527th Space Aggressor Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (527 SAS) is a non-flying United States Air Force
unit assigned to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group
. The 527 SAS is stationed at Schriever Air Force Base
, Colorado, being a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) of the 57 ATG, which is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
The squadron attempts to replicate enemy threats to space-based and space-enabled systems during tests and training exercises. By using Global Positioning System and satellite communications jamming techniques, it provides Air Force, joint and coalition military personnel with an understanding of how to recognize, mitigate, counter and defeat these threats.
The 527 SAS serves to know, teach and replicate a wide array of terrestrial and space threats to the U.S. military's space enablers. The squadron trains the modern warfighter to operate in an environment where critical systems like GPS and SATCOM are interfered with or denied—preparing them for the current and future fights, and guaranteeing U.S. battlefield dominance well into the 21st century.
Was deployed to Twelfth Air Force in North Africa in May 1943, being initially stationed in Algeria. Flying operations began 15 May from Médiouna Airfield
, near Casablanca
, French Morocco
. Moved eastward supporting the Fifth Army with close air support missions. In the North African Campaign, the squadron engaged German positions in Tunisia
In July, initial elements of the squadron moved to Sicily. From the Gela West
airfield, begin flying combat missions, supporting the 1st Division of II Army Corps. On 27 August, the squadron provided air support for the first Allied landings on the European mainland at Salerno
, Italy. On 10 September, three days after the invasion of Salerno, advance echelons of the squadron moved to Sele Airfield
, near the beachhead. Enemy shelling of the beaches caused considerable difficulty during the move, and the 5527th did not fly its first missions until 15 September.
Moved north through Italy during the Italian Campaign, supported Allied forces by attacking enemy lines of communication, troop concentrations and supply areas. In April 1944 the squadron attacked the German Gustav Line. It also attacked rail and road targets and strafed German troop and supply columns during late spring.
The 527th was an active participant in Operation Strangle, the attempt to cut German supply lines prior to the Allied offensive aimed at rail and road networks, and attacking German troop and supply columns. While Strangle did not significantly cut into German supplies, it did disrupt enemy tactical mobility and was a major factor in the Allies’ eventual breakthrough. During this period the 527th received P-40 Warhawks to augment its aging A-36s, but the obsolescent P-40s were only a stopgap measure. The 527th welcomed its first P-47 Thunderbolt
s a few weeks later, on 23 June.
Moved to Corsica
in July 1944. From Poretta Airfield, the squadron flew bombing missions against coastal defenses in direct support of Operation Dragoon
, the Allied invasion of southern France 15 Aug. 1944. Allied forces met little resistance as they moved inland twenty miles in the first twenty-four hours. Once the invasion was completed, the squadron moved back to northern Italy and continued its coastal basing by attacking enemy road and rail networks in northern Italy and, for the first time, flying regular escort missions with heavy bombers. The 527th also conducted armed reconnaissance against the enemy in the Po Valley
region.
The 527th continued combat in northern Italy until February 1945, when it left the Mediterranean Theater and moved to Tantonville Airfield
(Y-1), France, in the Lorraine
region, and operations shifted from targets in the Po Valley to those in southern Germany. The 527th's first mission to Germany – a cause of some excitement – was on 25 Feb. 1945, and by March most missions were flown into Germany against rail lines, roads, supply dumps, enemy installations and airfields. The squadron transferred from Tantonville to Braunshardt Airfield
(R-12), near Darmstadt
, Germany,
The 527th Fighter Squadron flew its final combat mission on 8 May 1945.
Just after the war, the squadron performed military occupation duty in Germany, with personnel demobilizing throughout the summer. The squadron's last personnel were sent back to the United States from AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, on 15 February 1946, with the squadron inactivated as an administrative unit in March.
