343rd Tactical Fighter Wing

The 343rd Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) was activated by the United States Air Force in 1981 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, succeeding the 343rd Composite Wing. Its primary mission was to provide air defense and tactical fighter operations in the strategically important Alaskan region during the final years of the Cold War. The wing operated aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II and later transitioned to the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In 1993, the 343rd TFW was inactivated, with its personnel and equipment forming the core of the reactivated 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson AFB.