Washington, D.C. —
Senator John Thune today announced that the National Guard Bureau is replacing the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 18 Block 30 F-16’s at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls with 18 more modern Block 40 F-16’s later this year.
“This is good news for the South Dakota Air National Guard in terms of helping to bridge the gap between the planned 2017 retirement date for the current fighters at Joe Foss and the date the Joint Strike Fighter might be available to replace these jets,” said Thune. “Since the South Dakota Air National Guard first brought this issue to my attention several years ago, I have continued to raise the issue with Air Force leadership in my capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and have been working with the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau in seeking to resolve it. This decision confirms the important role that the South Dakota Air National Guard plays in our nation’s security, and should secure the 114th Fighter Wing’s F-16 mission into the next decade.”
In 2007, the 114th Fighter Wing was the recipient of the Air Force Association’s Outstanding Air National Guard Unit Award and the National Guard Association of the United States Winston P. Wilson Trophy.
Currently, 230 members of the South Dakota Air National Guard are deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Noble Eagle.
Senator Thune is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s AirLand Subcommittee, which has oversight authority for tactical aviation programs such as the F-16.
“This is good news for the South Dakota Air National Guard in terms of helping to bridge the gap between the planned 2017 retirement date for the current fighters at Joe Foss and the date the Joint Strike Fighter might be available to replace these jets,” said Thune. “Since the South Dakota Air National Guard first brought this issue to my attention several years ago, I have continued to raise the issue with Air Force leadership in my capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and have been working with the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau in seeking to resolve it. This decision confirms the important role that the South Dakota Air National Guard plays in our nation’s security, and should secure the 114th Fighter Wing’s F-16 mission into the next decade.”
In 2007, the 114th Fighter Wing was the recipient of the Air Force Association’s Outstanding Air National Guard Unit Award and the National Guard Association of the United States Winston P. Wilson Trophy.
Currently, 230 members of the South Dakota Air National Guard are deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Noble Eagle.
Senator Thune is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s AirLand Subcommittee, which has oversight authority for tactical aviation programs such as the F-16.