8th Fighter Squadron
8th Fighter Squadron | |
---|---|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (3x) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (2x)[1] | |
Insignia | |
8th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 12 May 1960)[1] |
The 8th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 54th Fighter Group Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. It currently operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, conducting initial training, transition and instructor upgrades training. The squadron have a proud lineage of aircraft and assignments. The origin of the 8th Fighter Squadron can be traced back to 1940, and since then, the squadron has served in several war and peace time assignments across the globe.
History
World War II
The 8th Fighter Squadron traces its origins to the formation of the
With the advent of World War II, the squadron moved to Australia and became part of Fifth Air Force in January 1942. It was re-\designated as the 8th Fighter Squadron in May 1942. The unit received Curtiss P-40 Warhawks in Australia and, after training for a short time, provided air defense for the Northern Territory.[3]
The squadron moved to New Guinea in October 1942 to help stall the Japanese drive southward from
The 8th participated in the Allied offensive that pushed the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track, took part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, fought for control of the approaches to Huon Gulf, and supported ground forces during the campaign in which the Allies eventually recovered New Guinea. It covered the landings on Noemfoor and had a part in. the conquest of Biak.[3]
It was during this time that the 8th acquired their name, "The Black Sheep" Squadron. While the
Other missions from the Philippines included strikes against industry and transportation on
After the Japanese Capitulation, the squadron moved to the Japanese Home Islands, initially being stationed at the former
Korean War
With the outbreak of the
The squadron moved to
The 49th changed equipment to the
The wing remained in Korea for a time after the armistice. It was reassigned to Japan in November 1953 and returned to its air defense mission. The squadron upgraded to the
United States Air Forces in Europe
After the 8th's inactivation in Japan, the 8th assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the
Taking over the seven
However, the nuclear-capable F-100 was troublesome to the host French Government, the French decreed that all United States
At Spangdahlem, the squadron flew F-100s until 1961 when it converted to the
In the late 1960s, the Defense Budget began to be squeezed by the costs of the ongoing Vietnam War. Secretary of Defense
Holloman Air Force Base
At Holloman, the squadron participated in Tactical Air Command tactical exercises and firepower demonstrations to maintain combat readiness.[3] Also, the first "Tail Codes" to identify squadron aircraft were applied, rather than the traditional yellow colors of the 8th which had been used since the Korean War. Initially "HC" was the tail code identifier for the 8th, however, in 1972, the Air Force issued AFM 66-1 which specified wing tail codes and the squadron's planes were standardized on the 49th's "HO" tail code. However, a yellow tail stripe was applied to identify squadron aircraft.[5]
The 8th also retained its NATO commitment to return once a year to its "dual base" home in West Germany. These deployments were known as "Crested Cap", and are listed belowi in the squadron station list.
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
On 4 May 1972, after North Vietnam invaded [South Vietnam, the entire 49th Wing, except for a rear echelon that remained to run Holloman, deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. Operation Constant Guard III, ordered in response to the North Vietnamese invasion, was the largest movement that Tactical Air Command had ever performed. In nine days, the squadron deployed its F-4D Phantom IIs from Holloman to Takhli. Airmen arriving reported that Takhli was a mess, with missing or broken plumbing fixtures, no hot water, and no drinking water - that had to be trucked in from Korat every day. Bed frames had been thrown out of the hootches into the high snake-infested grass, and mattresses or bedding consisted of sleeping bags at best.[3]
The 8th flew combat sorties in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos from 1 July to 24 September 1972 during Operation Linebacker, the bombardment campaign in North Vietnam. During this deployment, Operation Constant Guard, the squadron flew over just about every battle zone from An Loc to vital installations in the Hanoi vicinity. During five months of combat, the squadron did not lose any aircraft or personnel. The unit officially closed out its Southwest Asia duty 6 October 1972.[3]
F-15A Eagle era
In October 1977, the 49th Wing ended its "dual-base" commitment to NATO and changed to an
Due to the change in equipment, the annual NATO deployments were taken over by the
With the introduction of the F-15C Eagle in the mid-1980s, the upgraded Eagle began replacing the F-15A and Bs in service with all of the USAF units that had previously been operating the Eagle with the exception of the 49th Wing. By the time of
F-117 Nighthawk era
In 1992, the 49th Fighter Wing underwent a number of transitions. As a result of the end of the