The squadron was reactivated in the postwar era 20 August 1946 at Nordholz, Germany equipped with surplus P-47 Thunderbolts from storage depots in Europe. Over the next several years, the squadron underwent several redesignations and several station assignments in occupied Germany. In June 1948, the squadron was moved to Neubiberg Air Base
, near Munich
when tensions with the Soviet Union
culminated in the Berlin Blockade
. By 1948, it was obvious that the piston-engine Thunderbolts would be no match for Soviet jet fighters, and in early 1950 the squadron was re-equipped with F-84E Thunderjets for air defense of the Munich area
With the arrival of the jet age in Europe, USAFE wanted to move its units west of the Rhine River, as its bases in the Munich
area were just a few minutes flying time from Soviet Mig-15 bases in Czechoslovakia
. The squadron relocated to a new base, located west of the Rhine River near Kaiserslautern
, West Germany in 1952. Landstuhl Air Base opened for operations on 5 August 1952, and the 527th Fighter Bomber Squadron arrived on 21 Aug..
In April 1953, the 527th completed its move to Landstuhl and was soon reequipped with the F-86F Sabre Jet, the first unit in USAFE to fly the most modern American fighter. The F-86F had been very successful as both a fighter and fighter bomber in the Korean War, and marked a quantum increase in the Wing’s capabilities.
A year later the squadron was redesignated the 527th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and assumed a new mission of air defense for the central European region. For this mission, the squadron was re-equipped with the rocket-armed F-86D Sabre interceptor which provided an all-weather capability
The 527th was inactivated on -8 Feb 1956 due to budget restraints and a reorganization of air defense forces in West Germany by USAFE, with personnel and equipment transferring to the 461st Fighter-Day Squadron.
, England as the 527th Tactical Fighter Training and Aggressor Squadron, becoming the United States Air Forces in Europe
's only aggressor squadron. The 527th began providing aggressor support to European-based combat units in September. Its mission was to train United States Air Forces Europe jet fighter
pilots for air combat with Eastern bloc
adversaries using "Dissimilar Air Combat Training" (DACT)
The squadron was equipped with the Northrup F-5E Tiger II, being originally part of an order of aircraft destined for South Vietnam
. The first batch of eight aircraft were air-freighted into Alconbury on 21 May 1976 on board a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy direct from the production facility at Palmdale, California. Eight more Tigers arrived on 14 June with the final batch of four following ten days later, on 24 June. These aircraft were also airfreighted on board a C-5A. The 527th was fully operational a few months later with the first DACT course commencing in October 1976
The aggressor F-5Es were painted in a variety of colourful camouflage schemes designed to mimic those in use by Warsaw Pact
aircraft. Two-digit Soviet-style nose codes were applied to most aggressor aircraft. These coincided with the last two digits of the serial number. When there was duplication, three digits were used.
International conventions made it necessary for military aircraft to carry their national insignia
, but the star-and-bar national insignia was reduced in size and relocated to a less-conspicuous position on the rear fuselage. The 527th's Aggressor aircraft were among the first to apply the star and bar in toned-down or stencil form, now standard on USAF aircraft.
The 527th Aggressors flew their aircraft in intense turns and other maneuvers as their mission involved intense combat fighter training, often involving high-G turns at supersonic speeds. The Aggressors trained both United States Air Force squadrons in Soviet fighter tactics, but deployed frequently to other NATO airfields, training pilots from Norway to Greece and Turkey, France, West Germany and the Low Countries in combat tactics.
After 12 years of intense flying, in 1988 the fleet of aggressor F-5Es were getting rather worn out as a result of sustained exposure to the rigours of air combat manoeuvring. There were restrictions placed on operations in which pilots were warned not to exceed a certain G-load. Some repair kits had to be devised to overcome these problems, and the estimated cost of repair of the entire fleet was beginning to exceed a billion dollars. In addition, with the appearance of a new generation of Soviet fighters, it became apparent that F-5Es could no longer adequately mimic Warsaw Pact threats.
It was decided to re-equip the squadron with F-16C Fighting Falcons and reassign the squadron to RAF Bentwaters
. In return, the A-10
's at Bentwaters would be reassigned to Alconbury and give the 10th a new Close Air Support (CAS) mission.
