Operations Group Operations Group The 180th Operations Group is home to the 112th Fighter Squadron and the 180th Operations Support Flight which directly support the Air Sovereignty Alert mission and daily flying training in the F-16C Fighting Falcon. The primary mission of the 180th Operations Group is to provide a combat ready Fighter Squadron capable of employing both in the air-to-ground and air-to-air role. The 112th Fighter Squadron is supported by the 180th Operations Support Flight which insures that the unit is trained and equipped to deploy anywhere in the world within minimum response time. 112th Fighter Squadron The mission of the 112th Fighter Squadron is to achieve the capability of worldwide deployment and to be prepared, upon implementation, to deploy, destroy enemy forces and facilities through the delivery of all types of tactical weapons compatible with the weapon system possessed in support of the roles of counter air, interdiction, and close air support and to provide combat ready aircrews capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 24 hours of notification. The F-16 employs the latest technology for aerial combat and air-to-ground weapons delivery and with the "Falcon" the 112 FS is fully prepared to FLY, FIGHT, and WIN anywhere in the world! Operations Support Flight The 180th Operations Support Flight provides a variety of ancillary functions for the 112th Fighter Squadron. The training section monitors and directs both the ground and flying training of the pilots. The Weapons and Tactics, Intelligence, Life Support, and Operations sections all combine to provide the necessary training to insure the unit pilots are fully Mission Ready in the F-16. Finally, the Aviation Resource Management sections updates and maintains pilot currencies and records. In brief, the 180th Operations Support Flight is entrusted with the task of ensuring that the 112th Fighter Squadron pilots are the most knowledgeable, best trained mission ready pilots in the world. Aircrew Flight Equipment Welcome to the 180th Aircrew Flight Equipment Shop. I bet you would like to know what are job involves. Our primary responsibility is to inspect, repair, and maintain the equipment our pilots wear, when they fly. This involves their helmet; their harness, which attaches to their parachute; and a g-suit to counteract the g-forces endured when flying at high speeds. The pilots depend on this equipment to work every time, and in every environment, so we pride ourselves on not letting them down. We also inspect, maintain, and re-pack the parachute, which is used in the event the pilot has to eject from an aircraft. Imagine if you will, rolling up and packing a 28 foot diameter parachute into something the size of a book bag. All the while keeping the parachute dry, clean and free of dirt, and keeping all of the lines untangled and stored into little pockets. All of this attention to detail, and checking of our work along the way, pays off in the end if the parachute is ever needed. We also inspect, repair, and maintain some of the neatest technology that is out there today. This includes a variety of survival equipment items, from radios, to Global Positioning Systems (GPS), to special equipment which allows a downed pilot to escape and evade capture by seeing at night. Have you ever seen the television/video clips which show a soldier looking out into the night, and everything is lit up a cool shade of green? Those are Night Vision Goggles, and we make sure the one's our pilots use, are in the best working order that they can be. Along with our primary job, which involves everything mentioned above, we have a few additional duties as well. We do instructional training with our pilots to include pre-ejection training in a full-sized mock F-16 trainer. We simulate in-flight emergencies, in which our pilots must demonstrate to us that they know exactly what to do in any type of situation which causes them to eject from the aircraft. Once they have successfully demonstrated ejecting, then we put them into a training rig in which they hang from two straps attached to a harness they wear. This simulates them parachuting down to Earth. We program simulated emergencies with their parachute; we control wind speed and direction, as well as whether it is day or night. Again, the pilot has to display proficiency in these procedures. If the pilot IS proficient, then that tells us that we are doing OUR job correctly. The last part of our instructional training involves both ground combat survival as well as water survival. The first part mentioned, ground combat survival, involves being able to survive in any environment, escape capture by the enemy, and evade the enemy until rescued by friendly forces. Being stealthy, being quiet, and being resourceful can all help accomplish this task. The pilots use survival items which, we as Aircrew Flight Equipment Specialist pack for them in their survival vest. The second part of this training involves the ability to survive after you have parachuted safely into water. Being able to inflate a rubber raft, fish for food, and navigate at night in the middle an ocean are all part of this training. Intelligence Performs operations intelligence functions to support training/exercise/contingency operations at operational units. Prepares training materials and presents air crew intelligence training. Constructs, compiles, and annotates components of mission and route strips/folders, evasion plans of action, route portrayals, etc. Issues and receives mission materials. Participates in unit training/contingency post-mission assessment, and intelligence debriefing and reporting functions. Researches, analyzes, evaluates, and interprets all-source intelligence information to satisfy customer requirements. Disseminates intelligence via briefings, estimates, reports, etc., as required to support customer requirements. Operates intelligence systems in support of unit mission requirements. Weather Weather Technicians with the 180th FW perform and manages the collection, analysis, and forecast of atmospheric weather and space environmental conditions. Tailors forecast information for integration into military decision-making and intelligence preparation of the battlespace activities. Duties and Responsibilities: Collect, analyze and integrate atmospheric and space environmental information into military decision-making processes. Observe current environmental conditions. Evaluate, record and transmit surface weather and space environment observations. Operate atmospheric and space-sensing instruments and computer workstations to interrogate data from weather radars, meteorological satellites, and products provided by military, national, and international weather agencies. Use a detailed understanding of the atmosphere and space environment to translate raw data into decision-quality environmental information. Issue advisories, watches and warnings to alert users of dangerous or inclement terrestrial and space weather events. Understand war fighter tactics, techniques and procedures. Integrate weather information into the decision-making process at all levels to mitigate and leverage weather impact on operations. Manage weather operations, ensure quality, and adapt resources to meet mission requirements. Air Sovereignty Alert (ASA) Beginning in October, one of our nation's most critical homeland defense missions--Air Sovereignty Alert (ASA)--will be the responsibility of the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing, located at Toledo Express Airport in Swanton. The ASA's mission, in support of 1st Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), is part of Operation Noble Eagle. With headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base, near Panama City, Fla., 1st Air Force has the responsibility of ensuring the air sovereignty and air defense of the continental United States. In support of that mission, fighter wings across the country - and now the 180th in Ohio--will maintain alert aircraft, pilots and crews 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. According to information provided by 1st Air Force, since Sept. 11, 2001, ASA aircraft have flown more than 48,267 sorties and have been diverted from patrols or scrambled from airstrips more than 2,130 times in response to threatening activities. To respond to alerts, the wing must have aircraft on standby, meaning the fighters are fueled, prepped and loaded with ammunition and missiles at all times and can launch at a moment's notice. An alert system similar to a traffic light tells pilots and maintenance crews how to respond when an alert horn sounds. A green light means that pilots are to get airborne as soon as possible; green and yellow signals crews to prepare the fighters; and a red light signals them to stand down. Behind the scenes, maintainers spend hours making sure the aircraft are always mission-ready. Because the wing is required to maintain normal operations while supporting the ASA mission, the entire base must be engaged. The phrase "one team, one fight" is a mantra that resonates throughout all areas of the wing.