419th Fighter Wing The 419th Fighter Wing ( 419 FW ) is an Air Reserve Component ( ARC ) of the United States Air Force . It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force , Air Force Reserve Command , stationed at Hill Air Force Base , Utah . The 419th FW is an associate unit of the 388th Fighter Wing , Air Combat Command ( ACC ) and if mobilized the wing is gained by ACC . Overview . The mission of the wing is to " Fly , Fight and Win " . To accomplish that mission , the wing trains and equips an F - 16 squadron to be capable of worldwide mobility to perform a wide variety of air - to - air and air - to - ground fighter missions . 419th members are trained in a variety of specialties to include operations , maintenance , civil engineering , security , supply , transportation and communications . The wing was the last wing to fly F - 105 aircraft , and in early 1984 was the first Air Force Reserve wing to fly F - 16s . Personnel of the 419th deploy periodically for contingencies and training exercises , some overseas . Some 350 members were deployed December 1994 through February 1995 to Incirlik Air Base , Turkey to patrol the no - fly zone over northern Iraq during Operation Provide Comfort II . Units . The 419th Fighter Wing is divided into three subordinate groups which supervise nine squadrons and four flights . Additionally , the wing oversees a medical squadron that reports directly to the commander . Several staff agencies such as plans , safety , quality , financial management , public affairs and the legal office form the wing commander ’ s headquarters section staff . History . The 419th Group trained in the Reserve for troop carrier operations from 1949 to 1951 . The Air Force Reserve has maintained a flying mission at Hill Air Force Base for more than 45 years . When activated in March 1947 , the 419th Group was earmarked to control seven Reserve units , the first of which was a rescue squadron . During a two - year period , the 419th Group gained several components , spanning five separate locations and three Air Force organizations . Group pilots trained until March 1951 when training ceased and the entire 419th prepared for entry into active service . Activated in July 1956 as a component of the Regular Air Force , the group and its three squadrons trained in C - 123 Provider assault airlift operations . Over the next several years , the wing logged missions in the T - 33 Shooting Star , F - 80 Shooting Star , F - 84 Thunderjet , C - 119 Flying Boxcar , C - 124 Globemaster II and C - 46 Commando aircraft . In 1972 , the Air Force Reserve modernization program added fighter aircraft which resulted in the unit gaining F - 105 Thunderchief aircraft . Consequently , the unit was re - designated the 508th Fighter Group . On 1 October 1982 , the unit was upgraded from a group to a wing , being redesignated the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing . It was the last operational F - 105 unit in the Air Force until its conversion to F - 16s in January 1984 . More than one hundred 419th members were called to active duty in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm ( 1991 – 1992 ) . They served in Saudi Arabia , Europe and at stateside military installations . Approximately 350 members of the 419th Fighter Wing deployed to Incirlik Air Base , Turkey , in support of Operation Provide Comfort II from 3 December 1994 through 16 February 1995 . The wing ’ s pilots flew more than 500 sorties , compiling more than 1 , 400 flight hours enforcing the no - fly zone over northern Iraq . The wing demonstrated its combat capability in a return trip to Incirlik Air Base in June 1997 to support Operation Northern Watch . The unit ’ s show of force was significant as it deployed 12 aircraft and nearly 400 people to the region to deter the Iraqi military from terrorizing its neighbors . In 1998 , the 466th Fighter Squadron deployed 6 aircraft and 93 Reservists to Kuwait in support of Operation Southern Watch . In June 1999 , the 419th Fighter Wing ’ s deployment to Incirlik Air Base , Turkey marked the first time the Reserve supported a contingency operation by employing precision - guided munitions . After being fired upon by the Iraqi military , pilots utilized Low Altitude Targeting Infrared for Night ( LANTIRN ) technology to destroy enemy targets with pinpoint accuracy . 419th FW members deployed to Incirlik Air Base in June 2000 where they became the first Reserve unit ever to use a new precision strike capability known as LITENING II in a contingency operation . Their F - 16s equipped with the LITENING II technology , 419th pilots helped keep the Iraqi military in check flying 95 combat missions over a 28 - day period . In October 2001 , the 419th returned to the Middle East as part of Air Expeditionary Force - 8 . Wing members used the LITENING II precision strike capability to enforce the no - fly zone over southern Iraq for 19 days . While deployed , 419th pilots assisted in the United States ’ war on terrorism by logging combat missions over Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom . That same month , 419th Security Forces members and Civil Engineers were mobilized and spent 18 months providing security at Air Force installations stateside and overseas . Members of the wing ’ s 466th Fighter Squadron supported the North American Aerospace Defense Command by flying combat air patrols at undisclosed locations from 21 December 2001 to 1 January 2002 . The wing filled each 8 - hour CAP responsibility by utilizing volunteer Reservists and Air Reserve Technicians . In January 2003 , over 100 members of the 419th departed Utah to enforce the no - fly zone over southern Iraq . Once deployed , members were called to active - duty to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom . During the war , pilots delivered precision - guided weapons on Iraqi command and control facilities , munitions bunkers , radar sites and other key military targets . Several members earned Bronze Star awards and Distinguished Flying Crosses ( with heroism ) for their actions . Reservists from the 419th Medical Squadron , 419th Security Forces Squadron and 67th Aerial Port Squadron all supported contingency operations in Iraq in 2004 . Components . Groups Squadrons