Its McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft flew thousands of combat missions between 1965 and 1971 before being withdrawn as part of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

On 8 November 1965 the wing was assigned to Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, South Vietnam.

Operational squadrons of the wing at Cam Ranh were: From Cam Ranh Bay AB the wing carried out close air support, interdiction and combat air patrol activities over South Vietnam, North Vietnam and Laos.

Although NAS Pensacola is the principal base for student Naval Flight Officer (SNFO) training for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the 479 FTG operates independently of this program with its own USAF T-6 Texan II and T-1 Jayhawk aircraft.

In the second decade of the 21st century, the wing's mission is to provide instructor pilot training in the Raytheon-Beech T-6A Texan II, the Northrop T-38 Talon and the Beech T-1A Jayhawk jet trainers.

[citation needed] Previously, the wing also conducted Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) in the Northrop AT-38 Talon, a role now performed with T-38s.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency