircraft as the primary aircraft assigned for aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and airlift of cargo and forces.
The KC-135 is an aerial refueler that provides the core aerial refueling capability for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and NATO aircraft. The mission of the KC-135 enhances the Air Force’s capability to accomplish its primary mission of global reach and support of the Nation’s nuclear triad.
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