STAFF REPORTS
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NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION — Members of the New York Air National Guard’s 107th Airlift Wing marked the renaming of the unit to the 107th Attack Wing during a short ceremony today.
The 107th Airlift Wing was officially re-designated the 107th Attack Wing on March 15, reflecting the wing’s mission of providing aircrew members and supporting staff trained to operate the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. The wing began transformation and training of crews and personnel in 2014.
The 107th is the second New York Air National Guard wing to assume the remotely piloted aircraft mission. The 174th Attack Wing assumed this mission in 2010.
The wing is based at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and is also responsible for the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, and the 222nd Command and Control Squadron in Rome. Both of these units fall under the command of the 107th.
The 107th Attack Wing traces its history back to 1946 when the 107th Fighter Group, comprised as of 14 officers and 100 enlisted members was formed at the Niagara Falls Municipal Airport. The unit was federally recognized in 1948 and flew F-47D Thunderbolt propeller driven fighters as part of the air defense of the northeast.
Its designation and mission has changed many times.
In 1950 the unit was renamed the 107th Fighter Wing and in 1952 it was renamed the 107th Fighter-Interceptor Wing.
The unit reequipped with jet fighters in 1954 and became the 107th Air Defense Wing in 1956. In 1958 the wing became the 107th Tactical Fighter Wing.
The unit was re-designated as the 107th Tactical Fighter Group in 1962, it became the 107th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1971, the 107th Fighter Group in 1992, the 107th Air Refueling Group in 1994 and the 107th Air Refueling Wing in 1995.
Along the way the unit flew the F-51H Mustang, F-94B Starfire, the F-86H Sabre, the F-100C Super Sabre, the F101B Voodoo, the F-4D Phantom II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
In 1994 the wing became the 107th Air Refueling Group and operated the KC-135 tanker aircraft until 2008 when wing members began flying the C-130 in conjunction with the Air Force Reserve’s 914th Airlift Wing and became the 107th Airlift Wing.
