ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – The 116th Air Control Wing has been a part of Team Robins since 1996, but its history goes back much further. For decades, the 116th ACW has adapted to new mission and fielding challenges and is once again at the forefront of mission change.
Origins and early fighter years
Elements of the 116th ACW date to World War II with units such as the 128th Observation Squadron and 353rd Fighter Group serving in the European Theater of Operations. In the post-war reorganization of the Air National Guard, the state of Georgia received an initial allotment of units in 1946 assigned to the 54th Fighter Wing. Later redesignated as Dobbins Air Force Base, the 54th Fighter Wing, based at Marietta Airfield, Georgia, was comprised of units from seven states and was the largest wing in the Air National Guard. Among the units allotted to the 54th FW were the 116th Fighter Group and 128th Fighter Squadron, which carried on the WWII lineage of the 35th FG and 128th OS, and flew the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft.
The 116th FG was officially organized as the 116th Fighter Bomber Wing Oct. 25, 1950, at Dobbins AFB. The wing soon mobilized overseas for Korean War service. Flying the F-84 Thunderjet, the wing conducted the air defense of northern Japan through December 1951, before relocating to Taegu on the Korean Peninsula to transition to attack missions in the skies of North Korea.
Returning to the United States in July 1952, the 116th FBW was redesignated a fighter interceptor wing and transitioned to the F-51 Mustang. In August 1953, the wing began flying the F-84D Thunderstreak before transitioning to the F-84F in March 1957. Throughout the 1950s, the wing was redesignated multiple times as a fighter-bomber wing, fighter interceptor wing, and ultimately, an air defense wing. From June 22, 1958, to Jan. 1, 1961, the wing flew the F-86D and L Sabre models.
Heavy transport and the Vietnam Era
In the first decade of its existence, the wing had flown five different fighter aircraft, constantly adapting its pilots and maintenance crews to different airframes. However, 1961 brought a drastic change: the wing received the C-97 Stratofreighter and converted to form the 116th Air Transport Wing.
With the four-engine, long-distance capacity of the C-97 aircraft, the wing assumed a global mission role, flying critical support missions to Vietnam. Following a 1966 transition to the C-124 Globemaster aircraft and a conversion to a military airlift wing, the wing continued to transport cargo and passengers to and from the Vietnam theater well into the 1970s.
Return to fighters and the move to Robins
In 1973, the wing flew its last mission in the C-124 aircraft before returning to its roots, receiving the F-100 Super Sabre and converting to form the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing. For the next 23 years, the 116th TFW flew a formidable lineup of fighter aircraft, ranging from the F-100 and F-105 Wild Weasel in the 1970s to the F-4 Phantom from 1982 to 1986. For ten years, beginning in 1986, the wing proudly flew the F-15 Eagle.
The year 1996 brought a new mission, a new airframe and a new home. The wing converted to form the 116th Bomb Wing, fielded the B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft, and relocated more than 100 miles south to Robins AFB.
The blended wing and the JSTARS era
On Oct. 1, 2002, the narrative of the wing changed modern Air Force history. Personnel of the 116th BW and the active duty 93rd ACW merged to establish the first combined unit in the history of the U.S. Air Force. This blended wing combined Air National Guard and active duty Airmen under one commander to operate the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System. Later, the Army’s 138th Military Intelligence Company and the active-duty Air Force 461st ACW joined Team STARS.
For over two decades, the wing operated as the global lead for the JSTARS mission. It maintained a relentless operational tempo, providing critical ground surveillance and battle management to combatant commanders worldwide. Notably, Team JSTARS maintained a continuous presence in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for 18 consecutive years—the second-longest deployment in U.S. Air Force history—amassing over 141,000 flying hours in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and beyond.
Sunset of the E-8C and a new horizon
As the Department of Defense pivoted toward the Advanced Battle Management System and modernized command and control, the aging E-8C fleet began its phased retirement. In February 2022, the first E-8C departed Robins AFB for the "Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. In July 2023, aircraft 00-2000, known as "The Watchman," was retired to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB.
The 116th ACW flew the final operational combat sortie for the JSTARS platform from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 21, 2023. By Nov. 15, 2023, the last E-8C departed Robins AFB, officially closing the book on JSTARS flight operations
Present day: Mission conversion
True to its heritage of adaptation, the 116th ACW is once again at the forefront of mission change. Today, the wing is undergoing a massive conversion from a single-platform radar unit to a highly specialized, multi-domain force supporting three next-generation missions:
‒ Remotely Piloted Aircraft Integration: The wing is taking on a specialized role to develop, test and integrate advanced payloads and sensors onto Remotely Piloted Aircraft.
‒ Battle Management Command and Control: Through the newly established 107th Battle Management Control Squadron, the wing continues its legacy of directing joint and coalition assets in contested battlespaces without relying on a centralized airborne platform.
‒ Cyber/Spectrum Warfare Group: The wing is expanding into electromagnetic spectrum operations, encompassing electronic offense, defense and spectrum management.
From observation squadrons in World War II to pioneering the future of battle management and cyber warfare, the 116th ACW remains a vital, adaptable component of the U.S. Air Force and the Georgia Air National Guard.