After the 527th was reassigned, eight of the lowest-hour F-5E's were transferred to the U.S. Navy
for TOPGUN
/Aggressor training at NAS Miramar
, California in July 1988. The remainder were sent to storage at RAF Kemble
for refurbishing. From there they were sold under the foreign military assistance program to Morocco
and Tunisia
in October 1989. One F-5E was thought to be retained at Alconbury for static display as a gate guard. In reality this is a plastic/fiberglass model with an authentic windscreen and canopy.
The 527th AS flew its last F-5E sortie from Alconbury on 22 June 1988 and personnel and equipment was moved to RAF Bentwaters. The first two of an intended complement of eighteen F-16Cs arrived at Bentwaters on 14 June 1988. These were single examples taken from the 52d Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ramstein AB. The squadron was officially activated on 1 July 1988, with the first four months dedicated to pilot conversion for the new aircraft.
The 527th AS resumed their aggressor role in November 1988 when six McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles from the 36th TFW at Bitburg AB, Germany arrived at Bentwaters for the start of a three-week DACT course. The 527th's complement of aircraft had reached twelve on 16 January 1989 when one more F-16C was delivered from Spangdahlem AB.
However, in 1989 with the collapse of the Warsaw Pact
and a reduction of defense spending, the decision was made to terminate the entire USAF aggressor program. In November 1989 the 527th AS began disposing of its F-16Cs in preparation for deactivation the following year. The first two aircraft to leave were flown to Spangdahlem AB on 29 November 1989. The 527th AS had reassigned its entire fleet of 12 aircraft by mid-1990 and was officially deactivated on 30 September 1990. It was to be the only F-16 unit ever to be based in the United Kingdom.
to Air Combat Command
. The unit now reports to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group
of the 57th Wing
. http://www.af.mil/pressreleases/release.asp?id=123019264
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 assigned to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group
57th Adversary Tactics Group
The 57th Adversary Tactics Group is the flying component of the 57th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
. The 527 SAS is stationed at Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located approximately 10 miles east of Peterson AFB near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States.-Overview:...
, Colorado, being a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) of the 57 ATG, which is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Mission
Its mission is to train US, joint and allied military forces for combat with space-capable adversaries preparing USAF, Joint and Allied Forces for combat through realistic threat replication, training, and feedback through specialized and certified space-capable aggressors. It operates adversary space systems, develops new tactics, techniques and procedures to counter threats, and improves the US military space posture.The squadron attempts to replicate enemy threats to space-based and space-enabled systems during tests and training exercises. By using Global Positioning System and satellite communications jamming techniques, it provides Air Force, joint and coalition military personnel with an understanding of how to recognize, mitigate, counter and defeat these threats.
The 527 SAS serves to know, teach and replicate a wide array of terrestrial and space threats to the U.S. military's space enablers. The squadron trains the modern warfighter to operate in an environment where critical systems like GPS and SATCOM are interfered with or denied—preparing them for the current and future fights, and guaranteeing U.S. battlefield dominance well into the 21st century.
World War II
Initially activated as an A-20 Havoc dive-bomber squadron in the southeast, trained under Third Air Force. Was realigned to an A-24 Banshee fighter-bomber squadron and re-designated from the 312th to 527th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in August 1943.Was deployed to Twelfth Air Force in North Africa in May 1943, being initially stationed in Algeria. Flying operations began 15 May from Médiouna Airfield
Médiouna Airfield
Médiouna Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Morocco, located in the Casablanca area.-History:Established as a French military airfield in French Morocco during the 1920s, after the Fall of France in June, 1940, the reconstituted Vichy Air Force established a military airfield at the...
, near Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
. Moved eastward supporting the Fifth Army with close air support missions. In the North African Campaign, the squadron engaged German positions in 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...
In July, initial elements of the squadron moved to Sicily. From the Gela West
Ponte Olivo Airfield
Ponte Olivo Airfield is an abandoned pre-World War II airport and later wartime military airfield in Sicily, 3 km north of Gela. Its last known use was by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1944 during the Italian Campaign.-History:...
airfield, begin flying combat missions, supporting the 1st Division of II Army Corps. On 27 August, the squadron provided air support for the first Allied landings on the European mainland at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, Italy. On 10 September, three days after the invasion of Salerno, advance echelons of the squadron moved to Sele Airfield
Sele Airfield
Sele Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located approximately15 km northwest of Capaccio in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy...
