For the United States Army observation airfield, see Ethan Allen Army Airfield

Ethan Allen Army Airfield

Ethan Allen Army Airfield is a former United States Army airfield located on Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. It was used for observation aircraft between World war I and World War II.-History:...

Burlington Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 installation located in South Burlington, Vermont

South Burlington, Vermont

-Economy:CommutAir, a regional airline, is headquartered in the city, by the airport. The Magic Hat Brewing Company, one of the United States's larger craft breweries, is located here.One measure of economic activity is retail sales...

. It operated from the 1950s until it was closed as Ethan Allen Air Force Base. The facility operates alongside Burlington International Airport

Burlington International Airport

Burlington International Airport is a joint-use public and military airport in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is owned by the City of Burlington...

.

Ethan Allen Air Force Base

The origins of Burlington Air National Guard Base start on 10 February 1951 with the assignment by Air Defense Command (ADC) of the 134th Fighter Squadron

134th Fighter Squadron

The 134th Fighter Squadron flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon. It is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 158th Fighter Wing.-Lineage:...

 (Single Engine) to Burlington Airport. Equipped with F-51D Mustangs, the personnel and equipment of the squadron was drawn from the Federalized Massachusetts Air National Guard

Massachusetts Air National Guard

The Massachusetts Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is, along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of the Massachusetts National Guard...

's 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The mission of the squadron was air defense of northern New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. The squadron was reassigned to the ADC's 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951.

The 134th was reassigned to the ADC's 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB. It was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952. With the release of the Air National Guardsmen from federal service, Ethan Allen Air Force Base was activated by ADC on the north side of Burlington Airport

Burlington Airport

Burlington Airport may refer to:* Burlington International Airport, Vermont, United States * Burlington Municipal Airport , United States* Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport, North Carolina, United States...

 on 16 February 1953. Air Defense Command assigned the 517th Air Defense Group

517th Air Defense Group

The 517th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4711th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Ethan Allen Air Force Base, Vermont...

 as the host unit.

The 134th was replaced by the ADC's 37th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 November 1952. With Ethan Allen AFB becoming an active duty ADC installation, the squadron's aircraft were upgraded to the F-86D Sabre Interceptor on 16 June 1953. The 517th Air Defense Group was re-designated as the 14th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on on 20 June 1955, remaining under the 4711th ADW.

On 1 March 1956, the parent unit of the 14th Fighter Group was changed to the ADC's 32d Air Division, and the 37th FIS was upgraded to the Convair F-102A Delta Dagger in December 1957. ADC closed Ethan Allen AFB on 1 May 1960 due to budget constraints; the 14th Fighter Group and its components were inactivated.

Air National Guard use

With its release from active duty, the Vermont Air National Guard

Vermont Air National Guard

The Vermont Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is, along with the Vermont Army National Guard, an element of the Vermont National Guard.-158th Fighter Wing:The 158th Fighter Wing was formed in 1946...

's 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron began operating out of the old airport administration building and the wooden hangar next to it, receiving its first T-33 Shooting Star

T-33 Shooting Star

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...

. This was the beginning of the conversion to the F-94 Starfire

F-94 Starfire

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...

, an all-weather two seat fighter. The Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units began holding summer camp at Otis Air Force Base after they began flying F-94s.

With the inactivation of the active-duty 14th Fighter Group, the 134th was reorganized as the 158th Fighter Interceptor Group

158th Fighter Wing

The United States Air Force's 158th Fighter Wing is a fighter unit located at Burlington International Airport, in Burlington, Vermont.-Mission:...

 in mid-1960 and was placed under Air Defense Command (ADC) as an associate unit. The Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 now manned alert hangars 24 hours a day. Summer field training was conducted at Otis Air Force Base at Cape Cod, MA, from June 18th to July 2d. When the unit returned to Burlington, the Maintenance and Operations Squadrons immediately moved into the facilities that had been vacated by the Air Force with the closure of Ethan Allen AFB.

The rest of the Group remained on the Williston Road side of the airfield. Military vehicles were allowed to cross the East end of the runway to transport personnel and materials after receiving clearance from the tower. Upgraded to the F-89 Scorpion

F-89 Scorpion

The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an early American jet-powered fighter designed from the outset as an all-weather interceptor. Though its straight wings limited its performance, it was among the first USAF jet fighters with guided missiles, and notably the first combat aircraft armed with air-to-air...

 in 1962, The Vermont Air National Guard received the Operational Readiness award in October 1962, for having the greatest degree of readiness of any F-89 unit in the country.

The 158th Fighter Interceptor Group became the 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group in June of 1974, with the unit receiving twenty EB-57 Canberras. These two-seat, twin-engine aircraft were equipped with electronic counter-measures and chaff emitting equipment. The new mission was to act as the "friendly enemy" to evaluate both air and ground radar systems. This mission took pilots, electronic warfare officers, and maintenance personnel all over the United States, Canada, and as far as Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The unit provided direct operational training of Air Defense aircrews in the accomplishment of their mission when their systems were severely degraded as might be expected during an attack by enemy offensive aircraft.

The 158th began a transition to the F-4D Phantom in 1980, a powerful, two seat, twin-engine fighter, with the Vermont Air National Guard leaving the Air Defense community to become part of the Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

 (TAC) with a primary mission of ground attack and close air support.

On April 1st, 1986 the flight line of the Green Mountain Boys changed with the arrival of the F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

. With the disestablishment of TAC, the unit became part of Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....

(ACC) in 1992.