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Library > Fact Sheets > 482nd Fighter Wing
482ND FIGHTER WING
Posted 6/10/2008
Printable Fact Sheet
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482nd Fighter Wing / 93rd Fighter Squadron closeup of a threeship formation of Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcons carrying Aim-120 and Aim-9 air-to-air missiles. The aircraft are based at Homestead Air Reserve Station flying near the Southern Flordia coastline. (Photo by: MSgt Joe Cupido, 4th Combat Camera)
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The 482nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, maintains and operates Homestead Air Reserve Base, located near the southern end of the Florida peninsula, about 25 miles south of Miami. It is a fully combat-ready unit capable of providing F-16C multi-purpose fighter aircraft, along with mission ready pilots and support personnel, for short-notice worldwide deployment. The wing has approximately 1,600 members, including more than 1,200 reservists, of which 260 are full-time reservists, in addition to 325 full-time civilians.
The 93rd Fighter Squadron "Makos" fly and maintain the F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft. The F-16s can be identified by the letters "FM" ("Florida Makos") and the Mako shark displayed proudly on the tail.
In addition, the 482nd FW supports and trains civil engineering, communications, medical, logistics, aircraft maintenance, mission support, aerial transportation specialists and a security forces squadron that can be deployed interchangeably with active-duty units to meet U.S. Air Force commitments around the world.
The 482nd FW regularly hosts combat units from all over the world with its unique geographic location. Visiting units come to South Florida to take advantage of the superb flying weather, the abundant training airspace in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Today's Air Force is more than 30 percent smaller than it was during Operation Desert Storm. This has resulted in an unprecedented reliance on the continuous use of the modern Air Force Reserve in day-to-day, world-wide operations. In fact, the Air Force Reserve Command provides the U.S. Air Force about 20 percent of their capability with only about four percent of the total Air Force budget. The post-Cold War military operations tempo requires daily support of the "Citizen Airman" to a greater extent than at any time in history.
The men and women of the Air Force Reserve's 482nd FW regularly take time from their civilian lives to proudly meet that challenge. The 482nd FW has a high operations tempo, engaging in year-round training to ensure personnel and equipment remain deployable and combat-ready.
The 93rd Fighter Squadron has participated in Operation Northern Watch for four consecutive years, patrolling the no-fly zone over northern Iraq that was established by the United Nations in 1991. The wing also deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch in 2001, flying combat missions over southern Iraq. Since 2001, members of Homestead ARB have deployed on numerous occasions to locations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the continued Global War on Terror. Recent deployments include rotations to Iraq in 2005, 2007 and again in January of 2009 to provide close air support to U.S. and allied ground forces. 482nd FW reservists have deployed to Kyrgyzstan in support of OEF. In addition, Homestead reservists have also temporarily supported the U.S. Air Defense mission dubbed Operation Noble Eagle in lieu of the Air National Guard for periods in 2004 and 2007.
The 482nd FW supports several tenant units as the host unit at Homestead ARB.
A Florida Air National Guard Detachment from the 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville, Fla., operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) alert facility providing F-15 aircraft capable of intercepting, identifying, and if necessary, destroying unknown aircraft that penetrate U.S. airspace. The 482 FW also supports the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Branch air interdiction mission; the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami (91114); the U.S. Special Operations Command South, a subordinate command of U.S. Southern Command located in the City of Doral, Fla.; and several other government satellite offices are located on base.
During the Atlantic hurricane season, the 482nd FW routinely supports forward deployment of the Air Force Reserve's "Hurricane Hunters" weather reconnaissance mission, and joint relief operations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In October of 2005, Homestead Air Reserve Base teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring over 1 million tons of relief supplies to South Floridians recovering from Hurricane Wilma.
The 482nd FW provides the Department of Defense with an efficient, cost effective air base, with ready access to a strategic staging location on the rim of the Caribbean Basin, to support contingency and training operations associated with the United States Southern Command area of responsibility.
Current as of June 2008
482nd Fighter Wing
29050 Coral Sea Blvd.
Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla.
33039-1299
Public Affairs Office: (305) 224-7330
Fax: (305) 224-7302
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