51st Operations Group
Encyclopedia
The 51st Operations Group (51 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force
51st Fighter Wing
, stationed at Osan Air Base
, South Korea.
The group's World War II
predecessor unit, the 51st Fighter Group. was activated in January 1941, nearly a year before American entered World War II
. It was one of the first groups deployed from the United States after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
, traveling west to India
via Australia and Ceylon. It has never returned to the United States. Later, during the Korean War
, the group's aircraft were some of the first United States Air Force fighters to engage in combat operations over South Korea
, frequently engaging enemy fighters in air-to-air combat.
on 7 December, the 51st served as part of the defense force for the west coast. Operational squadrons of the group were the 16th, 25th, 26th and 449th.
The group was deployed to India
via Australia and Ceylon beginning in January 1942 and arriving in March, serving in the China Burma India Theater of World War II
. It was assigned to Tenth Air Force
and equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. The group defended the Indian terminus of the "Hump" airlift route
over the Himalaya Mountains
between India and China and airfields in that area. The group flew strafing, bombing, reconnaissance, and patrol missions in support of Allied ground troops during a Japanese offensive in northern Burma in 1943.
After moving to China in October 1943 the 51st FG was assigned to the 69th Composite Wing
of Fourteenth Air Force
. The group defended the Chinese end of the Hump route and air bases in the Kunming
area. Attached Japanese shipping in the Red River delta of Indochina
and supported Chinese ground forces in their late 1944 drive along the Salween River
. The group was reequipped with North American P-51D Mustangs in 1945 to defend the eastern end of the route over the Hump, and to guard air bases in the Kunming area.
The 51st Fighter Group returned to India in the fall of 1945 and sailed for the United States in November. The group was inactivated on 13 December 1945.
The group was reactivated at Yontan Air Base Okinawa in 1946 and moved to Naha AB
when Yontan closed in 1947. The group was assigned to the Twentieth Air Force
, 301st Fighter Wing
. The group served as part of the occupation force and provided air defense for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands
until 1950.
With the outbreak of the Korean War
in 1950, elements of the 51st were dispatched first to Japan, then to South Korea
. It entered combat service flying the F-80C Shooting Star on 22 September of that year, when it moved to Itazuke AB, Japan, to support the breakout of the U.S. Eighth Army
from the Pusan Perimeter. For nearly 4 years thereafter, the 51st FIW played a key role in the defense of South Korea despite moving to four different locations within a year and operating under austere conditions.
The wing moved to South Korea in October only to return to Japan in December, leaving combat elements behind. In May 1951, the 51st FIW moved to Suwon AB, southwest of Seoul
, but retained maintenance and supply elements at Tsuiki AB, Japan, to provide rear echelon support. In November 1951 the 51st FIW transitioned to the F-86 Sabre
with two squadrons (16th, 25th), adding a third squadron (26th) the following May.
The group operated a detachment at Suwon AB, Korea, beginning in May 1951, and relocated there in October 1951, with maintenance and supply elements remaining in Japan until August 1954. The wing ceased combat on 27 July 1953. The 51 FIW's war record was impressive. Wing pilots flew more than 45,000 sorties and shot down 312 MiG-15s; this produced 14 air aces including the top ace of the war, Captain Joseph C. McConnell
. The ratio of aerial victories to losses was 10 to 1. Unfortunately, the wing lost 32 pilots to enemy action; however, nine that became prisoners of war were repatriated later.
The group was inactivated on 25 October 1957 when the group's parent wing adapted the Tri-Deputate organization and the operational fighter squadrons were assigned directly to the wing.
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...
51st Fighter Wing
51st Fighter Wing
The 51st Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Osan Air Base, South Korea.The 51st Fighter Wing is under Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force...
, stationed at Osan Air Base
Osan Air Base
Osan Air Base , is a United States Air Force facility located in the Songtan section of Pyeongtaek City, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan City, which is to the north. The base is the home of the Pacific Air Forces' 51st Fighter Wing, and a number of tenant...
, South Korea.
The group's World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
predecessor unit, the 51st Fighter Group. was activated in January 1941, nearly a year before American entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was one of the first groups deployed from the United States after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, traveling west to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
via Australia and Ceylon. It has never returned to the United States. Later, during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the group's aircraft were some of the first United States Air Force fighters to engage in combat operations over South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, frequently engaging enemy fighters in air-to-air combat.
Overview
The 51st Operations Group is the most forward deployed USAF Operations Group in the world, providing combat ready aircraft for the close air support, air strike control, counter air, interdiction, theater airlift, and communications in the defense of the Republic of Korea.Assigned Units
The 51 OG (Tail Code: OS) consists of the following squadrons:- 25th Fighter Squadron25th Fighter SquadronThe 25th Fighter Squadron is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-History:...
"Assam Draggins" (A-10A/C) - 36th Fighter Squadron36th Fighter SquadronThe 36th Fighter Squadron is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-Mission:...
"Fiends" (Block 40 F-16C/D) - 51st Operations Support Squadron (OSS)
World War II
During 1941, trained in the United States for fighter operations. After the Pearl Harbor attackAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December, the 51st served as part of the defense force for the west coast. Operational squadrons of the group were the 16th, 25th, 26th and 449th.
