Forum: F-16 Spotting & Photography

I think about 10 Block 25s maximum showed up at Homestead right as the Aug 90 Gulf War build up was starting. They came from Shaw and as soon as Shaw deployed, they took the rest of their Block 25s with them to the desert. Post war, the whole plan changed with the deactivation of many wings and the first round of realignment. It was then determined that the 31st would go to Block 40 GP missions with three squadrons - 308th, 309th and reactivated 307th - and the 363rd at Shaw would continue their planned conversion to a Block 42 LANTIRN operation in the 17th, 19th and 33rd.

The 25s at Homestead would have went into the 308th AMU, since they were first on the conversion list. The first Block 40s started showing up in early 91 and the conversion was done in early 92. The 309th flew the last active duty A-Model sortie in mid 91.

Some of the Shaw Block25s ended up at Luke and the rest, to include the Homestead ones (I think), went to various guard units. I want to say the HST ones went to Terre Haute, but the memory is fuzzy on that piece.

Cheers!
Oscar

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Hi Oscar and welcome.

Thank you for this update of information, very useful for the history I'm working on. Oscar, do you have any tail numbers in mind of any block 25s at Homestead? Any photos as well?

Cheers,
Jon

GREAT Oscar - and a very warm WELCOME to this great site!!

Thank You for some very interesting and unique F-16 history.

Greetings,

Henrik.

Jon,

I do not have any tail #s or photos of that. There is a USAF/USN tail # database at [Link pending approval]

I don't know that it has historical info on jet transfers or not.

Good Luck!

Doug

If you think that is impressive, you haven't seen the F-16.net serial database. We have tracked most jet transfers and is why I asked, to update our database. Check it out:

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_aircraft_database.html

Jon

Henrik, que pasa? Cool

Thanks for setting me straight on those birds. Yeah, 95-96 was a little before my time. By the time I was there, they were Blk. 30s. Great birds, and definitely a great ride! Now, I'm on a much bigger bird, but still having a helluva lot of fun!

Most of the Terre haute Block 25's came from Hahn AB and a smaller number coming from Shaw(Ft. Wayne and Kansas ANG picked up the rest from those bases IIRC).We at one time had around 28-30 Block 25's on base,our PAA aircraft plus having the rest in "flyable storage"(in our unit markings)until other ANG units converting could pick them up,for about 6-10 months we had Block 25's all over the place!

Hello all,

Regarding 85-1421 it came from the 363rd TFS at Shaw AFB, SC and after its brief stay in the 308th TFS / 31st TFW it was passed to the 457th TFS / 301st TFW in Ft. Worth, TX early 1991.

Greetings,

Henrik.

habu2 wrote:

I have some ZF tailed photos in some books, if I ever get my scanner hooked up again I'll try to post them.

FWIW all my references say they only flew 15s and 40s:

Quote:

The 31st TFW returned to Homestead from Vietnam in October 1970 with its F-4s with the ZF tailcode, and received its first F-16A/B Block 15 on 1 October 1982, its first user being the wing's 306th TFS. An HS tailcode was adopted in 1986. The 306th (yellow) was deactivated, and 307th 'Stingers' (red) were deactivated but moved to the 347th Wing at Moody, leaving the 308th TFS 'Knights' (green) and 309th TFS 'Wild Ducks' (blue). The 308th was also deactivated and moved to the 347th Wing to join the 307th. Later the 308th was again moved to Luke (58th, the 56th FW). During 1990 the wing converted to the F-16C/D Block 40, but was deactivated in 1993, with the 309th squadron numbers resurfacing at Luke AFB as training units and the wing number (31st) transferred to USAFE's new wing in Aviano Italy.

THE 306th TFS recived its first F-16 A/B block 15 on 1 OCT 1985. I was assiged to the 306 AMU (Aircraft Maintance Unit) On 9 Jul 1985 and no F16 had arrived yet. One year latter the the 306th (Home of the Wildhare's) was deactivaded and became the 308th TFS/AMU (Emerald Knights) I was reassigned to Hill AFB in Feb 1988 At that time Homestead had not recived block 40's. Hill AFB recived block 40's just prior to Gulf war #1. I was again reassigned to 304th air rescue and recovery in july 1990. The 4th AFU (Fighting Fujins) had just recived 10 i belive at that time. My AFSC was 46270 (i loaded bombs and missles on the f16)

Hi Wildhare

Thanks for your input.

The only reason we have June 7, 1985 as the first dates the 306th had the F-16 was due to the following official USAF photo.

USAF F-16B block 15 #83-1170 from the 306th TFS is the first F-16 assigned to Homestead AFB that touches down on the runway on June 7th, 1985.

Caption states first F-16 assigned to Homestead. This leaves two possibilities. The photo caption is wrong or this F-16 was moved from the 306th to another unit in between that time it arrived and when you did. Do you remember F-16s being at the base, particularly this one? The caption states Homesteads first F-16, but clearly shows the 306th marking.

Another question, do you know the exact date the 306th deactivated?

Thank you,
Jonathan
F-16.net

Forum: F-16 Spotting & Photography

308th TFS with block 25?