The 166th Airlift Wing
Delaware Air National Guard
New Castle County Airport
2600 Spruance Drive
New Castle, DE 19720-1615
(302) 323-3500 DSN 445-3500 FAX 302-323-3377
Colonel Jonathan Groff - Commanding
166th Airlift Wing Fact Sheet
Our Federal Mission
- The 166th Airlift Wing can rapidly mobilize and deploy C-130H Hercules aircraft and personnel worldwide to meet peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides airlift and airdrop of troops, cargo and passengers, and also has aeromedical evacuation and civil engineer functions. The Wing's gaining command is the Air Mobility Command, U.S. Air Force.
Our State Mission
- Under command of the Governor of the State of Delaware, the 166th Airlift Wing provides trained personnel and equipment for various humanitarian missions to protect life and property and preserve peace, order and public safety, under competent orders of state authorities.
Aircraft
- The 166th Airlift Wing operates eight permanently assigned Lockheed C-130H2 transport aircraft.
Unit Personnel
- Authorized strength: 1,083 personnel; includes 775 traditional members and 241 full-time personnel (164 technicians and 77 AGR members), plus two full-time civil service employees. As of Sept. 30, 2007, unit manning strength is 97 percent (1,067 members).
New Castle County Air National Guard Base
- The 166th Airlift Wing, Delaware's only ANG wing, operates from New Castle Airport, DE, located 27 miles south of Philadelphia International Airport and 42 miles north of Dover AFB.
- The base has 35 buildings on 70 acres with three runways; two are 7,000 feet and a third is 5,000 feet. The base finished a new $10 million dollar parking apron Sept. 12, 2005. There are two hangers; one is the larger Isochronal (ISO) Hanger, and the second is the Fuel Cell and Corrosion Control Hanger (the "Nose Dock"). The base Fire Department has a fleet of eight vehicles and provides 24 hour a day fire protection to the Delaware ANG and to the civilian side of the New Castle County Airport.
Major Missions/Deployments/Activity 2001 to present
- Operation NOBLE EAGLE: On Sept. 11, 2001 members of the Chaplain's office were called to the Capital Region to support attack victims and relief workers, and 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron prepared for medical support of civilian victims in NYC. 166th Medical Squadron members were called to duty at Dover AFB, DE in Oct. 2001 to help identify the remains of Sept. 11 terrorist attack victims. Security Forces Squadron Airmen deployed to Andrews AFB, Md. Oct. 2001.
- Operation INFINITE JUSTICE: 2001 to 2004 to Southwest Asia and Guantanamo NAS
- Operation ENDURING FREEDOM: Wing members deployed to SWA in Oct. 2001 starting with Chaplain's office personnel and aeromedical specialists. Security Forces Airmen deployed in 2002.
- Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: Nearly 200 wing members deployed in March 2003 with six C-130H aircraft to a forward deployed bare base in SWA to support OEF and then OIF. They redeployed in May 2003 to a second location in SWA, returning home in July 2003. They remained mobilized, and after a short break began 10 continuous C-130 rotations to SWA through June, 2005, operating out of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan, north of Afghanistan.
- In May 2005, 166th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq for four months.
- Nearly 30 Security Force Squadron Airmen deployed for 6 months to SWA Oct. 2007 to April 2008.
- Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployments in support of OIF/OEF: Several hundred Wing members have supported various AEF rotations to SWA, Europe, the Indian Ocean, and to other locations. From Dec. 2006 to June 2007 nearly 35 Airmen from the 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron served a 120-day mission to SWA to support OIF/OEF, the largest deployment of 142nd AES Airmen to a combat zone since Operation Desert Storm in 1991. In May 2008 nearly 100 Airmen - aircrew and support personnel and two unit C-130 aircraft - completed a 120-day AEF rotation.
- Operation CORONET OAK: in Puerto Rico and South America from 2001-2002, and again in 2005.
- Operation JOINT FORGE: in Germany from 2001-2004, and again in 2007
- Operation JUMPSTART: Civil Engineer Airmen and other units first deployed in 2006 near Tucson, Arizona in support of Task Force Diamondback, and deployed again in 2007 near Yuma, Arizona.
- Humanitarian missions: From Aug. to Oct. 2005 several hundred Airmen from various units deployed to the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina relief missions in La. and Miss. with medical flights to Texas.
- Flying safety: In June 2007 the unit reached the 160,000 hour milestone of accident-free flying without a Class A, B or C mishap covering 44 years since 1963.
Inspections
- 2006: Unit Compliance Inspection; Rating: Satisfactory.
- 2006: Aircrew Standardization and Evaluation (ASEV) inspection; Rating: Mission Ready.
- 2006: Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation program inspection; Rating: Passing.
- 2006: Computer Security Inspection (Information Assurance); Rating: Passing.
- 2004: Successfully completed IGX (not graded); 166th AW was lead wing for 34 units.
- 2004: Hospital Services Inspection; Ratings: Satisfactory (166th MDS); Excellent (142nd AES).
Key Personnel
- Wing Commander Col Jonathan Groff
- Wing Vice Commander Col Kathleen Eastburn
- Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant Chief Master Sgt Lynn Davis
- Operations Group Commander Col Carol Timmons
- Maintenance Group Commander Col Daniel Van Wyk
- Medical Group Commander Col John Mulvey
- Mission Support Group Commander Lt Col Dennis Hunsicker