The group was deployed to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
via Australia and Ceylon beginning in January 1942 and arriving in March, serving in the China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
. It was assigned to Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
and equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. The group defended the Indian terminus of the "Hump" airlift route
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
over the Himalaya Mountains
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
between India and China and airfields in that area. The group flew strafing, bombing, reconnaissance, and patrol missions in support of Allied ground troops during a Japanese offensive in northern Burma in 1943.
After moving to China in October 1943 the 51st FG was assigned to the 69th Composite Wing
69th Air Division (United States)
The 69th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Ninth Air Force, being stationed at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania. It was inactivated on 24 June 1949.Activated in China in 1943, the wing engaged...
of Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
. The group defended the Chinese end of the Hump route and air bases in the Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
area. Attached Japanese shipping in the Red River delta of Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
and supported Chinese ground forces in their late 1944 drive along the Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
. The group was reequipped with North American P-51D Mustangs in 1945 to defend the eastern end of the route over the Hump, and to guard air bases in the Kunming area.
The 51st Fighter Group returned to India in the fall of 1945 and sailed for the United States in November. The group was inactivated on 13 December 1945.
The group was reactivated at Yontan Air Base Okinawa in 1946 and moved to Naha AB
Naha Airport
-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
when Yontan closed in 1947. The group was assigned to the Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 301st Fighter Wing
301st Fighter Wing (World War II)
The 301st Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 20 January 1949.-Lineage:...
. The group served as part of the occupation force and provided air defense for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
until 1950.
Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1950, elements of the 51st were dispatched first to Japan, then to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. It entered combat service flying the F-80C Shooting Star on 22 September of that year, when it moved to Itazuke AB, Japan, to support the breakout of the U.S. Eighth Army
U.S. Eighth Army
The Eighth United States Army – often unofficially abbreviated EUSA – is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea.-World War II:...
from the Pusan Perimeter. For nearly 4 years thereafter, the 51st FIW played a key role in the defense of South Korea despite moving to four different locations within a year and operating under austere conditions.
The wing moved to South Korea in October only to return to Japan in December, leaving combat elements behind. In May 1951, the 51st FIW moved to Suwon AB, southwest of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, but retained maintenance and supply elements at Tsuiki AB, Japan, to provide rear echelon support. In November 1951 the 51st FIW transitioned to the F-86 Sabre
F-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...
with two squadrons (16th, 25th), adding a third squadron (26th) the following May.
The group operated a detachment at Suwon AB, Korea, beginning in May 1951, and relocated there in October 1951, with maintenance and supply elements remaining in Japan until August 1954. The wing ceased combat on 27 July 1953. The 51 FIW's war record was impressive. Wing pilots flew more than 45,000 sorties and shot down 312 MiG-15s; this produced 14 air aces including the top ace of the war, Captain Joseph C. McConnell
Joseph C. McConnell
Joseph Christopher McConnell, Jr. was the top American flying ace during the Korean War. A native of Dover, New Hampshire, Captain McConnell was credited with shooting down 16 MiG-15s while flying North American F-86 Sabres with the U.S. Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross...
. The ratio of aerial victories to losses was 10 to 1. Unfortunately, the wing lost 32 pilots to enemy action; however, nine that became prisoners of war were repatriated later.
Cold War
On 1 August 1954, the 51 FIW returned to Naha Air Base to resume air defense coverage of the Ryukyu Islands. Operational squadrons were the 16th, 25th 26th FISs. At the same time, the wing demonstrated its mobility readiness in response to three regional crises.The group was inactivated on 25 October 1957 when the group's parent wing adapted the Tri-Deputate organization and the operational fighter squadrons were assigned directly to the wing.
Modern era
Since 1990, trained and took part in a series of exercises to maintain combat readiness for the air defense of South Korea.Lineage
- Established as 51 Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Redesignated: 51 Pursuit Group (Fighter) on 12 March 1941
- Redesignated: 51 Fighter Group on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 13 December 1945
- Activated on 15 October 1946
- Redesignated: 51 Fighter-Interceptor Group on 1 February 1950
- Inactivated on 25 October 1957
- Redesignated: 51 Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
- Redesignated: 51 Fighter Group on 10 September 1990
- Activated on 1 October 1990
- Redesignated: 51 Operations Group on 7 February 1992.
Assignments
- Southwest Air District (later, 4 Air Force)Fourth Air ForceThe Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
, 15 January 1941 - 9th Pursuit Wing, 2 June 1941
- Attached to 4 Air ForceFourth Air ForceThe Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
until 20 June 1941- IV Bomber CommandIV Bomber CommandThe IV Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at San Francisco, California. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944.-Lineage:...