, near the beachhead. Enemy shelling of the beaches caused considerable difficulty during the move, and the 5527th did not fly its first missions until 15 September.
Moved north through Italy during the Italian Campaign, supported Allied forces by attacking enemy lines of communication, troop concentrations and supply areas. In April 1944 the squadron attacked the German Gustav Line. It also attacked rail and road targets and strafed German troop and supply columns during late spring.
The 527th was an active participant in Operation Strangle, the attempt to cut German supply lines prior to the Allied offensive aimed at rail and road networks, and attacking German troop and supply columns. While Strangle did not significantly cut into German supplies, it did disrupt enemy tactical mobility and was a major factor in the Allies’ eventual breakthrough. During this period the 527th received P-40 Warhawks to augment its aging A-36s, but the obsolescent P-40s were only a stopgap measure. The 527th welcomed its first P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic 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...
s a few weeks later, on 23 June.
Moved to 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....
in July 1944. From Poretta Airfield, the squadron flew bombing missions against coastal defenses in direct support of Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, the Allied invasion of southern France 15 Aug. 1944. Allied forces met little resistance as they moved inland twenty miles in the first twenty-four hours. Once the invasion was completed, the squadron moved back to northern Italy and continued its coastal basing by attacking enemy road and rail networks in northern Italy and, for the first time, flying regular escort missions with heavy bombers. The 527th also conducted armed reconnaissance against the enemy in the Po Valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
region.
The 527th continued combat in northern Italy until February 1945, when it left the Mediterranean Theater and moved to Tantonville Airfield
Tantonville Airfield
Tantonville Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in France, which was located in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle approximately north of Mirecourt and south-southeast of Neuves-Maisons.-History:...
(Y-1), France, in the Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
region, and operations shifted from targets in the Po Valley to those in southern Germany. The 527th's first mission to Germany – a cause of some excitement – was on 25 Feb. 1945, and by March most missions were flown into Germany against rail lines, roads, supply dumps, enemy installations and airfields. The squadron transferred from Tantonville to Braunshardt Airfield
Braunshardt Airfield
Braunshardt Airfield is a former military airfield located in Germany about 1 mile east-southeast of Groß-Gerau into Worfelden district; approximately 275 miles southwest of Berlin.-History:...
(R-12), near Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany,
The 527th Fighter Squadron flew its final combat mission on 8 May 1945.
Just after the war, the squadron performed military occupation duty in Germany, with personnel demobilizing throughout the summer. The squadron's last personnel were sent back to the United States from AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, on 15 February 1946, with the squadron inactivated as an administrative unit in March.
Cold War
Neubiberg Air Base
Neubiberg Air Base is a former German and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany....
, near Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
when tensions with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
culminated in the Berlin Blockade
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...
. By 1948, it was obvious that the piston-engine Thunderbolts would be no match for Soviet jet fighters, and in early 1950 the squadron was re-equipped with F-84E Thunderjets for air defense of the Munich area
With the arrival of the jet age in Europe, USAFE wanted to move its units west of the Rhine River, as its bases in the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
area were just a few minutes flying time from Soviet Mig-15 bases in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. The squadron relocated to a new base, located west of the Rhine River near Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
, West Germany in 1952. Landstuhl Air Base opened for operations on 5 August 1952, and the 527th Fighter Bomber Squadron arrived on 21 Aug..
In April 1953, the 527th completed its move to Landstuhl and was soon reequipped with the F-86F Sabre Jet, the first unit in USAFE to fly the most modern American fighter. The F-86F had been very successful as both a fighter and fighter bomber in the Korean War, and marked a quantum increase in the Wing’s capabilities.
