438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with 507th Fighter Wing, stationed at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1968.
Operational training unit, operated P-39s and P-47s. Inactivated in 1944 with the end of Operational Training of units.
Reactivated in 1955 as an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor squadron, stationed at Kinross (later named Kincheloe AFB), Michigan in April 1953 with F-94B Starfires. In the spring of 1954 it transitioned into F-89D Scorpions and in the summer of 1957 into F-102A Delta Daggers. In May 1960 it received F-106 Delta Dart
s.
The squadron moved to Griffiss AFB, New York in August 1968 and on 30 September 1968 was redesignated the 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
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 507th Fighter Wing, stationed at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1968.
History
Established in early 1943 as a III Fighter CommandIII Fighter Command
The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
Operational training unit, operated P-39s and P-47s. Inactivated in 1944 with the end of Operational Training of units.
Reactivated in 1955 as an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor squadron, stationed at Kinross (later named Kincheloe AFB), Michigan in April 1953 with F-94B Starfires. In the spring of 1954 it transitioned into F-89D Scorpions and in the summer of 1957 into F-102A Delta Daggers. In May 1960 it received F-106 Delta Dart
F-106 Delta Dart
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...
s.
The squadron moved to Griffiss AFB, New York in August 1968 and on 30 September 1968 was redesignated the 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
Lineage
- Constituted 438th Fighter Squadron on 12 February 1943
- Activated on 20 February 1943
- Disbanded on 5 May 1944
- Reconstituted, and redesignated 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, on February 1953
- Activated on 27 April 1953
- Inactivated on 30 September 1968, personnel and equipment redesignated 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Assignments
- 53d Fighter Group, 20 February 1943-1 May 1944
- 534th Air Defense Group534th Air Defense GroupThe 534th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4706th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Kinross Air Force Base, Michigan...
, 27 April 1953 - 507th Fighter Group, 18 August 1955
- 507th Fighter Wing, 1 February 1961-30 September 1968
Stations
- Fort Myers Army Airfield, 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...
, 20 February 1943-1 May 1944 - Kinross (later Kincheloe) AFB, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 27 April 1953 - Griffiss AFB, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 30 August-30 September 1968
Aircraft
- P-39 Aircobra, 1943
- 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...
, 1943–1944 - F-94B Starfire, 1953
- F-89D Scorpion, 1953–1957
- F-102 Delta DaggerF-102 Delta DaggerThe Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
, 1957–1960 - F-106 Delta DartF-106 Delta DartThe Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...
, 1960–1968