, 19 September 1941 – January 1942
- IV Bomber Command
- Attached to IV Interceptor Command, 14 October 1941-unkn)
- 10 (later, Tenth) Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, c. 14 March 1942 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 12 September 1943
- 10 (later, Tenth) Air Force
- Attached to Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
until 1 October 1943- 69 Bombardment (later, 69 Composite) Wing, October 1943
- Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 25 August 1945 - Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, September–November 1945
- 301st Fighter Wing, 15 October 1946
- 51 Fighter (later, 51 Fighter-Interceptor) Wing51st Fighter WingThe 51st Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Osan Air Base, South Korea.The 51st Fighter Wing is under Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force...
, 18 August 1948 – 25 October 1957
- Attached to 8 Fighter-Bomber Wing8th Fighter WingThe United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea and is assigned to Seventh Air Force...
, 26 September-12 October 1950 - Attached to Detachment 1, Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 16 August 1954 – 1 March 1955 - Attached to Detachment 1, 313th Air Division313th Air DivisionThe 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa. It was deactivated on 1 October 1991.-History:...
, 1–15 March 1955- 51 Tactical Fighter (later, 51; 51 Fighter) Wing51st Fighter WingThe 51st Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Osan Air Base, South Korea.The 51st Fighter Wing is under Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force...
, 1 October 1990–present
- 51 Tactical Fighter (later, 51; 51 Fighter) Wing
Components
- 4th Fighter Squadron4th Fighter SquadronThe 4th Fighter Squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-History:...
: attached 20 February 1947 – 20 September 1950 - 16 Pursuit (later, 16th Fighter; 16 Fighter-Interceptor) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 7 December 1945 (detached July 1942-19 October 1943); 15 October 1946 – 15 October 1957 (detached 3–28 April 1955, 1 June – 1 July 1955, and 1 July-25 October 1957).
- 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron: 1 October 1990 – 1 October 1993
- 25th Pursuit (later, 25 Fighter; 25 Fighter-Interceptor; 25 Fighter) Squadron25th Fighter SquadronThe 25th Fighter Squadron is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-History:...
: 15 January 1941 – 12 December 1945; 15 October 1946-25 October 1957 (detached 28 April – 1 June 1955 and 1 July-25 October 1957); 1 October 1993–present - 26th Pursuit (later, 26 Fighter; 26 Fighter-Interceptor) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 13 December 1945; 15 October 1946-1 October 1957 (detached 20 September 1950 – 31 July 1954, 10 November-11 December 1954, and 11 July 1955 – 1 October 1957)
- 36th Tactical Fighter (later, 36 Fighter) Squadron36th Fighter SquadronThe 36th Fighter Squadron is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-Mission:...
: 1 October 1990–present - 38th Rescue (later, 38 Rescue Flight) Squadron38th Rescue SquadronThe 38th Rescue Squadron is part of the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It operates various fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft conducting search and rescue missions.-Mission:...
: 1 February 1993 – 15 February 1996. - 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 June 1952 – 14 July 1954.
- 68th Fighter-All Weather Squadron: attached 25 September-9 October 1950
- 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron: attached 25 September-20 December 1950
- 449th Fighter Squadron: 26 August 1943 – 13 December 1945 (detached 26 August-19 October 1943)
Stations
- Hamilton Field, California, 15 January 1941
- March Field, California, 20 June 1941 – 11 January 1942
- Karachi Airport, India, 14 March 1942
- Dinjan AirfieldDinjan AirfieldDinjan Airfield was a World War II airfield, located approximately seven miles northeast of Chabua, in the state of Assam, India.It was abandoned after the war and, though unused, is part of an Indian Air Force base.-History:...
, India, 10 October 1942 - Kunming Airport, China, 2 October 1943
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Undetermined location), September-16 November 1945 - Fort LewisFort LewisJoint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington, 12–13 December 1945 - Yontan AirfieldYontan AirfieldYontan Airfield is a former military airfield on Okinawa, located near the village of Sobe on the Okinawa western coast. It was closed and turned over to the Japanese government in 1972...
, Okinawa, 15 October 1946
- Naha Afld (later, Naha AB)Naha Airport-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
, Okinawa, 22 May 1947 - Itazuke Air Base, Japan, 22 September 1950
- Kimpo Air Base, South Korea, 24 October 1950
- Itazuke Air Base, Japan, 3 January 1951
- Tsuiki Air Base, Japan, 22 January 1951
- Suwon AB, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, 31 July 1951 - Naha ABNaha Airport-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
, Okinawa, 1 August 1954 – 25 October 1957 - Osan AB, South Korea, 1 October 1990–present
Aircraft
- P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1945
- P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1943–1945 - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, 1944–1945 - 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...
, 1946–1947 - F-80 Shooting Star, 1947–1951
- F-61 Black Widow, 1947–1950
- F-82 Twin MustangF-82 Twin MustangThe North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
, 1949–1950
- 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...
, 1951–1957 - F-94 StarfireF-94 StarfireThe Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...
, 1954 - F-16 Falcon, 1990 – present
- OA-10 Thunderbolt II, 1990 – present
- C-12 HuronC-12 HuronThe C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps...
, 1992–2007 - HH-60 Pave HawkHH-60 Pave HawkThe Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a twin turboshaft engine helicopter in service with the United States Air Force. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems program...
, 1993–1995 - A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
, 1998 – present