Was re-established in 1946 as the Tennessee Air National Guard 118th Fighter Group, receiving federal recognition and being activated on 2 October 1947.

On 13 April 1951, the 118th TRW was reassigned to Tactical Air Command, (TAC), Langley AFB, Virginia, and operated from the municipal airport at Memphis, TN.

On 3 August 1951, the 118th TRW was released from assignment to TAC and reassigned and transferred to Headquarters Ninth Air Force, Shaw AFB, SC.

While on active duty, it operated two geographically separated units; Detachment 1 flying P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, from McGhee-Tyson Airport at Knoxville, TN, provided air defense for the Atomic Energy Commission at Oak Ridge, and Detachment 2 was the 4674th Ground Observer Squadron, Smyrna, TN.

Operating from Nashville during the Vietnam War, the 118th MAW supported global airlift requirements of U.S. military forces.

This function now resides at the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Andrews AFB, MD.

Beginning in December 1965, the 105th MAS flew more than 100 missions to South Vietnam in a period of approximately a year and a half.

Participation in exercises such as Brave Shield, Brim Frost and Red Flag were accomplished with some of the oldest aircraft in the inventory (1954–1957 A models).

With sixteen C-130H aircraft and 1406 personnel at Nashville, the 118th Airlift Wing was one of the largest flying units in the Air National Guard at that time.

Over one-third of the Wing was activated for one year or more to supporting the National Homeland Security Plan (Operation Noble Eagle), which included deploying aircraft and personnel to bases inside the United States for several months, then assigned a home station alert mission.

While living in austere conditions in tents, enduring the desert heat and sand storms, the men and women of the 118th supported combat operations into and out of Baghdad and surrounding areas of Iraq.

The unit returned home at different times in late 2003 as U.S. forces were drawn down and rotated to meet the changing requirements.

As part of BRAC 2005, the Department of Defense was recommended to realign Berry Field Air National Guard Base.

In October 2007, it was announced that as an amendment to the BRAC 2005 decision, the 118 AW would continue to retain a flying mission, transitioning from an Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit to that of a training organization operationally gained by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC).

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency