Air National Guard Fighter Jet to Join Historic Guard HQ Display in Latham on Saturday

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Airmen from the 174th Attack Wing dismantle an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.

LATHAM, NY (11/05/2015)(readMedia)-- An F-16 fighter that New York Air National Guard pilots flew in combat over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm will be placed at the main entrance of New York National Guard headquarters here Saturday afternoon as a historic display.

The F-16 will join an M-1 Abrams main battle tank and an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter, both used by New York Army National Guard Soldiers, as front gate historic displays.

WHAT: Emplacement of an Air Force F-16 fighter jet for display in front of the New York National Guard Headquarters. A four vehicle convoy from Hancock Field Air National Guard base will deliver the display aircraft.

WHO: New York Air National Guard Director of Staff Col. Maureen Murphy, former member of the 174th Fighter Wing that flew the F-16 for more than 20 years, and Chief Master Sgt. Mark Shearer of the 174th Attack Wing.

WHEN: Saturday, November 7 at approx. 1:30 pm.

WHERE: New York National Guard Armory, 330 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY 12210

Media Opportunity:

News reporters will be able to gather imagery of the off-loading of the disassembled F-16 fighter jet and its reassembly and placement onto a cement pad in front of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Interviews with Col. Maureen Murphy and other members of the 174th Attack Wing who employed the F-16 for two decades of service.

For access to this military facility, reporters should contact Col. Richard Goldenberg, 518-786-4518, for an updated arrival time of the aircraft at noon.

F-16 Fighting Falcon # 80-0504

F-16A tail number 80-0504 was last assigned as a ground maintenance trainer at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse before its retirement from service.

The 174th had flown the F-16 as a fighter wing for 20 years, with service for Operation Desert Storm, Operations Provide Comfort and Southern Watch, and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This particular aircraft, 80-0504, has historical legacy with the New York Air National Guard. It flew numerous combat missions with the 138th Tactical Fighter Squadron during Operation Desert Storm, one of only two Air National Guard units to fly combat missions in the close air support role.

Deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1991 for Operation Desert Shield, Aircraft 80-0504 flew several combat missions from Al Kharj Air Base in Saudi Arabia as part of the 174th Fighter Wing's combat tour for Operation Desert Storm.

The F-16 returned to Hancock Field until the wing new received block 30 aircraft in 1993.

The aircraft was transferred back to Syracuse in 2002 after nearly a decade of service with the 162nd Fighter Wing in the Arizona Air National Guard.

Back at Hancock Field, the aircraft served as a ground maintenance training aircraft, where it was utilized for weapons load training until 2010.

The name painted on the side of the aircraft identifies Major General Robert Knauff, former commander of both the 174th Fighter Wing and Commander of the New York Air National Guard. Knauff died in a sailplane crash in 2014.

The 174th Attack Wing was established in 1947 as the first Air National Guard flying unit in New York State. It provided Close Air Support and Fighter support roles for Air Force missions before transition in 2010. The wing currently flies the MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Air National Guard members from the 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse cleaned, prepared and disassembled aircraft 80-0504, removing its wings and tail, for transport to Latham, and will reassemble the aircraft for display.

The display of this historic aircraft is part of the regular transfer of retired airframes by the Collections Committee of the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB. The committee approved the aircraft for static display at DMNA in January 2015.