The 419th Fighter Wing (419 FW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. It is assigned to the
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...
,
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
, and is stationed at
Hill Air Force Base
Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...
, Utah.
The 419th FW is an associate unit of the
388th Fighter Wing
The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Units
388th Operations Group (388 OG)
* 4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS)
: ...
,
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
(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
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
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
Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of t ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, to patrol the no-fly zone over northern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
during
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...
II.
In 2015, it transitioned to an Associate unit and became the first Air Force Reserve fighter wing to fly the
F-35A Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...
.
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.
* The 419th Operations Group plans and organizes operational programs and establishes policies and procedures for operational training functions. It directs, monitors and supports operations programs, including flight operations, standardization/evaluation, weapons and tactics, intelligence, operations and training and life support. The wing's designated flying squadron is the
466th Fighter Squadron
The 466th Fighter Squadron is the 419th Fighter Wing's operational flying squadron. It is located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The squadron was activated late in World War II. Intended as a long-range escort unit, it deployed to the Pacific, ...
. Pilots from the unit train for both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack missions in the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. It's currently the only combat-coded Reserve F-35 unit.
* The 419th Maintenance Group plans, organizes and establishes programs, policies and procedures in support of the unit's flying missions and contingency operations. Subordinate units include the 419th Maintenance Squadron, the 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and 419th Maintenance Operations Flight. These units train personnel, provide required resources at home and deployed locations, and maintain the wing's aircraft.
* The 419th Mission Support Group provides non-tactical support for the operational mission of the 419th Fighter Wing. It provides programs and support to the Security Forces, Communications, Civil Engineer and Mission Support Squadrons. The 419th Security Forces Squadron provides resource protection, system security and base defense missions. The 419th Civil Engineer Squadron provides pre-attack and post-attack civil engineering support necessary to maintain aircraft operations. The 419th Mission Support Flight provides administrative support for the operational mission of the wing. The 419th Logistics Readiness Squadron is responsible for managing personnel and materiel resources. The 67th Aerial Port Squadron also falls under the Mission Support Group. Its members load and unload air freight arriving from and departing for points worldwide.
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
The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Rese ...
assault airlift operations.
Over the next several years, the wing logged missions in the
T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...
,
F-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
,
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
,
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechaniz ...
,
C-124 Globemaster II
The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California.
The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...
and
C-46 Commando
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
aircraft.
![Hill F-105 24-ship formation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Hill_F-105_24-ship_formation.jpg)
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
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
(1991–1992). They served in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and at stateside military installations.
Approximately 350 members of the 419th Fighter Wing deployed to
Incirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of t ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, in support of
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...
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
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
The wing demonstrated its combat capability in a return trip to Incirlik Air Base in June 1997 to support
Operation Northern Watch
Operation Northern Watch (ONW), the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a Combined Task Force (CTF) charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq. Its mission began on 1 January 1997.
The coalition partners ...
. 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
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
in support of
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
.
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
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
during
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
. That same month, 419th
Security Forces
Security forces are statutory organizations with internal security mandates. In the legal context of several nations, the term has variously denoted police and military units working in concert, or the role of military and paramilitary forces (s ...
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
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...
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
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. 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.
Lineage
* Established as 419th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 10 May 1949
: Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949
: Ordered to active duty on 1 May 1951
: Inactivated on 2 May 1951
* Re-designated 419th Tactical Fighter Wing on 22 February 1982
: Activated in the Reserve on 1 October 1982
: Re-designated 419th Fighter Wing on 1 February 1992.
Assignments
*
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...
, 27 Jun 1949 – 2 May 1951; 1 Oct 1982 – present
Components
Groups
*
419th Troop Carrier (later, 419th Operations) Group: 27 Jun 1949 – 2 May 1951; 1 Aug 1992 – present
* 507th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 Oct 1982 – 1 Apr 1994
*
944th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 Jul 1987 – 1 Oct 1994
Squadrons
*
466th Tactical Fighter (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 Oct 1982 – 1 Aug 1992
Stations
*
Scott Air Force Base
Scott Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville and O'Fallon, east-southeast of downtown St. Louis. Scott Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the U ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, (27 June 1949 – 2 May 1951)
*
Hill Air Force Base
Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, (1 October 1982 – present)
Aircraft operated
*
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...
, (2015–present)
*
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
, (1984–2017)
*
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
, (1982–1988)
*
F-105 Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
, (1982–1984)
*
C/TC-46 Commando, (1949–1951)
*
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air force ...
,
AT-7 Navigator AT-7 may refer to:
* AT-7 Saxhorn, a Soviet wire-guided Anti-tank missile system
* Beechcraft Model 18, aka AT-7 Navigator, a World War II training aircraft
* Hexachlorophene
Hexachlorophene, also known as Nabac, is an organochlorine compound th ...
, and AT-11 Kansan, (1947–1951)
Commanders
*Colonel Matthew M. Fritz, June 2020 (Current)
*Colonel Regina A. Sabric, April 2018 – June 2020
*Colonel David Smith, November 2015 – April 2018
*Colonel
Bryan Radliff
*Brig Gen Gary Batnich 2004–2008
*Colonel Wayne Conroy 2002-2004
*Brigadier General Floyd C. Williams February 1999 – August 2002
*Brigadier General David E. Tanzi, 11 July 1993 – February 1999
*Brigadier General Forrest S. Winebarger, 6 July 1987
*Brigadier General John J. Closner III, 24 July 1983
*Colonel Jonathan Gardner, 1 October 1982
*Colonel Enoch O. Paulson, by Jan 1951 – c.2 May 1951
*Colonel Billy G. Dilworth Jr, 12 January 1950
*Brigadier General James H. Howard, 27 June 1949
References
External links
419th Fighter Wing unit websiteAir Force Link: 419th Fighter Wing factsheetAir Force Historical Research Agency: 419th Fighter Wing
{{USAF Air Force Reserve Command
419
Military units and formations in Utah