Evolving from the Army Air Corps, which itself emerged from the Army Air Service and the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the South Dakota Air National Guard's 175th Fighter Squadron was established in Sioux Falls on September 20, 1946—predating the U.S. Air Force's official birth as a separate service (September 18, 1947). World War II ace and Medal of Honor recipient Brigadier General Joe Foss, along with aviator Major General Duke Corning, were instrumental in its founding. Initially equipped with P-51 Mustangs, the unit transitioned through a series of aircraft, including the F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion, F-102 Delta Dagger, and F-100 Super Sabre, before flying the A-7 Corsair II and finally the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1991, which it currently still flies.

Reorganized as the 114th Fighter Group in 1956 and later redesignated as the 114th Fighter Wing in 1995, the 114th Fighter Wing, responsible for over 1,000 Airmen, carries out its diverse missions through its various groups and squadrons, including aircraft maintenance, flight operations, medical support, civil engineering, security forces, communications, and logistics.