World War II Established in late 1942 as a
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)
P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron, the squadron trained under the
I Fighter Command in the mid-Atlantic states. The
352nd Fighter Squadron also flew air defense missions as part of the
Philadelphia Fighter Wing until it was deployed to the
European Theater of Operations, being assigned to
VIII Fighter Command in England in June 1943. The unit served primarily as an escort organization, covering the penetration, attack and withdrawal of
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber formations that the USAAF sent against targets on the European continent. The squadron also engaged in counter-air patrols, fighter sweeps, strafing and dive-bombing missions. It attacked such targets as German and German-occupied airdromes, marshalling yards, missile sites, industrial areas, ordnance depots, oil refineries, trains and highways. During its operations, the unit participated in the assault against the
Luftwaffe and the German aircraft industry during the
Big Week, 20–25 February 1944, and the attack on transportation facilities prior to the
Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 and support of the invasion forces thereafter, including the
Saint-Lô breakout in July 1944. The squadron supported the airborne attack in the Netherlands in September 1944 and upgraded to the
P-51 Mustang aircraft in October. It then deployed to Chievres Airdrome (ALG A-84), Belgium between February and April 1945 flying tactical ground support missions during the airborne assault across the Rhine. The unit returned to England and flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. It was demobilized during the summer of 1945 in England and inactivated in the United States as a paper unit in October 1945.
Florida Air National Guard The early post-war years At the conclusion of
World War II, work began to organize an
Air National Guard unit for Florida. The National Guard Bureau on 16 March 1946 gave states permission to request an Army Air Forces unit allotment. Months later, Florida accepted the 159th Fighter Squadron with an authorized strength of 50 officers and 303 enlisted men.
Governor Millard F. Caldwell formally accepted the unit on 30 August 1946, and full federal recognition was granted 9 February 1947. A facility for housing the units became available in temporary World War II buildings on the west side of the
Imeson Airport in
Jacksonville, Florida. Upon the arrival of the unit's first aircraft, the P-51D Mustang, (later redesignated the F-51D in 1947) at Imeson Airport, the 159th became the first operational Air National Guard unit in Florida. With the establishment of the
United States Air Force (USAF) as an independent service in September 1947, the 159th became a USAF organization. During its second year of operation, it became one of the first six Air National Guard squadrons in the United States equipped with jet aircraft. The conversion from the F-51D Mustang to the
F-80C Shooting Star became official on 1 August 1948, when the unit was redesignated the
159th Fighter Squadron, Jet.
Combat in Korea In the fall of 1950, the United States' involvement in the
Korean War required extensive air power commitments from the USAF. To alleviate the strain on active duty forces, President Truman activated the FLANG on 10 October 1950 and the FLANG pilots were ordered to report to
George Air Force Base, California. On arrival at George, the 159th Fighter Squadron joined the
116th Fighter Group – an organization consisting of Air National Guard units from Florida, Georgia (the 158th) and California (the 196th). The group and squadrons reorganized under the Wing-Base Plan on 1 November 1950 as an
F-84 Thunderjet unit and were redesignated the 116th Fighter Bomber Group, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Howard L. Galbreath. The group received instructions to move to the Far East, which overrode their original orders to Europe to replace an active duty U.S. Air Force squadron slated to go to Korea. By 10 August 1951, upon arrival overseas, the 159th Fighter Squadron operated under the command of Major Dan Sharpe, USAF. The 116th Fighter Group was then assigned to the
Fifth Air Force commanded by Lieutenant General Thomas C. Waskow at its new home,
Misawa Air Base, Japan. A primary requirement of the Florida Air National Guard during the Korean War was one of Air Defense coupled with combat missions over Korea. There, the 159th concentrated on flying dangerous ground attack missions against enemy supply lines and troops in the field. Pilots flew 92 combat sorties in four days with very credible results. For its part in the war, the unit earned the Korean Service Citation with Bronze Service Stars.
