302d Fighter Squadron

302d Fighter Squadron
302d Fighter Squadron Patch
Active	13 October 1942 – 6 March 1945 8 October 1956 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Fighter
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command Tenth Air Force 477th Fighter Group
Garrison/HQ	Elmendorf Air Force Base
Decorations	AFOUA

USAF F-16D block 32 #87-0381 assigned to the 944th FW taxis onto the runway at Luke AFB to commence another training mission. This F-16 was assigned to the United States Air Force Demonstration Team (Thunderbirds) between 1992 and 1999.

The 302d Fighter Squadron (302 FS) is part of the Air Force Reserve Command's 477th Fighter Group at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor conducting an air superiority mission.

Mission

The 302d Fighter Squadron trains in the fighter missions of offensive counter-air (OCA), defensive counter-air (DCA) and suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD)], as well as strategic attack and interdiction.

History

The 302d was one of four African-American fighter squadrons to enter combat during World War II. It saw combat in the European Theater of Operations and Mediterranean Theater of Operations from 17 February 1944 – 20 February 1945.

From 1956-1974, the squadron was assigned to the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) where it trained for and performed search and rescue (SAR) in addition to medical air evacuation missions, mainly in the southwestern United States.

In 1974, its mission changed to training for a combat SAR (CSAR) role, while continuing to perform traditional humanitarian/non-combat search and rescue. The squadron's mission changed again in 1987 to a fighter role, training for counterair, interdiction, and close air support missions.

The unit that had been the 302d was reflagged as the 71st Special Operations Squadron and physically relocated to Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. Concurrently, a new AFRES fighter squadron was established at Luke AFB, AZ and took over the 302d lineage as the 302d Tactical Fighter Squadron. With the transition of AFRES to Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), the squadron deployed several times since late 1992 to Turkey to help enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq and to Italy to support UN air operations in the Balkans.^[1]

In 2007, the squadron relocated from Luke AFB to Elmendorf AFB, AK and transitioned from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the F-22 Raptor, which it operates as an Associate AFRC unit the active duty Air Force's 3rd Wing (3 WG).

Operations^[1]

Lineage^[1]

302d Fighter Squadron (1942–1944)
302d Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1944–1956)
302d Air Rescue Squadron (1956–1966)
302d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (1966–1974)
302d Special Operations Squadron (1974–1987)
302d Tactical Fighter Squadron (1987–1992)
302d Fighter Squadron (1992 – present)

Assignments^[1]

332d Fighter Group (1942–1945)
2348th Air Reserve Flying Center (1956–1960)
Fourth Air Force (1960)
6th Air Force Reserve Region (1960–1969)
Western Air Force Reserve Region (1969–1976)
Tenth Air Force (1976–1983)
Fourth Air Force (1983–1987)
944th Fighter Wing (1987–2007)
477th Fighter Group (2007 – present)

Bases stationed^[1]

Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama (1942–1943)
Selfridge Field, Michigan (1943)
Oscoda Army Air Field, Michigan (1943–1944)
Taranto, Italy (1944)
Montecorvino, Italy (1944)

Capodichino, Italy (1944)
Ramitelli, Italy (1944–1945)
Williams Air Force Base, Arizona (1956–1960)
Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1960–2007)
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska (2007 – present)

Aircraft operated^[1]

Bell P-39 Airacobra (1943–1944)
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1943)
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1944)
North American P-51 Mustang (1944–1945)
Grumman HU-16 Albatross (1956–1971)
HH-34 Choctaw (1971–1974)
CH-3 Sea King (1974–1987)
HH-3 Jolly Green Giant (1985–1987)
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (1987–2007)
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (2007 – present)

References

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 AFHRA 302 FS Page

Bibliography

AFHRA 302d Fighter Squadron History

Fictional films	The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) Hart's War (2002) Red Tails (2012)

Documentaries	Silver Wings and Civil Rights: The Fight to Fly (2004) Red Tail Reborn (2007) Flight of the Red Tail (2009) In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen (2012) Double Victory (2012)

Other	Henry Browne, Farmer Wings for This Man "Wingmen" (The Boondocks episode) Black Eagle (Wild Cards character)

Legacy

Other

See also

Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)

Air Forces

Bases

Command

Air Reserve Personnel Center

Wings/Groups

Air Refueling	434th 459th 507th 916th 939th 940th

Airlift	94th 302d 315th 433d 439th 440th 445th 446th 512th 908th 910th 911th 914th 927th 932d 934th

Fighter	301st 414th 419th 442d 476th 477th 482d 944th

other	310th Space 349th Air Mobility 403d 452d Air Mobility 514th Air Mobility 307th Bomb 919th Special Operations 920th Rescue

United States Air Force

Leadership

Structure

Commands	Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations

Direct Reporting Units	District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy

Major Commands	Air Combat Air Education and Training Air Mobility Global Strike Materiel Reserve Space Special Operations Europe & Africa Pacific

Numbered Air Forces	First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Fourteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second Twenty-Third Twenty-Fourth Twenty-Fifth

Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security forces Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol

Personnel and
training

Uniforms and
equipment

History and
traditions

Category
Portal

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/18/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.