| 114th Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
 114th Fighter Wing Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons at Joe Foss Field AGS | |
| Active | 1956–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  South Dakota |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Air Defense, Attack |
| Part of | South Dakota Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Sioux Falls Regional Airport (Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station), South Dakota. |
| Nickname(s) | "Lobos" |
| Tail Code | Grey Tail Stripe "Lobos" included with the serial number at the bottom of the tail and 'SOUTH DAKOTA' is written in large letters on the tail base. Front of a timber wolf running across tail. |
| Insignia | |
| 114th Fighter Wing emblem |  |
The114th Fighter Wing (114 FW) is a unit of theSouth Dakota Air National Guard, stationed at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station,Sioux Falls Regional Airport,Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by theUnited States Air ForceAir Combat Command.
The wing is an Air Combat Command gainedF-16C/D Fighting Falcon wing which deploys worldwide and executes fighter sorties to destroy enemy forces with conventional munitions.
The 114th FW consists of the following units:
On 16 April 1956, theSouth Dakota Air National Guard175th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the114th Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by theNational Guard Bureau. The 175th FIS became the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned to the group were the 114th Headquarters, 114th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 114th Combat Support Squadron, and the 114th USAF Dispensary.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the unit was upgraded by ADC as newer interceptors became available to the Air National Guard.F-89 Scorpions were received in 1958 andF-102A Delta Dagger supersonic aircraft in 1960.
In 1970,Aerospace Defense Command was reducing the CONUS interceptor force, as the chances of a bomber attack by theSoviet Union seemed remote in the age ofIntercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The Group was transferred toTactical Air Command (TAC) on 23 May 1970 and was re-designated as the 114th Tactical Fighter Group. The 175th Tactical Fighter Squadron began receivingF-100 Super Sabre tactical fighters that were being withdrawn from service in theVietnam War.
News was received in March 1976 of the replacement of the unit's F-100D aircraft withA-7D Corsair II jets. The last Super Sabres left Joe Foss Field in June 1977. In 1979, the unit began a 12-year era of participation in Operation Coronet Cove atHoward AFB providing for the defense of thePanama Canal. Both aircrew and support personnel were extended there in the summer of 1979 during the Nicaraguan crisis. The unit was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer for combat duty as a part ofOperation Just Cause during 1989–1990.
Tactical Air Command began retiring the A-7D in the late 1980s, with units being transitioned from the A-7D/K to the F-16C/D block 30. The first F-16 to arrive with the 175th Fighter Squadron was on 14 August 1991. In June 1993 the squadron deployed eight aircraft to Brustem AB, Belgium as Coronet DART for the European exercise Central Enterprise 1993. In December 1993 the squadron deployed again, this time for their first combat deployment with the F-16. Stationed atIncirlik AB, Turkey the squadron flew missions over Northern Iraq to guard the no-fly zone to protect Kurdish refugees.
Combat patrol missions were flown over the northern "No Fly" zone of Iraq duringOperation Provide Comfort from December 1993 to January 1994.[1] The 114th Fighter Group was re-designated as the 114th Fighter Wing in October 1995. The unit subsequently supportedOperation Northern Watch, based out of Turkey in 1995 and 2002, andOperation Southern Watch based out of Kuwait in 1998 and Saudi Arabia in 2001. The Fighting Lobos were also deployed to Belgium, Singapore, the Netherlands Antilles, and Israel.
A new chapter was opened in the history of the Air National Guard with the terrorist attacks on America on 11 September 2001. In addition to the unit's ongoing tasking as part ofAir Expeditionary Force rotations, unit members were also activated to supportOperation Noble Eagle within the United States andOperation Enduring Freedom. The unit also deployed to Iraq three times, toBalad AB, Iraq (October–December 2006; June–September 2008; January–April 2010. Unit members also deployed to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Cyprus, Pakistan, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Spain, France and Germany.
On 25 October 2005, an F-16 of the unit was attempting to take fuel from aMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, when the boom operator's accidental oscillation caused damages to both aircraft, which were able to land safely. The jet suffered more than $930,000 of damage, an unusual accident for a squadron that has enjoyed a tremendous safety record. In 2007, the squadron received the National Guard Bureau's Winston P. Wilson Trophy, an annual award for the most outstanding Air National Guard unit. The squadron won the trophy again in 2010.
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that the 175th Fighter Squadron retire its older block 30 F-16s and upgrade to the block 40. The first F-16C block 30 to depart was 'Cujo' aircraft (#85-1434), which occurred on 7 May 2010 with destination AMARG. Over the next five months, they received block 40 Vipers from all three squadrons atHill AFB, Utah which were largely as a result of the closure of the34th Fighter Squadron.
In 2020 the wing trained in Canada during ExerciseMaple Flag.[2] In June 2023, the 114th FW deployed to NorthernGermany, and participated in exerciseAir Defender 23.[3]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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