69th Fighter Squadron The 69th Fighter Squadron ( 69 FS ) is a United States Air Force Reserve fighter squadron . It is assigned to the 944th Operations Group , stationed at Luke Air Force Base , Arizona . Mission . The 69th Fighter Squadron trains Air Force Reserve Command pilots combat tactics with the F - 16 Fighting Falcon . It is integrated with the 56th Operations Group . Squadron flies Block 42 F - 16Cs , tail code " LF " , 69th FS carrying a black tail band . History . World War II . Activated in 1941 as a single - engine fighter operational and replacement training unit , initially assigned to III Fighter Command , reassigned to I Fighter Command in 1942 . Used P - 39 Aircobra s and P - 40 Warhawk s for training . Converted to an operational squadron , 1943 , re - eqipped with P - 47 Thunderbolts . Deployed to South Pacific Area , 1943 , being assigned to Thirteenth Air Force . Began combat operations in February 1944 , providing protection for U . S . bases and escorting transports initially , then escorting bombers over New Guinea and sea convoys to Admiralty Islands . From Noemfoor , bombed and strafed Japanese airfields and installations on Ceram , Halmahera , and the Kai Islands . Moved to the Philippines in Nov , flew fighter sweeps against enemy airfields , supported U . S . ground forces , and protected sea convoys and transport routes . Beginning in July 1945 , attacked railways , airfields , and enemy installations in Korea and Kyushu , Japan from Okinawa . After V - J Day , flew reconnaissance missions over Japan . Moved without personnel or equipment to the Philippines in December and demobilized , aircraft sent to depots in the Philippines , inactivated in January 1946 . Korean War . Reactivated at Tageu AB ( K - 2 ) South Korea in 1952 , absorbing Federalized Texas Air National Guard personnel and F - 84D Thunderjets . Squadron provided close air support for United Nations ground forces and attacked enemy airfields and installations . Transitioned in late 1952 to the new F - 84G , designed with more speed and range . New targets included enemy ports , railroads , and airfields . The squadron attacked the major supply port of Sinuiju in September , inflicting heavy damage without loss of personnel or aircraft . Combining with other fighter - bomber units , it attacked the Kumgang Political School at Odong - ni in October 1952 and the North Korean tank and infantry school at Kangso in February 1953 . In May , the 58th FBG bombed North Korean dams , flooding enemy lines of communication and rice fields . On 27 July 1953 , attacked runway at Kanggye and , with the 49 FBG , bombed Sunan Airfield for the final action of fighter - bombers in the Korean War . Re - equipped with F - 86 Sabres after the 1953 armistice , remained in South Korea to enforce cease - fire with North Korea , squadron elements rotating frequently to Taiwan until inactivated in 1958 due to budget reductions . F - 104 Training Unit . Reactivated at Luke AFB , Arizona in October 1969 when the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing ( TFTW ) was activated , replacing the provisional 4510th CCTW as the host unit at Luke . Concurrently , the 69th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron ( TFTS ) and the 418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron ( TFTS ) were activated as F - 104G training units , replacing the provisional 4512th CCTS and 4518th CCTS to support Foreign Military Sales of the F - 104 . Pilots from Greece , Norway , Turkey , Denmark , and Spain were trained at Luke . In addition , many F - 104Gs owned by the West German Luftwaffe actually operated with the 58th TFTW where they sported USAF insignia and carried USAF serial numbers . Training of West German Air Force pilots in the F - 104G continued until late 1982 . The Germans flew more than 900 Starfighters totaling an excess of 269 , 750 hours and produced 1 , 868 F - 104 pilots . The 69th TFTS inactivated on 16 March 1983 Tactical Fighter Squadron . Reactivated as an F - 4E Phantom II tactical fighter squadron at Moody AFB , Georgia on 1 July 1983 , assuming the personnel and aircraft of the 339th Tactical Fighter Squadron which inactivated the same day . Tail coded " MY " , carried a silver / red tail stripe . Conducted frequent exercise deployments in the U . S . and overseas to maintain capabilities specializing in air - to - ground attack using precision - guided weapons . Transitioned to F - 16A / B aircraft , 1988 – 1989 , and oriented mission planning toward NATO requirements by conducting squadron - strength deployments to Europe . Began upgrading to F - 16C / D in Jan 1990 and in Aug 1990 became first operational TAC unit to employ the LANTIRN all - weather / night navigation and bombing system . Deployed to Southwest Asia , January – February 1991 , engaging in combat operations during Operation Desert Storm flying more than 1 , 500 combat sorties . Following the ceasefire , continued to support peace - keeping operations with periodic aircraft deployments to Saudi Arabia . Continued training operations from Moody AFB throughout the 1990s , stood down in early 2001 when Moody was realigned to a Rescue / Special Operations base and host 347th Fighter Wing was inactivated . Modern era . Reactivated in February 2010 at Luke AFB in the Air Force Reserve with a mission to train Air Force Reserve Command pilots in combat tactics with the F - 16 Fighting Falcon .