417th Weapons Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 417th Weapons Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
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 the USAF Weapons School
USAF Weapons School
The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 57th Wing. It is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Mission:...
based at Holloman AFB, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It was inactivated on September 14, 2006.
The squadron was originally activated as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. During World War II, the squadron saw action in the European theater, flying both the British Beaufighter and the P-61 Black Widow night fighters. In 1966 the unit transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II and was engaged in combat during the Vietnam War, being part of two combat deployments. In 1989 as the 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, responsible for the replacement training of new F-117A Stealth Fighter pilots.
World War II
Established in February 1943 as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron, assigned to the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, OrlandoOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
Air Base, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for training. The 417th was the first USAAF dedicated night fighter squadron formed. Trained in the Douglas P-70, a modified A-20 Havoc bomber using a U.S. version of the British Mk IV radar. At the time the P-70 was the only American night fighter available.
Reassigned to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
in the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO), May 1943 and equipped with RAF Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s through a "reverse Lend-Lease" program until an American aircraft could be produced. Upon arrival in England the squadron received additional training with Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
night fighter units at several bases in early 1943 achieving the first victory on July 24. Through the summer, they conducted daytime convoy escort and strike missions, but thereafter flew primarily at night.
Was reassigned to Twelfth Air Force, being deployed to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in August 1943. Carried out defensive night patrols over Allied held territory during the North African campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, also conducted night interdiction raids on German positions in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. After German collapse in North Africa, continued defensive patrols and offensive night attacks on Axis positions on Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and in Southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Moved to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, operating from bases in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, and moving into northern Germany in early 1944. Was re-equipped with United States P-61 Black Widow
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
s during the last months of the war, flying night interdictory missions within Germany until V-E Day.
Remained in Germany after the war as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
. Performed occupation duty for over a year, returning to the United States and inactivating in November 1946
Cold War
Reactivated at Clovis AFB, New Mexico in 1953 at a Tactical Fighter Squadron, initially receiving F-51 Mustangs. Upgraded to new F-86 SabreF-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
s, and was deployed to NATO, being stationed at the new Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
, West Germany in August 1953. The aircraft was deployed to Hahn during Operation Fox Able 20. This marked the first mass flight of an entire tactical wing from the U.S. to continental Europe.
At Hahn AB the unti's mission was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons against Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. Its secondary missions were tactical air defense and support for NATO ground forces. Due to the vulnerability of West Germany to Soviet attack, USAF planners did not want their tactical nuclear weapons in locations that could be quickly overrun by Warsaw Pact forces. When construction was completed at Toul-Rosières Air Base
Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
France, the squadron was moved there in July 1956. Disagreements arose concerning atomic storage and custody issues within NATO, resulted in a decision to remove United States Air Force atomic-capable units from French soil. The squadron was moved back to Hahn Air Base in December 1959. Remained in West Germany as a Tactical Fighter Squadron, equipped with the F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
until 1966, upgrading to the F-4C Phantom II in 1967.
Was returned to the United States, being reassigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
as part of a drawdown of forces in West Germany in the summer of 1968. Equipped with the RF-4C Phantom II unarmed reconnaissance version of the Phantom, deploying to NATO several times during Reforger Exercises in West Germany. Reassigned to Holloman AFB, New Mexico in 1970 and re-equipped with F-4E Phantom IIs.
On 4 May 1972, after North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
invaded South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, the squadron deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility. It is located in Central Thailand, approximately 144 miles northwest of Bangkok in Takhli district, Nakhon Sawan Province, near the city of Nakhon Sawan.- Units :...
, Thailand. Engaged in combat operations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
from May–September 1972, to help blunt a strong North Vietnamese offensive. Flew combat sorties in South Vietnam, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
during Operation Linebacker, the bombardment campaign in North Vietnam. 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 and returned to Holloman AFB. Remained at Holloman until 30 April 1977 when inactivated with its host wing converted to the F-15 Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
with new squadrons.
Reactivated on 1 October 1978 as part of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Zweibrücken AB, West Germany. The squadron was activated with a single F-4D aircraft. USAFE planned on equipping the squadron with F-4Es, however, inadequate munitions storage at Zweibrücken compelled the command to reverse its decision and consequently reassigned the 417th TFS without personnel or equipment to the 86th TFW at Ramstein AB on 1 November 1978, being placed in not operational status. Never made operational at Ramstein, the squadron designation was inactivated on 15 September 1987.
