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169th Fighter Wing

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169th Fighter Wing

The 169th Fighter Wing (169 FW) is a unit of the South Carolina Air National Guard, stationed at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Columbia, South Carolina. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

The federal mission of the 169 FW in accordance with Title 10 USC is to maintain wartime readiness and the ability to mobilize and deploy expeditiously to carry out tactical air missions or combat support activities in the event of a war or military emergency. More specifically, the wing specializes in the Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). The SCANG operates as part of the Total Force of the U.S. military and is fully integrated with the active duty U.S. Air Force to perform its military mission.

The wing flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a single-seat, multipurpose fighter with the ability to fly at up to twice the speed of sound. It is capable of performing air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical missions. The 169th flew the F-16A from 1983 to 1994 and, in 1994, transitioned to the single-seat F-16C Block 52 (and a small number of twin-seat F-16D Block 52), also known as the F-16CJ, the newest, most advanced F-16 in the U.S. Air Force.

The SCANG's state mission under Title 32 USC is to respond to the call of the Governor of South Carolina in the event of natural disasters or domestic disturbances within the state of South Carolina.

About 900 of the personnel assigned to the SCANG are traditional Guard members who leave their full-time positions as civilian professionals, workers and students to train part-time with the Air National Guard. Approximately another 300 are federal employees serving as full-time Air Reserve Technicians (ART) at McEntire and drill with their respective Air Guard units, primarily those that are part of the 169 FW. Close to 50 South Carolina state employees also work at McEntire, some of whom also either active or retired members of the Air National Guard. An additional 150 active duty USAF personnel who are Regular Air Force and Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) members round out the SCANG's Total Force fighter wing, as McEntire is home to the largest Active Associate program between the Regular Air Force and the Air National Guard in the US's Combat Air Forces.

The 169th Fighter Wing consists of the following units:

On 5 September 1957, the South Carolina Air National Guard 157th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 169th Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 157th was re-designated as a Fighter-Interceptor squadron and became the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 169th Headquarters, 169th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 169th Combat Support Squadron, and the 169th USAF Dispensary.

Shortly afterwards Air Defense Command upgraded the new 169th FIG to the all-weather/day-night F-86L Sabre Interceptor aircraft, and in 1960, the 157th was one of three selected ANG units to receive F-104A Starfighter Mach-2 interceptors from the ADC active-duty interceptor forces. The "Swamp Foxes", as a result of the national recognition as one of the best air defense units in the US were chosen to fly the new high-performance jet fighter.

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