322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command stationed at Kingsley Field, Oregon
. It was inactivated on 1 July 1968.
. Flew early-model Republic P-47B Thunderbolts as part of the air defense of New York in the early part of World War II. Became a P-47D Thunderbolt Operational training unit (OTU), being stationed in New England, then reassigned to III Fighter Command and moved to North Carolina in 1943 as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). Inactivated on 1 May 1944 as part of a reorganization of training units.
Reactivated in 1955 at Larson AFB, Washington where the squadron was equipped with F-86D Sabre Interceptors. Was upgraded to the North American F-86L Sabre, an improved version of the F-86D which incorporated the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
, or SAGE computer-controlled direction system for intercepts. The service of the F-86L destined to be quite brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of supersonic interceptors.
Moved to Kingsley Field, Oregon
in 1959 and was re-equipped with new McDonnell F-101B Voodoo supersonic interceptor, and the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. Operated the Voodoos until July 1968, the aircraft being passed along to the Air National Guard
and the squadron inactivated as part of the general drawdown of the ADC active-duty interceptor force.
Note: "Project Arrow" was an Air Defense imitative in 1955 to reactivate and re-designate notable World War II units.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command stationed at Kingsley Field, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It was inactivated on 1 July 1968.
History
Activated in the summer of 1942 as part of I Fighter CommandI Fighter Command
The I Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Mitchel Army Airfield, New York...
. Flew early-model Republic P-47B Thunderbolts as part of the air defense of New York in the early part of World War II. Became a P-47D Thunderbolt Operational training unit (OTU), being stationed in New England, then reassigned to III Fighter Command and moved to North Carolina in 1943 as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). Inactivated on 1 May 1944 as part of a reorganization of training units.
Reactivated in 1955 at Larson AFB, Washington where the squadron was equipped with F-86D Sabre Interceptors. Was upgraded to the North American F-86L Sabre, an improved version of the F-86D which incorporated the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...
, or SAGE computer-controlled direction system for intercepts. The service of the F-86L destined to be quite brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of supersonic interceptors.
Moved to Kingsley Field, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1959 and was re-equipped with new McDonnell F-101B Voodoo supersonic interceptor, and the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. Operated the Voodoos until July 1968, the aircraft being passed along to the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
and the squadron inactivated as part of the general drawdown of the ADC active-duty interceptor force.
Lineage
- Constituted 322d Fighter Squadron on 24 June 1942
- Activated on 19 August 1942
- Disbanded on 10 April 1944
- Reconstituted, and redesignated 322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, on 20 June 1955
- Activated on 18 August 1955, receiving assets from inactivated 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron31st Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...
IAW ADC "Project Arrow". - Inactivated 1 July 1968
Note: "Project Arrow" was an Air Defense imitative in 1955 to reactivate and re-designate notable World War II units.
Assignments
- I Interceptor Command
-
- 326th Fighter Group326th Aeronautical Systems WingThe 326th Aeronautical Systems Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force assigned to the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.-Overview:...
, 19 August 1942 – 10 April 1944- Air Defense Command
- 326th Fighter Group
- 9th Air Division, 18 August 1955
- 4721st Air Defense Group4721st Air Defense GroupThe 4721st Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4700th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Larson Air Force Base, Washington...
, 1 December 1956 - 408th Fighter Group408th Fighter GroupThe 408th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 25th Air Division , based at Kingsley Field, Oregon. It was inactivated on 1 January 1970-History:...
, 1 April 1959 – 1 July 1968
Stations
- Mitchel Field, New York, 19 August 1942
- Bradley FieldBradley International AirportBradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
, ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, 1 September 1942 - Westover Field, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 1 November 1942 - Seymour Johnson Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 13 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 - Larson AFB, Washington, 18 August 1955
- Kingsley Field, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 1 April 1959 – 1 July 1968
Aircraft
- P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
, 1942–1944 - F-86D Sabre Interceptor, 1955–1957
- F-86L Sabre Interceptor (SAGE), 1957–1959
- F-101B Voodoo, 1959–1968