Activated at Tonopah Test Range Airport
Tonopah Test Range Airport
Tonopah Test Range Airport , also Senior Trend project site PS-66, is located near the center of the Tonopah Test Range, southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, in October 1989. Was reassigned F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighters from the 4450th Tactical Group
4450th Tactical Group
The 4450th Tactical Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and operationally located at Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. It was inactivated on 5 October 1989.-History:...
4453rd Test and Evaluation Squadron (Z-Unit). Also operated T-38s for pilot transition training (LIFT) to the F-117. Upon reassignment of F-117As to Holloman AFB in 1993, squadron transferred F-117s to 49th Fighter Wing
49th Fighter Wing
The 49th Wing is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 49 WG is part of the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force....
7th FS and inactivated.
Modern era
The Air Force Chief of Staff directed the creation of the F-117 Division, USAF Weapons SchoolUSAF Weapons School
The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 57th Wing. It is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Mission:...
in May 2002 at At Holloman AFB, New Mexico. The initial cadre class began in January 2003, and the validation class began their training in July 2003. On 13 August 2003, the F-117 Division was re-designated as the 417th Weapons Squadron. The 417 WS was a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) of the 57th Wing
57th Wing
The 57th Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy into a combat arena to conduct integrated combat operations.-Mission:The 57...
.
The squadron provided advanced training to F-117A instructor pilots. The course included 26 syllabus sorties, seven simulator missions, four mission planning exercises and more than 400 hours of academics. Inactivated along with F-117 in September 2006.
Lineage
- Constituted as 417th Night Fighter Squadron on February 17, 1943
- Activated on February 20, 1943
- Inactivated on November 9, 1946
- Redesignated as: 417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on November 15, 1952
- Activated on January 1, 1953
- Redesignated as: 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron on July 8, 1958
- Inactivated on April 30, 1977
- Activated on October 1, 1978
- Inactivated on September 15, 1987
- Redesignated as: 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on September 15, 1989
- Activated on October 5, 1989
- Redesignated as: 417th Fighter Squadron on November 1, 1991
- Inactivated on December 1, 1993
- Redesignated as: 417th Weapons Squadron on August 11, 2003
- Activated and organized on August 13, 2003, assuming resources of F-117 Division, USAF Weapons School
- Inactivated September 14, 2006
Assignments
- Air Defense Department, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, 20 Feb 1943
- VIII Fighter CommandVIII Fighter CommandThe VIII Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at RAF Honington, England. It was inactivated on 20 March 1946....
(attached to the RAF), 11 May 1943 - Twelfth Air Force, 8 Aug 1943
- Attached to 2689 Air Defense Region [Prov.], Northwest African Coastal Air Force, 9 Aug 1943
- Attached to 337 Wing, RAF, 3 Jan 1944
- 63d Fighter Wing63d Fighter Wing (World War II)The 63d Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Texas Air National Guard, based at Ellington Field, Texas...
, 27 Apr 1944 - XII Fighter Command, 27 Sep 1944
- Twelfth Air Force, 1 Oct 1944
- 63d Fighter Wing
- Attached to Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force, 3 Oct 1944-24 Mar 1945
- Air echelon attached to 422d Night Fighter Squadron, 6-22 Jan 1945
- 64th Fighter Wing (attached to First Tactical Air Force [Prov.]), 24 Mar 1945
- XII Tactical Air CommandXII Tactical Air CommandThe XII Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Bad Kissingen, Germany...
, 17 May 1945 - 64th Fighter Wing, 26 Jun 1945-9 Nov 1946
- Attached to All Weather Group [Prov.], 64th Fighter Wing, 15 Aug-9 Nov 1946
- 50th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 Jan 1953
- 50th Fighter-Bomber (later, 50th Tactical Fighter) Wing50th Space WingThe 50th Space Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force under the major command of Air Force Space Command . It was activated on 30 January 1992, replacing the 2d Space Wing, which was deactivated on the same date.-Overview:...
, 8 Dec 1957 - Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, 1 Mar 1968 - 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Jul 1968
- Attached to 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Jan-3 Apr 1969 and 11 Sep-9 Oct 1970
- 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Nov 1970-30 Apr 1977
- 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing26th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Zweibrücken Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 31 July 1991.-History:...
, 1 Oct 1978 - 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Nov 1981-15 Sep 1987
- 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, 5 Oct 1989
- 37th Operations Group, 1 Nov 1991
- 49th Operations Group49th Operations GroupThe 49th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 49th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is a part of Air Combat Command ....
, 8 Jul 1992-1 Dec 1993 - USAF Weapons SchoolUSAF Weapons SchoolThe USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 57th Wing. It is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Mission:...
