Michigan ANG 127th Air Refueling Group KC-135

Michigan ANG 127th Air Refueling Group KC-135 poster art.

The 127th Air Refueling Group is the Air Mobility Command component of the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Since 2008, the 127th ARG has operated the KC-135 Stratotanker for Air Mobility Command and US Strategic Command, providing logistical and mission support to Nuclear Deterrence, Global Reach and Global Power missions across the globe. The base is located on the shores of Lake St. Clair, only 20 miles from downtown Detroit, the Motor City. Selfridge ANGB is a joint DOD and DHS installation, home to over 40 tenant units. The base is named after Army Lt. Thomas Selfridge, the first military flight casualty, when he perished during a demonstration flight piloted by Orville Wright in 1908. The airfield was first used by the military in 1917, thus making 2017 the centennial celebration of Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

The Michigan Air National Guard (MI ANG) is the air force militia of the State of Michigan, United States of America. The Michigan Air National Guard is also an Air Reserve Component of the U.S. Air Force. The KC-135 Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft and was the U.S. Air Force’s first jet-powered refueling tanker. The KC-135 entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1957; it is one of six military fixed-wing aircraft with over 50 years of continuous service with its original operator. The Mackinac Bridge (mak-in-aw) depicted in this artwork is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.