After Korea Upon its release from active duty, the unit returned on 9 July 1952 with their new commander to Imeson Municipal Airport in Jacksonville. The unit's F-84Es and all its ground equipment were turned over to the U.S. Air Force and left in Japan. On 10 July 1952, the 159th Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled, was re-designated the 159th Fighter Bomber Squadron, dissolving the 159th Utility Flight and integrating it into the unit. Six months later, the 159th Fighter Bomber Squadron was re-equipped with F-51H Mustangs and re-designated the 159th Fighter Bomber Squadron Augmented (159 FBSA). From October to December 1954, the 159 FBSA was equipped with nine different types of aircraft such as the
T-6 Texan,
B-26 Invader,
C-45 Expeditor,
C-47 Skytrain,
C-54 Skymaster, F-51H Mustang,
T-33 Shooting Star, F-80 Shooting Star, and
F-86A Sabre. By the end of December 1954, things settled down and the 159 FBSA had an entire squadron of F-80Cs for the second time. There were now 43 officers and warrant officers and 472 enlisted men in the unit. In July 1955, while still equipped with F-80Cs, the unit was redesignated the
159th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, with a mission change to
air defense. By 1 July 1956, the parent unit became the
125th Fighter Group and both organizations were operationally gained by
Air Defense Command (ADC). The activation of the 125th coincided with the conversion to the F-86D Sabre, an all-weather interceptor. The F-86 made the 125th a self-sustaining unit capable of performing the air defense mission in all types of weather, day or night. In 1959 and 1960, the 125th underwent two aircraft conversions which greatly increased the unit's inventory and operational costs. In June 1959, the unit converted from the F-86D to the F-86L Sabre. Another major conversion began 1 July 1960, when the unit converted from the F-86L to the
F-102A Delta Dagger supersonic fighter-interceptor. Following the
Cuban Missile Crisis, the 159th also established a detachment of no less than two rotational F-102 aircraft, pilots, and support personnel at
Homestead AFB in southern Florida to maintain a 24/7/365 armed alert, augmenting other F-102 aircraft on armed alert in Jacksonville. In the late 1960s, the 159 FIS and 125 FIG would also see their operating location change. Due to its limited ability to handle newer commercial jet aircraft, the local government officials in Jacksonville and Duval County in the early 1960s determined that Imeson Airport would need to be replaced by a newer, larger airport with a greater capability for accommodating jet airliner traffic and long-term growth. With the scaling back and ultimate closure of Imeson Airport, and its replacement by the new Jacksonville International Airport during 1967 and 1968, the 159th subsequently relocated to a newly constructed Air National Guard installation at the new airport and was fully in place and operational by 1968. That same year, the active USAF gaining command's name was changed to Aerospace Defense Command.
The 1970s to the present In 1974, the squadron converted from the F-102 Delta Dagger to the
F-106 Delta Dart, flying both its single seat F-106A and twin-seat F=106B variants. By the end of the year, with the conversion complete and the F-106 formally integrated into the 125 FIG weapons inventory, alert status resumed at Jacksonville International Airport. Pilots and ground crew members received extensive training in the operations and maintenance of the F-106 and they soon gained the expertise needed to handle the sophisticated all-weather supersonic fighter-interceptor. Concurrent operation of the T-33 Shooting Star also continued, functioning as a simulated target aircraft for intercept training and for other pilot proficiency training. In October 1979, in anticipation of the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command, the USAF gained command responsibilities which shifted to
Tactical Air Command and a sub-organization equivalent to a numbered air force designated as
Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). In 1985, ADTAC was replacec by
First Air Force as the numbered air force for all Air National Guard fighter units charged with a continental air defense mission as their primary role. The 159th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flew the F-106 Delta Dart for 12 years but, by the end of 1986, the U.S. Air Force began to phase out the F-106, converting Regular Air Force units flying the Delta Dart to the
F-15 Eagle and most Air National Guard F-106 units to the
F-4 Phantom II. However, it was determined that the multipurpose F-4 was not the ideal fighter for the continental air defense mission and the Air Force and the
National Guard Bureau decided to transition the squadron to the
F-16 Fighting Falcon. In January 1987, the unit converted to the F-16A, followed by a small number of additional twin-seat F-16Bs. On 1 April 1987, the 159 FIS became the first F-16 unit to sit alert in an air defense role as a fighter interceptor unit on a 24/7/365 basis. This conversion also marked the 11th fighter aircraft conversion for the unit. Following avionics upgrades tailored for the air defense mission, these aircraft would become known as the F-16ADF. In June 1992, after the inactivation of Tactical Air Command, the squadron was once again redesignated the
159th Fighter Squadron and was operationally gained by the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC). In 1995, the 159th Fighter Squadron converted from the F-16ADF to the A and B versions of the F-15 Eagle as its primary fighter aircraft. Five years after the conversion to the F-15, Fighter Data Link technology was incorporated into the F-15, allowing the pilots to link flight data with multiple users, providing real-time information on air and ground threats. The 159th continued to incorporate newer technology in its 1970s era F-15As and F-15Bs under the F-15 Multistage Improvement Program, such as the upgrade to 220E model engines. During the late 1990s, the 159th was also fully integrated into the USAF Air and Space Expeditionary Force and routinely deployed aircraft and personnel to the
363rd Air Expeditionary Wing at
Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of
Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the No-Fly Zone over southern Iraq. Since 11 September 2001, the squadron has been extensively involved in
Operation Noble Eagle, performing its historic continental air defense mission in the southeastern United States, as well as having periodically deployed aircraft and personnel to U.S. Central Command Air Forces, now known as
U.S. Air Forces Central in Southwest Asia in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iriqi Freedom until their conclusion. In 2006, the 159 FS replaced its previous F-15A/B Eagle (MSIP) aircraft with its current F-15C and F-15D variants. In 2015, the 159th deployed as the first ever Air National Guard Theater Security Package to augment
United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa. The squadron deployed again in 2017 to Romania and then to Iceland in support of the Icelandic Air Policing mission.
Squadron Future The 159th Fighter Squadron is transitioning from the F-15C/D to the
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter. Pilots in the squadron began the transition to the new airframe in 2025. The F-15C is projected to run out of service life in the mid-2020's across the Air Force and Air National Guard. ==Lineage==