Happy Friday, FighterSweep Fans! We once again welcome you back to our ever-awesome celebration of reheat and Mach Diamonds, courtesy of the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing.
Based at Dannelly Field–otherwise known as Montgomery Regional Airport, the Dixie Vipers have a storied history, dating back to 1952. That year, the Alabama Air National Guard stood up the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, a unit equipped with the North American RF-51 Mustang and based in Birmingham. The command moved to Dannelly in 1953 and entered the jet age two years later when they took delivery of the Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Star.
They soon transitioned to the Republic RF-84 Thunderflash–the squadron’s primary aircraft for the next 15 years. In 1971, along came the McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II, the unit workhorse from 1971-1982.
The command changed missions sets from reconnaissance to a combat fighter squadron by taking delivery of the F-4D in 1982. Six years later, in October of 1988, the Group converted to the Lockheed-Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon–like the one pictured above, and they haven’t looked back since.
We gave you a glimpse into the 187th’s recent activities with this video, showing the pride and professionalism they brought to the fight with their most recent deployment to Afghanistan. Thanks to “Flash,” “Slam,” “Homie,” “Fatty,” and other seasoned aviators, the 100th Fighter Squadron continues to serve on the pointy end of the spear when called upon to deploy in real-world contingency operations.
Enjoy your weekend!