175th Wing

135th Airlift Squadron

A 135th Airlift Squadron C-130J rests on the Martin State Airport ramp, awaiting its next mission. At the time of my visit, the squadron was very heavily involved with supply missions to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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			175th Wing Maryland Air National Guard Baltimore, Maryland

		A 104th Fighter Squadron Hawg taxis past the A-10 maintenance hangar, on its way out for an afternoon flight with 7 other A-10s.

Based at the Martin State Airport in northeast Baltimore, the 175th Wing is unique within the Air National Guard, as it has two flying squadrons, both with very different flying missions from each other. The 104th Fighter Squadron, flying the tank-killing A-10 Thunderbolt II, is a tactical squadron tasked with combat missions, such as forward air control (FAC), ground support, and offensive strikes. The 135th Airlift Squadron, however, is a support squadron, whose job includes flying their C-130J Hercules on airlift missions across the globe to deliver supplies and weapons.

With their 8 C-130 Hercules, the 135th AS supports a large number of worldwide missions, including everything from troop and armament delivery to humanitarian relief and emergency evacuation services. The 135th AS has provided support for numerous high-profile worldwide missions including the 1995 Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, as well as humanitarian operations in Haiti and Somalia. In 1998, they responded to the devastation in Honduras and other Central American countries as a result of Hurricane Mitch, as well as Bangladesh to assist with flood-relief activities. In addition to these humanitarian missions, the 135th have found themselves supporting other total force missions including the on-going counter-drug operations throughout Central America since 1981. Combat deployments have included trips to Lybia and Oman to support Operation Southern Watch, Turkey for Operation Provide Comfort II, and Estonia and Lithuania for Operation Baltic Challenge in 1998. On May 1, 1999, the 135th Airlift Squadron began trading their tired C-130Es, which they had received in 1980, for the much-improved C-130J, making them the first squadron within the Air National Guard to operate the new Hercules. The conversion was finished on December 11, 2000, and by May 6, 2004, they had already passed 10,000 flying hours in their new C-130J.

When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi in late-August, 2005, the 135th Airlift Squadron was ready to begin flying daily missions in support of the relief effort. Launching daily flights to New Orleans and surrounding cities, the unit has once again met their vision statement to "Provide world-class combat airlift capability." However, the 2005 BRAC committee did not agree and voted to distribute the eight C-130Js to the 146th Airlift Wing and the 143rd Airlift Wing, California and Rhode Island ANG, respectively.

Once destined for the storage facility "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, the A-10 saved itself from retirement during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. In this campaign, 144 A-10s from seven squadrons flew over 8,500 combat sorties, and delivered 23,927 bombs and cluster bombs and 5,013 AGM-65 Maverick missiles. Since then, the A-10 has resurrected its career, and staved off retirement. It has been part of every US military operation since Desert Storm, including combat time over Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The 104th Fighter Squadron, in particular, has seen its share of combat operations in the A-10, including several deployments in support of Operation Southern Watch over Iraq, and in early 2003, a deployment to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment, over 1500 sorties were flown, for a total of over 4000 flying hours. The future looks bright for the 104th, having survived the 2005 BRAC plans. The USAF is currently upgrading its fleet of A-10s, to include new wings and an intensive avionics package that will be seen in the A-10C. The Maryland ANG's first A-10C arrived in October, 2006. With these upgrades, the A-10 will continue to serve for many years to come. A pretty impressive feat for a jet that was once on the brink of retirement.








	(above) The ladder door has always been a favorite place for A-10 crews to add artwork to their aircraft. The 104th Fighter Squadron has several aircraft with nice artwork, including, from left to right, 78-0717, 78-0719, and 78-0088.

Huge thanks goes to MSgt. Craig Baumer of the 175th Wing, Maryland ANG, for his help prior to and during my visit.

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	(left) C-130J 98-1355 was delivered new to the 135th AS from the Lockheed factory.
		(right) 98-1356 is one of eight C-130Js assigned.
104th Fighter Squadron