After conversion to the F-117A in May 1992, The 8th deployed fighters and their crews to Southwest Asia during the 1990s as part of
Operation Allied Force
On 21 February, the 8th deployed F-117 and their crews to
One F-117 fighter was lost over Yugoslavia on 27 March 1999, apparently struck by a salvo of SA-3 Goa surface-to-air missiles. Unknown to NATO, Yugoslav air defenses operators had found they could detect F-117s with their "obsolete" Soviet radars after some modifications that could detect the aircraft when their wheels were down or bomb bay doors were open. A US search and rescue team picked up the pilot several hours after the F-117 went down outside Belgrade. This was the first and so far the only F-117 to have been lost in action. On 1 April 1999, Defense Secretary William Cohen directed 12 more F-117 stealth fighters to join NATO Operation Allied Force, to join the total of 24 F-117s that were participating in NATO Operation Allied Force.[3]
Operation Enduring Freedom
People, airplanes, and equipment of the 49th Fighter Wing played a key role in
Deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, on the opening night of the invasion, fresh intelligence was received that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was staying at a specific bunker for the night. USAF planners had a rare opportunity to kill the elusive Iraqi leader. It was reasoned that might bring down his regime without war. The F-117s would carry the new GPS-guided EGBU-27 precision guided bomb. The problem was it had never been used in combat and the weapons had arrived at Al Udeid a mere 24 hours earlier.[6]
Combat preparation of the fighters began immediately. The plan called for the F-117s to take off as soon as possible. Two stealth fighters roared northward into the nighttime sky at 3:38 a.m. After refueling over the Gulf near Kuwait City, the stealth fighters split up and took separate routes over Iraq to the target area. The sun was starting to come up by the time the pilots reached Baghdad, however on that morning Baghdad was obscured under low-level clouds. Each of the two F-117s released two bombs, which plummeted toward the bunker in which Saddam Hussein was believed to be sleeping. Release came at 5:30 a.m., 13 minutes after dawn but only five hours after the pilots first heard that such a mission might be in the offing. The strike caught Iraqi defenses completely off guard. Defensive anti-aircraft fire did not begin until the aircraft had completed the attack and were racing out of the Baghdad area.[6]
Although the strike did not kill Saddam Hussein, what it did accomplish was to allow the coalition to seize the initiative. Also the EGBU-27 immediately became the F-117's premier weapon. According to Air Force data, 98 of them were delivered during the conflict, compared to only 11 of the traditional, predominantly laser versions.
In 2006, the Air Force announced that Holloman AFB would cease to be the home of the F-117A Nighthawk, coinciding with the announcement that the aircraft was set to be retired from service by 2008. The planes were sent to their former base at Tonopah Airport, Nevada for retirement and long-term indoor storage. Tonopah was selected to store the aircraft as it was stated that even in retirement, the stealth technology of the aircraft remained classified. Therefore, the planes would be stored in their former hangars where they were originally kept during the years the existence of the aircraft was secret. The last F-117A Nighthawk flew to Tonopah in late April 2008, and as a result, the 8th inactivated for the first time after 67 years of active service on 16 May 2008.[3]
F-22A Raptor era
The inactivation of the 8th, however, was brief as it was reactivated on 25 Sept 2009, and equipped with the
The 8th Fighter Squadron deployed frequently to overseas locations in support of United States objectives.
In May 2011, the squadron became non-operational and on 15 July 2011, the 8th Fighter squadron was inactivated.[8]
F-16 Fighting Falcon era
The 8th Fighter Squadron was reactivated at Holloman Air Force Base, with the formal activation ceremony taking place on 4 August 2017, as a F-16 Fighting Falcon unit and part of the 54th Fighter Group, which was then a geographically-separated unit of the 56th Fighter Wing from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. In October 2018, the Fighter Group was re-aligned under the 49th Wing when Holloman was allocated to AETC. As a formal training unit, the personnel of the 8th FS instruct F-16 initial, transition, and instructor upgrade training. They fly alongside the 311th and 314th Fighter Squadrons at Holloman. Wool![9]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 20 August 1943
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 6 November 1944
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 8 January 1946
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled on 1 May 1948
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 10 August 1948
- Redesignated 8th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 February 1950
- Redesignated 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991[1]
- Inactivated on 16 May 2008[citation needed]
- Activated on 25 Sept 2009[citation needed]
Assignments
- 49th Pursuit Group (later 49th Fighter Group 49th Fighter-Bomber Group), 15 January 1941 – 15 October 1957 (attached to 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing after 15 April 1957)
