175th Fighter Squadron The 175th Fighter Squadron ( 175 AS ) is a unit of the South Dakota Air National Guard 114th Fighter Wing located at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station , Sioux Falls , South Dakota . The 175th is equipped with the F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . History . World War II . Constituted as 387th Fighter Squadron on 27 April 1943 . Activated on 15 May 1943 . Trained with P - 47 ' s . Moved to RAF Gosfield , England in December 1943 . Assigned to IX Fighter Command . Their first mission . flown on 22 February , was a bomber support sweep of short duration over enemy - held territory . Early missions were flown in support of Eighth Air Force B - 17 and B - 24 bomber operations Later , the 365th flew dive - bombing missions to attack such targets as bridges , aerodromes , rail facilities , gun positions , and V - weapon sites prior to the invasion of the Continent . The 387th began its move to the Continent on 21 June , the first squadron taking up residence at Azeville , France ( A - 71 ) on 26 June , the last moving out of Beaulieu on 28 June and the rear party on 2 July providing tactical air support in support of U . S . First Army . On the continent , the squadron moved rapidly from one airfield to another , eventually winding up near Fritzlar , Germany ( Y - 86 ) on VE - Day . After the end of hostilities , the 387th Fighter Squadron took part in the disarmament program until June , then returned to the United States in September 1945 , being inactivated at Camp Myles Standish , near Taunton , Massachusetts on 22 September 1945 . South Dakota Air National Guard . The wartime 387th Fighter Squadron was re - designated and re - designated as the 175th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the South Dakota Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Sioux Falls Municipal Airport and was extended federal recognition on 20 September 1946 by the National Guard Bureau . The 175th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the history , honors , and colors of the 387th Fighter Squadron . The squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was assigned administratively to the Minnesota ANG 133d Fighter Group at Minneapolis , however the squadron was under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Air National Guard and Military Department . The mission of the 175th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of South Dakota . Air Defense . On 2 March 1951 the 175th was federalized and brought to active - duty due to the Korean War . It remained assigned to the 133d Fighter - Interceptor Group and was moved to Rapid City Air Force Base , South Dakota . It ' s mission was the air defense of the SAC 28th Bombardment Wing B - 36 Peacemaker Bombers stationed there . It was reassigned to the Air Defense Command 31st Air Division on 6 February 1952 , and returned to the control of the State of South Dakota on 1 December 1952 Returning to Sioux Falls , the unit was re - formed by 1 January 1953 and again was returned to the control of Air Defense Command ( ADC ) . In September 1953 the runway alert program began with two F - 51D Mustang s on alert 14 hours a day . On 1 November 1954 , the 175th began the transition from the piston - engine , propeller driven F - 51D to its first jet aircraft , the F - 94A Starfire interceptor . On 16 April 1956 , the 175th was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 114th Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 175th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into 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 Scorpion s were received in 1958 and F - 102A Delta Dagger supersonic aircraft in 1960 . Tactical Air Command . In 1970 , Aerospace Defense Command was reducing the CONUS interceptor force , as the chances of a bomber attack by the Soviet Union seemed remote in the age of Intercontinental ballistic missile s ( ICBM ) . The Group was transferred to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) on 23 May 1970 and was re - designated as the 114th Tactical Fighter Group . The 175th Tactical Fighter Squadron began receiving F - 100 Super Sabre tactical fighters that were being withdrawn from service in the Vietnam War . News was received in March 1976 of the replacement of the unit ' s F - 100D aircraft with A - 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 at Howard AFB providing for defense of the Panama 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 of Operation 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 at Incirlik 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 from December 1993 to January 1994 . The 114th Fighter Group was re - designated as the 114th Fighter Wing in October 1995 . The unit subsequently supported Operation Northern Watch , based out of Turkey in 1995 and 2002 , and Operation Southern Watch based out of Kuwait in 1998 and Saudi Arabia in 2001 . Global War on Terrorism . A new chapter was opened in the history of the Air National Guard with the terrorist attacks on America on September 11 , 2001 . In addition to the unit ' s ongoing tasking as part of the Air Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) , unit members were also activated to support Operation Noble Eagle within the United States and Operation Enduring Freedom ( OIF ) . OIF deployments during the 2000s included three to Balad AB , Iraq ( October – December 2006 ; June – September 2008 ; January – April 2010 . On 25 October 2005 an F - 16 of the unit was attempting to take fuel from a KC - 10 Extender . The jet suffered more than $ 930 , 000 of damage . The boom operator ' s accidental oscillation caused damages to both aircraft which were able to land safely . An unusual accident for a squadron which has enjoyed a tremendous safety record . During 2007 the squadron was the recipient of the National Guard Bureau ’ s Winston P . Wilson Trophy . The trophy goes to the most outstanding Air National Guard unit and is awarded annually . Just three years later the squadron would win the trophy again in 2010 . The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure committee 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 at Hill AFB , Utah which were largely as a result of the closure of the 34th Fighter Squadron .