Description

141st ARS, 108th ARW New Jersey Air National Guard 0366 KC-135R

Airmen and Collectors!  Enjoy this beautifully crafted 141st ARS, 108th ARW New Jersey Air National Guard 0366 KC-135R, 18 in Mahogany Model.  You’ll treasure the craftsmanship that went into this model.

• 18 inches
• Made from Mahogany
• US Veteran-Owned Business

The 141st Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard 108th Wing located at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The 141st is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker.

The 141st was first organized as the 141st Aero Squadron on 2 January 1918 at Rockwell Field, California. The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a pursuit squadron as part of the American Expeditionary Forces. The unit was demobilized after the war in 1919.New Jersey Air National Guard
The wartime 341st Fighter Squadron was redesignated the 141st Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the New Jersey National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized and redesignated as the 141st Strategic Fighter Squadron[dubious – discuss] at Mercer Airport, Trenton, New Jersey and was extended federal recognition on 26 May 1949. The 141st Strategic Fighter Squadron [sic] was entitled to the history, honors, and colors of the 341st. The squadron was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the 108th Strategic Fighter Group.

In the late 1940s, the new Strategic Air Command (SAC) was manned by personnel of the wartime Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces. During World War II they usually encountered swarms of enemy fighters and knew the importance of having fighter escorts. In the postwar era, SAC had fighter wings placed under their own operational control. The squadron trained in escorting SAC’s B-29 and later B-50 and B-36 strategic bombers.

The unit was called to active federal service on 1 March 1951. The squadron was sent to Turner Air Force Base, Georgia where it continued its mission to provide fighter escorts to SAC bombers on training missions. In December 1951 it moved to Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky where it replaced a unit deployed to England. It was released from active duty and returned to New Jersey state control on 10 November 1952.

With return to state control, the parent 108th Wing was transferred to Air Defense Command (ADC) and was redesignated as a Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The 141st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was re-equipped with the long-range North American P-51H Mustang fighter. Designed for the invasion of Japan, the P-51H was the last variant of the P-51 Mustang of World War II, but was produced too late to see any wartime combat. Not used in the Korean War due to it not being believed as “rugged” as its famous “D” model predecessor, the P-51H was used instead to equip Air National Guard units into the 1950s as an ADC interceptor. In 1955, the Mustangs were retired and the squadron entered the jet age, with the arrival of the North American F-86E Sabre.

The parent 108th FIW was transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) in 1958, being re-designated as a Tactical Fighter Wing. The 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron transferred its interceptors and received and Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bombers.

At the height of the Cold War in 1961, the squadron was again federalized as a result of tensions concerning the Berlin Wall. 28 F-84F’s of the 141st and officers and airmen from all three squadrons of the 108th Wing were deployed to Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France on 16 October with the last aircraft and personnel arriving on 6 November. The ground units deployed by sealift, with the deployed elements reaching Chaumont by 17 November. In France, the deployed elements were assigned to the Provisional United States Air Forces Europe 7108th Tactical Wing on 20 November due to the reduced strength of the 108th Wing in Europe. The primary mission of the 7108th was to provide close air support to the Seventh Army in Europe under the direction of ground forward air controllers. To accomplish this mission, up to 30 sorties were flown each day. The deployment to France ended in October 1962 and the unit returned to New Jersey state control, leaving the F-84Fs in France.

Upon return from France, the squadron was moved from Trenton to McGuire Air Force Base due to air congestion in the Philadelphia area. At McGuire, the squadron was re-equipped with North American F-86H Sabres. Beginning in 1965, the Sabres were retired and the squadron began to receive the Republic F-105B Thunderchief. The 108th was the first Air National Guard unit to fly twice the speed of sound. In May 1981, the McDonnell F-4D Phantom II replaced the F-105s, and in 1985, they were upgraded to the F-4E Phantom II.

With the end of the Cold War, the parent 108th Tactical Fighter Wing was re-aligned to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling wing. The F-4s were retired and the squadron was redesignated as the 141st Air Refueling Squadron. Also, as part of the conversion of the wing to the Objective Wing organization, the 108th Tactical Fighter Group became the 108th Operations Group, to which the 141st was assigned. The 141st was certified combat ready on 3 December 1992. The very next day it was tasked with its first operational deployment – nothing less than spearheading and establishing the U.S. – Somalia air bridge for the Unified Task Force deployment there. It deployed an air refueling detachment to Moron Air Base, Spain.

In September 1994, for over 30 days, five aircraft deployed to Pisa Airport, Italy for Operation Deny Flight. The wing replaced the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard. The 108th was the first Air National Guard unit to take full responsibility during that period.

In 2007, the 141st began retiring its KC-135E aircraft and transitioning to the KC-135R. On 20 September 2023, the squadron flew its last mission with the KC-135R, as it transitioned to becoming an associate squadron of the 305th Air Mobility Wing, flying Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers.[8]