- 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, 49th Fighter Wing), 10 December 1957 (attached to 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 March–2 April 1973 and 6 September–6 October 1975
- 49th Operations Group, 15 November 1991[1] – 16 May 2008[11] – 15 July 2011[8]
- 49th Operations Group, 25 September 2009[12] – 15 July 2011[8]
- 54th Fighter Group, c. 4 August 2017 – present[10]
Stations
- Selfridge Field, Michigan, 15 January 1941
- Morrison Field, Florida, c. 23 May 1941 – 4 January 1942
- Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Australia, 2 Feb 1942
- RAAF Base Fairbairn, Canberra, Australia, 16 Feb 1942
- RAAF Base Darwin, Darwin, Australia, 17 April 1942
- Schwimmer Airfield (14 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea, 25 September 1942
- Dobodura Airfield Complex, Dobodura, New Guinea, 15 April 1943
- Tsili Tsili Airfield, New Guinea, 30 Aug 1943
- Gusap Airfield, New Guinea, c. 29 Oct 1943
- Hollandia Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 3 May 1944
- Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 23 Jun 1944
- Tacloban Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 25 Oct 1944
- McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines, 2 Jan 1945
- Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 27 Feb 1945
- Okinawa, 17 Aug 1945
- Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 15 Sep 1945
- Chitose Air Base, Japan, c. 20 Feb 1946
- Misawa Air Base, Japan, 2 Apr 1948
- Ashiya AB, Japan, 30 Jun 1950
- Itazuke AB, Japan, 8 Jul 1950
- Taegu AB(K-2), South Korea, 29 Sep 1950
- Kunsan AB(K-8), South Korea, 1 Apr 1953
- Misawa Air Base, Japan, 4 Nov 1953 – 10 Dec 1957
- Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France, 10 Dec 1957
- Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, 25 Aug 1959 – 15 Jul 1968
- Holloman AForce Base, New Mexico, 15 Jul 1968–16 May 2008; 25 Sept 2009 – 15 July 2011;[8] 4 Aug 2017 – present
- Deployed to: Ramstein AB, West Germany, c. 12 Sep-c. 11 Oct 1970 and 10 Sep – 6 Oct 1971
- Deployed to: Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 12 May – 4 Oct 1972
- Deployed to: Hahn AB, Germany, 3 Mar – 5 Apr 1973 and 5 Sep – 6 Oct 1975
- Deployed to: Ramstein AB, West Germany, 21 September – 20 October 1976 and 22 Aug – 22 Sep 1977[1]
Aircraft
- Seversky P-35, 1941
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1942-1944
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943-1944
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning, 1944-1946
- North American P-51 Mustang, 1946-1949, 1950
- Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, 1948-1951
- Republic F-84 Thunderjet, 1951-1957
- North American F-100 Super Sabre, 1957-1962
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief, 1962-1967
- Republic F-105F Thunderchief, 1962-1967
- McDonnell F-4D Phantom II, 1967-1978
- McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle, 1978-1992
- McDonnell Douglas F-15B Eagle, 1978-1992
- Northrop T-38 Talon, 1992-2008
- Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, 1992-2008
- Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor, 2009-2011[1]
- General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon, 2017–present
References
- Notes
- ^ Aircraft is Lockheed Martin F-22A block 20 serial 04-4077 taken on the afternoon of 21 December 2009.
- ^ Bailey indicates the squadron continued to fly Thunderjets until inactivated.
- ^ Aircraft is North American F-100D Super Sabre serial 56-3206, taken in 1958.
- ^ Aircraft is McDonnell F-4D Phantom II serial 65-590 1970 with squadron "HC" tail code.
- ^ Aircraft is McDonnell F-4D Phantom II serial 66-7739 after changeover to "HO" tail code.
- ^ Aircraft is McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle serial 77-151, taken in 1981.
- ^ Aircraft is Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk serial 86-838. Taken during the US Air and Trade Show at Dayton International Airport, 17 July 2003.
- ^ Aircraft is Lockheed Martin F-22A Block 30 Raptor serial 05-4093.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Bailey, Carl E. (6 January 2009). "8 Fighter Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ a b Ferguson & Pascalis[page needed]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Staff writer, no byline (20 September 2010). "About Us, Fact Sheets: 49th Wing History". 49th Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ Ferguson & Pascali, p. 202
- ^ Martin[page needed]
- ^ a b c Herbert, Adam J. (July 2003). "The Baghdad Strikes". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ Church, Aaron (July 2011). "Bye-Bye, Black Sheep". Air Force Magazine: 15–16. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Ika, Siuta B. (20 May 2011). "8th FS 'Black Sheep' inactivated". 49th Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ "'Black Sheep' reform". Combat Aircraft. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ a b Docherty, Alexis P. (4 August 2017). "8th Fighter Squadron reactivated after six years". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "8th Fighter Squadron" (PDF).
- ^ "8th Fighter Squadron" (PDF).
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Ferguson, S.W.; Pascalis, William K. (1996). Protect & Avenge: The 49th Fighter Group in World War II. Schiffer Military History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0887407501.
- Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military Aviation History. ISBN 0-88740-513-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.