A year later the squadron was redesignated the 527th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and assumed a new mission of air defense for the central European region. For this mission, the squadron was re-equipped with the rocket-armed F-86D Sabre interceptor which provided an all-weather capability
The 527th was inactivated on -8 Feb 1956 due to budget restraints and a reorganization of air defense forces in West Germany by USAFE, with personnel and equipment transferring to the 461st Fighter-Day Squadron.
Aggressor Squadron
In April 1976, the squadron was reactivated at RAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, England as the 527th Tactical Fighter Training and Aggressor Squadron, becoming 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...
's only aggressor squadron. The 527th began providing aggressor support to European-based combat units in September. Its mission was to train United States Air Forces Europe jet fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
pilots for air combat with Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
adversaries using "Dissimilar Air Combat Training" (DACT)
The squadron was equipped with the Northrup F-5E Tiger II, being originally part of an order of aircraft destined for 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 first batch of eight aircraft were air-freighted into Alconbury on 21 May 1976 on board a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy direct from the production facility at Palmdale, California. Eight more Tigers arrived on 14 June with the final batch of four following ten days later, on 24 June. These aircraft were also airfreighted on board a C-5A. The 527th was fully operational a few months later with the first DACT course commencing in October 1976
The aggressor F-5Es were painted in a variety of colourful camouflage schemes designed to mimic those in use by 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...
aircraft. Two-digit Soviet-style nose codes were applied to most aggressor aircraft. These coincided with the last two digits of the serial number. When there was duplication, three digits were used.
International conventions made it necessary for military aircraft to carry their national insignia
Military aircraft insignia
Military aircraft insignia are insignia applied to military aircraft to identify the nation or branch of military service to which the aircraft belongs...
, but the star-and-bar national insignia was reduced in size and relocated to a less-conspicuous position on the rear fuselage. The 527th's Aggressor aircraft were among the first to apply the star and bar in toned-down or stencil form, now standard on USAF aircraft.
The 527th Aggressors flew their aircraft in intense turns and other maneuvers as their mission involved intense combat fighter training, often involving high-G turns at supersonic speeds. The Aggressors trained both United States Air Force squadrons in Soviet fighter tactics, but deployed frequently to other NATO airfields, training pilots from Norway to Greece and Turkey, France, West Germany and the Low Countries in combat tactics.
After 12 years of intense flying, in 1988 the fleet of aggressor F-5Es were getting rather worn out as a result of sustained exposure to the rigours of air combat manoeuvring. There were restrictions placed on operations in which pilots were warned not to exceed a certain G-load. Some repair kits had to be devised to overcome these problems, and the estimated cost of repair of the entire fleet was beginning to exceed a billion dollars. In addition, with the appearance of a new generation of Soviet fighters, it became apparent that F-5Es could no longer adequately mimic Warsaw Pact threats.
It was decided to re-equip the squadron with F-16C Fighting Falcons and reassign the squadron to RAF Bentwaters
RAF Bentwaters
RAF Bentwaters, now known as Bentwaters Parks, is a former Royal Air Force station about 80 miles NE of London, 10 miles ENE of Ipswich, near Woodbridge, Suffolk in England...
. In return, the A-10
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The 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,...
's at Bentwaters would be reassigned to Alconbury and give the 10th a new Close Air Support (CAS) mission.
After the 527th was reassigned, eight of the lowest-hour F-5E's were transferred to the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for TOPGUN
United States Navy Fighter Weapons School
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program , more popularly known as TOPGUN, is the modern-day evolution of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School which was originally established on March 3, 1969 at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in California...
/Aggressor training at NAS Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , formerly Naval Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force...
, California in July 1988. The remainder were sent to storage at RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there...
for refurbishing. From there they were sold under the foreign military assistance program to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
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...
in October 1989. One F-5E was thought to be retained at Alconbury for static display as a gate guard. In reality this is a plastic/fiberglass model with an authentic windscreen and canopy.
The 527th AS flew its last F-5E sortie from Alconbury on 22 June 1988 and personnel and equipment was moved to RAF Bentwaters. The first two of an intended complement of eighteen F-16Cs arrived at Bentwaters on 14 June 1988. These were single examples taken from the 52d Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ramstein AB. The squadron was officially activated on 1 July 1988, with the first four months dedicated to pilot conversion for the new aircraft.
