27th Fighter Wing – from Korea to Iraq, its history continues

27th Fighter Wing historical office

(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series)

During the 1950s the wing flew F-84E, F-84G, F-84F, and F-101A aircraft. It transferred from the Strategic Air Command to the Tactical Air Command in July 1957 and took the designation of the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1958.

In 1959 the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, without men or equipment, moved to CannonAir Force Base, New Mexico.

During the Vietnam War, the 27th TFW deployed individual F-100 squadrons to Southeast Asia, which included Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

On Jan. 1, 1966 the wing's mission changed to training pilots and maintenance personnel for F-100 units. The role expanded with the arrival of T/AT-33 aircraft.

In July 1969, on loan from Nellis Air force Base, Nevada, 10 F-111As facilitated training while the wing waited for its own planes. F-111Es began arriving in October 1969, but their stay was short. In the summer of 1971 wing aircrews ferried the last of them to to the United Kingdom.

In 1971, the 27th TFW received the first of its F-111Ds. In April 1990, the 428th Fighter Training Squadron was reactivated.

During Desert Shield/Storm the men and women of the 27th TFW played a role which was not what they envisioned. The aircrews and aircraft of the 27th did not deploy to the region. Support personnel and a combat support group element, headed by Colonel David Benson, Commander of the 27 Combat Support Group, represented the wing. On Jan. 16, 1991, when the U.S. led coalition force initiated an air assault against key Iraqi positions, the 27th TFW had 325 personnel serving in the Persian Gulf.

On Nov.1, 1991, the 27th TFW was redesignated the 27th Fighter Wing as part of an Air Force-wide reorganization. In June 1992, the 27th FW became part of a new major command – Air Combat Command. ACC was created when SAC, TAC, and the Military Airlift Command merged to form two commands, ACC and the Air Mobility Command.

From September 1992 to July 1993, F-111F crews and support personnel from the 522nd, 523rd and 524th Fighter Squadrons rotated to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, in support of Operation Provide Comfort.

In 1995 the face of the flightline changed when the wing began its transition to F-16 aircraft. The first F-16’s to arrive in May were assigned to the 522nd Fighter Squadron. Also transitioning were the 523rd and 524th Fighter Squadrons. In response to the conversion, the 428th Fighter Squadron was inactivated in Sept. 1995.

Jan. 16, 1998, the 524th Fighter Squadron ventured to the desert for their first overseas deployment since transitioning to the F-16. The 522nd Fighter Squadron deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia in direct support of Operation Southern Watch. They flew missions enforcing UN resolutions of no-fly zone over Southern Iraq.

In March, 1998, the 523 Fighter Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Southern Watch. They were the first F-16 unit to replace A-10 units performing close air support. They were the first F-16 unit to maintain the demanding combat search and rescue alert in Southwest Asia.

In May, 1998, the 27th Fighter Wing officially retired the EF-111A during a dedication ceremony held in memorial park and the 429th Electronic Combat Squadron was officially inactivated on 19 June 1998.

In August, 1998, the 524th Fighter Squadron deployed to Hill AFB, Utah for exercise Combat Hammer. During the exercise, they dropped inert GBU-24 laser guided bombs and fired live maverick anti-tank missiles on Utah test range. The hit rate was one of the highest ever seen in the Air Force, showcasing the lethality of the F-16 block 40.

In 1998, the governments of the United States and Singapore signed an agreement laying the foundation of the Peace Carvin III program. As a Foreign Military Sales training program for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Peace Carvin III is designed for the continued training of RSAF in rapid deployment and tactical employment of theblock 52 F-16 C/D throughout a wide spectrum of missions including air-to-air, joint maritime and precision air-to-ground weapons delivery.

Reactivated on Nov. 12, 1998, 428th Fighter Squadron “Buccaneers” were tasked to take the lead in Peace Carvin III. The squadron is a hybrid of USAF and RSAF F-16 C/D manned by USAF instructor pilots, Singaporean pilots and combined RSAF and USAF teams of maintenance and support personnel.

While deployed to the Gulf region in December 1998, the F-16s from the 522nd Fighter Squadron provided close air support alert, defensive counter air alert and interdiction in Iraq.

In May 1999, the 428th Fighter Squadron participated in its first official major exercise after its reactivation. The squadron deployed to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., for exercise Combat Archer. The exercise was designed to test weapons capabilities, tactics and employment. This included the first live firing of radar-guided air-to-air AIM-7 by the RSAF.

In July 1999, the 522nd Fighter Squadron deployed to Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland, to support NATO exercise Coronet Norsemen. They served primarily as the combat- air arm of the Iceland Defense Force. In August 1999, the 523rd Fighter Squadron relieved the 522nd Fighter Squadron from Coronet Norsemen.

During Operation Allied Force in 1999, the 524th Fighter Squadron was notified for “on-call” duty to augment forces. Quick termination of hostilities precluded the 524th Fighter Squadron from seeing action.

Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon, aircraft from 522nd FS, 523rd FS and 524th FS went on alert.

In December 2002, the 524 FS deployed to Kuwait and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, dropping nearly a million pounds of precision guided munitions, more than any other F-16 Block 40 squadron in history.

Today, the 27th Fighter Wing continues to live up to its name as the “World’s Most Lethal Warfighting team.” In a moment’s notice, the wing is capable of deploying its aircraft and warriors anywhere in the world.