Lt. Col. Don Butler, commander of the 79th FS, flies F-16C block 50
#91-0379 on February 23rd, 2007 in support of Col. James W. Hyatt's final flight as a wing commander at Shaw
AFB.
The 79th FS started receiving the first F-16s in 1994 after departing RAF Upper Heyford in October of 1993. The reason behind the reactivation was to keep the history alive of the 20th FW and its resident squadrons over those of the 363rd FW which deactivated and its squadrons as well. Along with the number change to both wing and squadrons at Shaw AFB there was also a block change for the F-16s with the introduction of the block 50. The newly activating squadrons at Shaw, which included the 77th, 78th and 79th FS (the 55th FS became an F-16 squadron in 1997) were all receiving block 50s for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission. This was a completely new mission for Shaw AFB.
For the SEAD mission the aircraft are equipped with the HARM Targeting System (HTS) and the AGM-88 HARM missile. With the development of more advanced targeting pods it became possible to deploy these airframes in the so-called Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (DEAD) mission. This improves the output of each mission dramatically with the aircraft being able to detect and destroy radar systems and also being able to destroy other dedicated targets.
The squadron logo and symbol is a tiger. Part of the units herritage is that the squadron is a founding member of the NATO Tiger Association. In the sixties, seventies and eighties this didn’t propose much problems for the association’s annual Tigermeet gathering since the squadron – as all its Tiger sister squadrons – were based in Europe. With the ending of the Cold War the 79th was relocated to Shaw AFB and also the Canadian Tiger squadron was moved from Germany back to Canada. Therefore these units could no longer participate in the Tigermeet. It took them a long time before they decided they would organize the so-called Tigermeet of the America’s (TMOTA). This gathers all Tiger units in the US (also the ones not a member of the NTA). Tiger Association meetings are more than social gather in modern times and include intense flying program often affiliated with larger air exercises. Often aircraft are specially painted to commemorate such gatherings such as the side profile featured at the top of this page.
Over the years the squadron has participate in the USAF efforts of rotating into the Middle East on regular bases. Almost every single year the squadron is deployed to Southeast Asia either in an Operation Northern Watch or Operation Southern Watch albeit an Operation Iraqi Freedom. This will continue for some time in the future.
