MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. -- The National Guard Bureau announced today the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Maintenance Group has won the 2021 Maintenance Effectiveness Award (Cat II Medium Aircraft Maintenance) for the entire Air National Guard.
In a message to the 169th Maintenance Group commander, Col. Adrian Meyer, the Aircraft Maintenance Division chief at National Guard Bureau, Col. Thomas Funk, said, “Your team’s superb accomplishments and contributions to domestic operations, readiness, exercises, alerts and combat operations were recognized and ranked above your peers by a scrutinizing team of maintainers at the ANG Readiness Center. Your team will now be reviewed at HAF for the Air Force-level awards! My sincere best wishes for continued success in your groups. You and your team are leading the way during exceptionally trying times. Well done!”
Swamp Fox Maintenance is a total force integrated (TFI) maintenance team responsible to the 169th Fighter Wing and Air Combat Command. The team trains, employs, and deploys 698 total maintenance professionals to maintain a fleet of 28 F-16CM Vipers; 12 officers, 592 enlisted, and 94 active duty. The SCANG has a primary mission of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD), but also may perform air to air dominance roles along with conventional ground attack missions. Additionally, the SCANG performs the Aerospace Control Alert (ACA) mission at home station protecting America’s southeastern airspace. Swamp Fox Maintenance supports worldwide operations, ensuring combat capability as required by combatant commanders in accordance with the unit’s designed operational capability.
The citation accompanying the award reads as follows:
The 169th Maintenance Group distinguished itself by accomplishing superior aircraft maintenance during the period of 1 October 2020 through 30 September 2021. During this period, the outstanding professionalism, dedication and teamwork of both the South Carolina Air National Guard and United States Air Force maintenance professionals greatly contributed to the overall success of the 169th Fighter Wing’s mission of repairing and flying 28 assigned Block 52 F-16 aircraft. Despite a crippling 40 percent average aircraft availability due to Depot modifications, the group delivered safe, reliable aircraft, generating over 3,300 sorties resulting in over 7,100 flight hours without a Class A or B mishap. Maintaining the United States Air Force’s only combat coded Block 52 F-16 Fleet, the team achieved an amazing 12.4 sortie utilization rate supporting continuation training, Air Expeditionary Forces, and Aerospace Control Alert ensuring multiple Combatant Commanders priorities were met across the globe. Furthermore, the team participated in multiple off-station joint training events, facilitating the first-ever deployment of the AESA radar system in the F-16. Additionally, the team deployed to Nellis AFB, Nevada for Red Flag 21-1. During this exercise, the 169th Maintenance Group met every Air Tasking Order Mission and was awarded the Commander’s Trophy for Maintenance Excellence. During the unit’s deployment to the Central Command Area of Operations they were tasked with multiple Agile Combat Employment events including the first ever combat hot integrated combat turn. The event simultaneously loaded live munitions while hot-pit refueling of multiple aircraft that then struck a preplanned target. The unit generated over 1,100 combat missions and 3,100 hours with zero missed scheduled sorties that supported 100 percent of the Air Tasking Order. The professionalism and commitment to excellence demonstrated by the men and women of the 169th Maintenance Group reflect great credit upon themselves, Air National Guard, Air Combat Command, and the United States Air Force.
Swamp Fox Maintenance will now compete at the Air Force level.
Swamp Fox Semper Primus!