The 527th AS resumed their aggressor role in November 1988 when six McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles from the 36th TFW at Bitburg AB, Germany arrived at Bentwaters for the start of a three-week DACT course. The 527th's complement of aircraft had reached twelve on 16 January 1989 when one more F-16C was delivered from Spangdahlem AB.
However, in 1989 with the collapse of the 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...
and a reduction of defense spending, the decision was made to terminate the entire USAF aggressor program. In November 1989 the 527th AS began disposing of its F-16Cs in preparation for deactivation the following year. The first two aircraft to leave were flown to Spangdahlem AB on 29 November 1989. The 527th AS had reassigned its entire fleet of 12 aircraft by mid-1990 and was officially deactivated on 30 September 1990. It was to be the only F-16 unit ever to be based in the United Kingdom.
Modern era
The 527th was not activated again until 29 September 2000 when it became the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron. On 14 April 2006 the squadron moved from under Air Force Space CommandAir Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
to Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
. The unit now reports to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group
57th Adversary Tactics Group
The 57th Adversary Tactics Group is the flying component of the 57th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
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...
. http://www.af.mil/pressreleases/release.asp?id=123019264
Lineage
- Constituted 312th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 13 Jan 1942
- Activated on 10 Feb 1942
- Re-designated: 312th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 3 Sep 1942
- Re-designated: 527th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 23 Aug 1943
- Re-designated: 527th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 30 May 1944
- Inactivated on 31 Mar 1946
- Activated on 20 Aug 1946
- Re-designated: 527th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 Jan 1950
- Re-designated: 527th Fighter-Day Squadron on 8 Oct 1954
- Inactivated on 8 Feb 1956
- Re-designated 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron on 29 Sep 1975
- Activated on 1 Apr 1976
- Re-designated 527th Aggressor Squadron on 15 Apr 1983
- Inactivated on 30 Sep 1990
- Re-designated 527th Space Aggressor Squadron on 29 Sep 2000
- Activated on 23 Oct 2000.
Assignments
- 86th Bombardment (later 86th Fighter-Bomber, 86th Fighter) Group86th Operations GroupThe 86th Operations Group is the flying operational component of the 86th Airlift Wing. The group is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 10 Feb 1942-31 Mar 1946 - 86th Fighter Group, 20 Aug 1946
- United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe 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...
, 15 May 1947 - 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...
, 25 Jun 1947 - United States Air Forces in Europe, 30 Dec 1947
- 86th Fighter (later, 86th Fighter-Bomber, 86th Fighter-Interceptor) Group86th Operations GroupThe 86th Operations Group is the flying operational component of the 86th Airlift Wing. The group is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 25 Jan 1948-8 Feb 1956 - 10th Tactical Reconnaissance (later, 10th Tactical Fighter) Wing10th Air Base WingThe 10th Air Base Wing is a non-flying United States Air Force unit that is the host wing for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Components:...
, 1 Apr 1976 - 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, 14 Jul 1988-30 Sep 1990
- Space Warfare Center, 23 Oct 2000
- 57th Adversary Tactics Group57th Adversary Tactics GroupThe 57th Adversary Tactics Group is the flying component of the 57th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
, 14 Apr 2006–Present
Stations
- Will Rogers Field, OK, 10 Feb 1942
- Hunter Field, GA, 15 Jun 1942
- Key FieldKey fieldA key field is a field or set of fields of a database table which together form a unique identifier for a database record . The aggregate of these fields is usually referred to simply as "the key". Key fields also define searches...
, MS, c. 7 Aug 1942-19 Mar 1943 - Oran Es Sénia AirportOran Es Sénia AirportOran Es Sénia Airport is an airport located 4.7 nm south of Oran, near Es Sénia, in Algeria.-History:During World War II, La Sénia Airport was first used by the French Air Force as a military airfield, first by the Armée de l'Air, and after June 1940, by the Armistice Air Force of the Vichy...
