Established in 1965 as an F-4 Phantom squadron, the 291st Tactical Fighter Squadron would prove early on to be a capable foe, earning multiple Readiness awards early in their career. In 1973, the squadron would rotate fr om their home at McNealy Air Force Base to Sand Island AFB, wh ere for the next 6 years they would hold the line against Yuktobanian incursions. In 1979, the squadron would upgrade to the F-15C, and relocate once again, this time to Oseas Heartland of Day AFB in Harwood.
The unit would deploy in 1995, and again in 2010 to support OADF operations during the Belkan and Circum Pacific Wars. During the Lighthouse War in 2019, an F-15C from the 291st was credited with two kills in the opening hours of the conflict, one a MQ-99 Drone, and the second a privately owned F-104 Starfighter. The Squadron having just returned from a deployment and about to begin transitioning to the F-15EX largely sat out the conflict, and would fully adopt the EX by 2021, Retiring the F-15C.
