Happy Hooligans Named RPA Squadron of the Year

The North Dakota Air National Guard’s 178th Attack Squadron (ATKS) has been recognized as the General Atomics Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron of the Year. The honor was conferred at the Fargo Air Museum during a 09 December 2022 event hosted by the Mitchell Institute—an independent, nonpartisan aerospace research organization established to guide U.S. defense policy. The award is presented annually to the U.S. military squadron that distinguishes itself by expertly and effectively deploying Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in meritorious service. The victory occasioned the 178th’s first receipt of the prestigious award, for which no fewer than thirty RPA squadrons vied.

In 2021, the 178th Attack Squadron—known informally as the Happy Hooligans—asserted its position as the premier MQ-9 Reaper unit by spearheading innovation, capabilities, and modernization. The outfit has completed its unprecedented 15th straight year of perpetual combat operations while supporting both U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command. The members of the 178th have distinguished themselves in combat operations while advocating for MQ-9A relevance in strategic competition.

By dint of innovative Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) and live-fly MQ-9 training, the Hooligans have accelerated change across the Joint Force. Twenty-one supported units representing the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, operating in three separate Combatant Commands have partnered with the 178th to advance readiness and improve RPA utilization. Furthermore, the Happy Hooligans, relative their contemporaries, have conducted the highest volume of Live-fly Continuation Training. In all, the 178th has affected MQ-9 training and readiness programs for ten discrete Operations Groups in the Air National Guard, Air Combat Command, and Air Force Special Operations Command.

General Atomics President David R. Alexander remarked: “The 178th ATKS has made a significant impact on multiple areas of responsibility over the last few years, and especially this year. We’re proud of the 178th’s dedication and passion to improving MQ-9 operations and showcasing the MQ-9’s multi-role capabilities.”

By facilitating the advancement of Remotely Piloted Aircraft operations and their constituent technologies, the servicemen of the Happy Hooligans have contemporaneously distinguished themselves as the USAF’s most outstanding RPA squadron and demonstrated the cutting-edge combat capabilities essential to the sustainment of U.S. military might.

The 178th Attack Squadron is a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing stationed at Fargo, North Dakota’s Hector International Airport.

FMI: www.af.mil