, 13 Aug 2003-14 Sep 2006
Stations
- Orlando ABOrlando Executive AirportOrlando Executive Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Orlando, a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, February 20, 1943 - Kissimmee AAFKissimmee Gateway AirportKissimmee Gateway Airport , formerly known as Kissimmee Municipal Airport, is a public airport in Kissimmee, a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. The airport is located 16 nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Orlando...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, March 5 – April 26, 1943 - RAF Ayr (AAF-570), Scotland, May 12, 1943
- RAF Cranfield (AAF-525), England, May 14, 1943
- Detachment at: RAF Ayr (AAF-570, Scotland, May 14 – June 10, 1943
- Detachment at: RAF UxbridgeRAF UxbridgeRAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its grounds covered originally belonging to the Hillingdon House estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF...
(AAF-409), England, May 14 – June 10, 1943 - Detachment at: RAF ColtishallRAF ColtishallThe former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....
(AAF-355), England, May 14 – June 10, 1943 - Detachment at: RAF Bristol (AAF-473), England, May 14 – June 10, 1943
- Detachment at: RAF ScortonRAF ScortonRAF Scorton was a satellite station of RAF Catterick during World War II. It was located near the village of Scorton in North Yorkshire, England...
(AAF-425), England, May 23 – June 10, 1943- RAF ScortonRAF ScortonRAF Scorton was a satellite station of RAF Catterick during World War II. It was located near the village of Scorton in North Yorkshire, England...
(AAF-425), England, June 10, 1943 - Tafaraoui Airfield, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, August 8, 1943
- RAF Scorton
- Ground echelon at Ghisonaccia Airfield, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, January 7 – February 1944- La Senia Airfield, OranOranOran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
January 10, 1944
- La Senia Airfield, Oran
- Ground echelon at Borgo Airfield, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, February–April 1944- Borgo Airfield, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, c. April 25 – September 7, 1944 - La Vallon AirfieldLa Vallon AirfieldLa Vallon Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in France, which is located approximately 6 km north-northeast of Montbrison ; about 385 km south-southeast of Paria....
(Y-18), France, September 12, 1944
- Borgo Airfield, Corsica
- Air echelon at Florennes Airfield (A-78), Belgium, January 6–22, 1945
- Saint Dizier-Robinson AirfieldSaint-Dizier - Robinson Air BaseSaint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base is a front-line French Air Force fighter base located approximately 4 km west of Saint-Dizier in the Haute-Marne department in northeastern France.-Squadrons assigned:...
(A-64), France, April 5, 1945 - Giebelstadt Airfield (Y-90), Germany, April 24, 1945
- AAF Station Biblis, Germany, May 21, 1945
- Saint Dizier-Robinson Airfield
- AAF Station Braunshard, Germany, June 26, 1945
- AAF Station Kassel/Rothwesten, Germany, August 9, 1945
- AAF Station Fritzlar, Germany, April 10, 1946
- AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, August 20 – November 9, 1946
- Clovis AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, January 1, 1953 - Hahn AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, August 9, 1953 - Toul-Rosières Air BaseToul-Rosieres Air BaseToul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
, France, April 15, 1956 - Ramstein AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, December 1, 1959 – July 15, 1968 - Mountain Home AFB, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, July 15, 1968
- Deployed at Hahn AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, January 15 – April 3, 1969 and September 11 – October 9, 1970- Holloman AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, October 9, 1970 – April 30, 1977
- Holloman AFB, New Mexico
- Deployed at Takhli RTAFB, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, May 10 – September 30, 1972 - Deployed at: Hahn AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, February 3 – March 14, 1973, March 6 – April 5, 1974, October 3 – November 5, 1975, and August 24 – September 26, 1976 - Deployed at: Nellis AFB, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, November 29 – December 19, 1975- Zweibrücken AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, October 1, 1978 - Ramstein AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, November 1, 1978 – September 15, 1987 - Tonopah Test Range AirportTonopah Test Range AirportTonopah Test Range Airport , also Senior Trend project site PS-66, is located near the center of the Tonopah Test Range, southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, October 5, 1989 - Holloman AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, July 1992 – December 1, 1993, August 13, 2003 – September 14, 2006
- Zweibrücken AB, West Germany
Aircraft
- P-70 Havoc, 1943
- Bristol BeaufighterBristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
, 1943–1945 - P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black WidowThe Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
, 1945–1946 - F-51 Mustang, 1953
- F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
, 1953–1958 - F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
, 1958–1966
- F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, 1967–1977, 1978 - F-117 NighthawkF-117 NighthawkThe Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
, 1989–1993 - T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
, 1989–1992 - F-117 NighthawkF-117 NighthawkThe Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
, 2003–2006