Game:

Falcon (1987)

Duration: 7:29

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1

the primary mission of the 388th Fighter Wing is: 388th professionals ready to deploy, employ, and sustain F-16s and air control assets world-wide to fight and win any conflict!

Although located on an Air Force Materiel Command Base, the wing is assigned to 12th Air Force, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.

ACCs mission is to provide the worlds best combat air forces delivering rapid, decisive air power anytime, anywhere.
Personnel and Resources

There are more than 2,000 people assigned to the wing. Its equipment includes 60 LANTIRN-capable F-16s and air control equipment.
Organization

Flying out of the 388th Fighter Wing are three distinguished fighter squadrons: the 4th Fighter Squadron Fightin Fuujins, the 34th Fighter Squadron Rams and the 421st Fighter Squadron Black Widows.

To accomplish its dynamic and challenging flying mission, the 388th flies the LANTIRN-capable F-16 Fighting Falcon. The F-16 entered Air Force operational service in the 388th TFW at Hill in January 1979. The wing is now equipped with highly maneuverable F-16Cs which are proven in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.

The LANTIRN system allows the wings F-16s to fly at low altitudes, at night and under-the-weather, to attack ground targets with precision-guided and unguided weapons.

The wings 729th Air Control Squadron is capable of controlling many types of aircraft and routinely deploys to sites around the world including monitoring suspected drug-traffickers in South America and missions in Southwest Asia.

Other units: 388th Range Squadron, 388th Equipment Maintenance and Component Repair Squadron, 388th Logistics Support Squadron and 388th Operations Support Squadron.
History

The wing has numerous honors dating back to Dec. 24, 1942, at Gowen Field, Idaho, from the 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy) that flew the B-17 Flying Fortress. The 388th BG relocated to Royal Air Force Base Knettishall, England, as a key unit of 8th Air Force, and saw its first action July 17, 1943, attacking an aircraft factory in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

After successfully completing 306 bombing sorties and receiving two distinguished unit citations and six World War II campaign streamers, the 388th BG was inactivated in 1945.

The 388th Fighter Bomber Wing activated Nov. 23, 1953, at Clovis AFB, N.M., and was designated to carry on the honors of the 388th BG.

After two periods of inactivations and a name change, the wing reactivated April 1, 1966, as the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat Royal Thai AB, Thailand. The wing began flying the F-4 Phantom II in May 1969 after transitioning from the F-105 Thunderchief.

From Thailand, the wing flew against some of the most intensive air defense in the history of air warfare while attacking targets in North Vietnam. The wing flew more than 60,000 combat hours.

During this period, the wing received the Presidential Unit Citation, eight Air Force Outstanding Unit awards with combat valor devices, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and 15 Vietnam Campaign streamers.

Dec. 23, 1975, the 388th TFW returned from overseas to Hill AFB, Utah. The first combat-operational F-16 Fighting Falcon was delivered to the wing Jan. 23, 1979. The wings three fighter squadrons became operational in the F-16 by 1980.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the 388th deployed the 4th and 421st fighter squadrons to support Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

When open hostilities began, the 388th became the first F-16 wing to fly the LANTIRN system in combat.

Pilots from the 388th dropped more than 2.7 million tons of conventional munitions on strategic and tactical targets in Iraq and Kuwait during almost 4,000 combat sorties (1,200 of them at night) without a single combat loss.

In December 1991, the wing was redesignated the 388th Fighter Wing and assigned to the newly established Air Combat Command.

Since Participating in Operation Desert Shield/Storm the 388th FW has deployed to Operation Southern Watch many times to protect the no-fly zone south of the 33rd parallel in Iraq as required by U.N. Resolution 688. It was during one of the wings standard rotations in December 1998 that the 34th Fighter Squadron participated in Operation Desert Fox.

In October 1997, the wing adopted what is now the 388th Range Squadron.

Flying more sorties than any other F-16 wing, 388th FW works hard during peacetime to ensure we can meet any challenges presented on a day-to-day basis.

The men and women of the 388th are part of the best the U.S. Air Force has to offer

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