, Algeria, 11 May 1943 - Marnia AirfieldMarnia AirfieldMarnia Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Morocco, located approximately 9 km west of Tangier and 37 km north-northeast of Asilah.-History:...
, French Morocco, 15 May 1943 - Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 11 Jun 1943
- Korba AirfieldKorba AirfieldKorba Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, located about 3 km west of Hamadet Bir Messaouda in Nabul provience; 13 km north of Korbra, and 60 km east-southeast of Tunis....
, Tunisia, 1 Jul 1943 - Gela West Landing Ground, Sicily, 20 Jul 1943
- Barcelona Landing GroundBarcelona Landing GroundBarcelona Landing Ground is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Sicily, located in the southwestern suburbs of Milazzo. It was a temporary field built by the Army Corps of Engineers used as part of the Invasion of Italy in August 1943....
, Sicily, 27 Aug 1943 - Sele AirfieldSele AirfieldSele Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located approximately15 km northwest of Capaccio in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy...
, Italy, c. 16 Sep 1943 - Serretella AirfieldSerretella AirfieldSerretella Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located in the vicinity of Battipaglia in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy...
, Italy, c. 11 Oct 1943 - Pomigliano AirfieldPomigliano AirfieldPomigliano Airfield was a military airfield and base in Pomigliano d'Arco, southern Italy. It was attacked on several occasions by the United States Army Air Force...
, Italy, c. 20 Oct 1943 - Marcianise AirfieldMarcianise AirfieldMarcianise Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located approximately 10 km north-northwest of Marcianise in the province of Caserta, Campania; about 32 km north-northwest of Naples...
, Italy, 30 Apr 1944 - Rome Ciampino Airport, Italy, 12 Jun 1944
- Orbetello AirfieldOrbetello AirfieldOrbetello Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Central Italy, which is located approximately 5 km north-northeast of Orbetello in the province of Grosseto...
, Italy, c. 19 Jun 1944 - Poretta Airfield, Corsica, c. 12 Jul 1944
- Grossetto AirfieldGrossetto AirportGrosseto Airport is an airport in central Italy, located west of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany.Although it is classified as a "joint use" facility, Grosseto Air Base is primarily an Italian Air Force Base, home of the 4th Stormo, equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon...
, Italy, c. 17 Sep 1944 - Pisa Airport, Italy, c. 26 Oct 1944
- Tatonville Airfield (Y-1), France, c. 23 Feb 1945
- Braunshardt AirfieldBraunshardt AirfieldBraunshardt Airfield is a former military airfield located in Germany about 1 mile east-southeast of Groß-Gerau into Worfelden district; approximately 275 miles southwest of Berlin.-History:...
(Y-72), Germany, 17 Apr 1945 - AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, 20 Sep 1945-15 Feb 1946
- Bolling Field, DC, 15 Feb-31 Mar 1946
- AAF Station Nordholz, Germany, 20 Aug 1946
- AAF Station Lechfeld, Germany, c. 1 Dec 1946
- AAF Station Bad Kissingen, Germany, 5 Mar-25 Jun 1947
- Langley Field, VA, 25 Jun-30 Dec1947
- Neubiberg AB, Germany, 30 Dec 1947
- Landstuhl AB, Germany, 1 Aug 1952-8 Feb 1956
- RAF AlconburyRAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, England, 1 Apr 1976 - RAF BentwatersRAF BentwatersRAF Bentwaters, now known as Bentwaters Parks, is a former Royal Air Force station about 80 miles NE of London, 10 miles ENE of Ipswich, near Woodbridge, Suffolk in England...
, England, 14 Jul 1988-30 Sep 1990 - Schriever AFB, CO, 23 Oct 2000–Present
Aircraft
- A-20 Havoc, 1942
- A-24 Banshee, 1942
- A-31, 1942
- A-36 Apache, 1942–1944
- P-40 Warhawk, 1944
- P (later, F)-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1946, 1946–1947, 1948–1950
- F-84 ThunderjetF-84 ThunderjetThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
, 1950–1953 - 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...
, 1953–1956 - F-5 Tiger II, 1976–1988
- F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, 1988-1990.