352d Fighter Squadron

159th Fighter Squadron
159th Fighter Squadron F-15s over Jacksonville Beach, FL. Aircraft are McDonnell Douglas F-15C-21-MC Eagles, AF Ser. No. 78-0487; 78-0527 and 78-0493
Active	1 October 1942-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Florida
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Air Defense Fighter
Part of	Florida Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida
Nickname(s)	Boxin' Gators
Tail Code	Blue tail stripe with white trim, "Florida" in white letters on the outboard, 125th FW on the inboard, blue lighting bolt
Insignia
159th Fighter Squadron emblem

The 159th Fighter Squadron (159 FS) is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing located at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. The 159th is equipped with the F-15C and F-15D Eagle.

The squadron primarily flies the single seat F-15C Eagle aircraft, along with a smaller number of twin-seat F-15D, in the air superiority/air dominance role. As part of the Florida Air National Guard, the 159 FS and 125 FW report to the 1st Air Force (1 AF) and are operationally-gained by the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). The squadron is based at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base at Jacksonville International Airport, Florida and also maintains a permanent rotational alert detachment at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida.

To provide air defense for the southeastern United States, as directed by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), from Charleston, South Carolina to the southern tip of Florida and across the Florida panhandle. In addition, to provide the Continental NORAD Region (CONR) commander rapid response to invasions of the sovereign airspace of the United States and respond with appropriate defense measures against all hostile actions directed at the people and property of the United States, and to be available to other combat commanders for forward deployment in order to perform air superiority/air dominance missions in other theaters outside of the United States.

Established in late 1942 as a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron, it trained under I Fighter Command in the mid-Atlantic states. The 159th also flew air-defense missions as part of the Philadelphia Fighter Wing. The squadron was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), being assigned to VIII Fighter Command in England in June 1943.