South Dakota F-16’s fly operations from Sioux City

Credit: Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot | Date Taken: 08/11/2021
Fighter jets from the South Dakota Air Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing were roaring out of the Sioux City Air National Guard base this week as part a reediness exercise for the Sioux Falls, SD based unit. According to the South Dakota Air Guard the intent of the exercise is to test the unit’s ability to relocate and quickly begin to generate sorties flying their F-16 Fighter aircraft, while apart from their home base. During the exercise the South Dakota jets are departing and returning to the Sioux City Air Guard base each day. With only a portion of the unit’s F-16s in Sioux City the idea of exercises is to show that the South Dakota unit can quickly disperse aircraft from their home base and continue to operate in defense of U.S. airspace. The Sioux City airport is home to the Iowa Air Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing where they fly the much quieter KC-135 Air Refueling aircraft. The timing of the exercise was designed to take place while Sioux City’s 185th is participating in a similar mobility exercise this week in Gulfport, MS. The departure of aircraft from Sioux City cleared additional ramp space to allow plenty of room for the Sioux Falls team to operate during the week long exercise. Lower Thirds: Lt Col Daniel Sanders 114th FW South Dakota National Guard