#1763 163 FS, F-16C Fighting Falcon print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1763 - 88-0506 '163 FS', 163rd Fighter Squadron, 122nd Fighter Wing, Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Indiana Air National Guard is a direct outgrowth of the 113th Observation Squadron, which flew the Curtis OX-2 “Jenny” biplane near Kokomo, Indiana. On 9 December 1946, the 122nd Tactical Fighter Group (TFG) was formed at Stout Field, Indianapolis, Indiana, and was assigned the F-51 “Mustang.” On 10 November 1947, federal recognition was granted to the 163rd Fighter Squadron at Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana, under the command of Major William R. Sefton. Flying the “Mustangs,” the unit was federally activated during the Korean Conflict from 1951-1952. In 1954, the 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) transferred to Baer Field. The unit’s first jet aircraft, the Lockheed F-80 “Shooting Star,” was assigned in September 1954. The jet era continued with the conversion to the F-86 “Sabre” eighteen months later, and in January 1958, the Republic F-84F “Thunderstreak” gave the 122nd TFW a new dimension for the next thirteen years. The unit was again federally activated from October 1961 to August 1962 and was assigned to the 17th Air Force at Chambley, France, during the Berlin Crisis. In June 1972, the unit converted to the F-100 “Super Sabre.” In 1976, the unit participated in its first RED FLAG exercise and also deployed overseas to RAF Lakenheath, England. The F-4C “Phantom II” arrived on 18 November 1979, and the unit flew this new aircraft to Balikesir, Turkey, in 1983 for exercise “Coronet Crown” and once again in 1986 for exercise “Coronet Cherokee.” In December 1986, the F-4E replaced the F-4C. In 1989, the Hoosiers again deployed to Southwest Asia for exercise “Coronet Brave” in conjunction with “Bright Star,” a large NATO exercise. On 17 July 1991, the Blacksnakes entered the high-tech jet age with the arrival of twenty-four F-16C “Fighting Falcons.” The wing’s first major deployment in the F-16C was to Beni-Suef, Egypt, in January 1993 for “Coronet Avenger.” In April 1997, the Blacksnakes deployed to Al Jaber AB, Kuwait in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. In May 1997, the 122nd FW was the first operational F-16C unit in the world to fly with fully modified aircraft compatible with Night Vision Goggles. The wing deployed to Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia in January 2000 and May 2001, in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. In August 2004, the Blacksnakes deployed to Al Udeid AB, Qatar, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In January 2006, and again in October 2007, the Blacksnakes deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In 2008, the Block 30 F-16C replaced the Block 25 F-16C. On 10 September 2010, the Blacksnakes officially converted to the A-10C “Thunderbolt II.” In October 2014, the 122nd FW deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. At the conclusion of ENDURING FREEDOM, the 163rd Fighter Squadron was re-tasked to support Operation INHERENT RESOLVE out of Al Jaber, Kuwait from November 2014 through April 2015 in support of combat operations in Iraq and Syria. In 2016, the Blacksnakes deployed to Slovakia to support Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE as a Theater Security Package for a developing State Partnership Program. The Squadron’s second A-10C combat deployment was in 2018 to Southeast Asia in support of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINAL. In 2023, the 122nd FW officially converted to the Block 40 F-16C “Fighting Falcon.” Now equipped with the world’s finest Multi-Role aircraft, we stand proud as we continue to maintain combat readiness to meet the challenges of today and the future.
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