Air National Guard Celebrates 75 Years at PIT
By Kevan Hoffman
Published June 16, 2023
Read Time: 3 mins
From single-engine propeller fighters to the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Air National Guard has had a presence at Pittsburgh International Airport since 1948.
The unit, part of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, has gone through many changes – and missions – in its more than seven decades and continues to be a key partner of the airport. Earlier this month, the base celebrated its 75th anniversary.
“Our military partners are incredibly important to the airport and our region, and we are proud to recognize their anniversary,” said Vince Gastgeb, senior vice president of Corporate & Government Relations at Pittsburgh International Airport. “We work closely on a variety of initiatives, and we look forward to another 75 years of partnership.”
In 1964, what began as the 146th and 147th Fighter Squadrons were formed into the 171st Air Transport Group at Greater Pittsburgh Airport. A few years later, the unit was redesignated as the 171st Aeromedical Airlift Group and was called to active duty. Its mission was to move patients from casualty staging bases and military installations in Vietnam to destination treatment hospitals.

The Pennsylvania Air National Guard first came to Pittsburgh in 1948 with the 146th and 147th Fighter Squadrons operating Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. (Image courtesy of 171st Air Refueling Wing)
In the 1970s, the Department of Defense called for the Air National Guard to play an even greater role in fulfilling total U.S. force requirements. As a result, in October 1972, the 171st Aeromedical Airlift Wing was redesignated as the 171st Air Refueling Wing, o