44th Tactical Fighter Squadron

The 44th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force, part of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The 44th Pursuit Squadron was activated on 1 January 1941 and assigned to the 18th Pursuit Group. The 44th Fighter Squadron is equipped with the F-15C/D Eagle.

Mission

The 44 FS operates the F-15C Eagle aircraft conducting air superiority missions.

History

World War II

The 44th Flew patrols over the Pacific from Hawaii from 7 December 1941 – October 1942. It went on to fly combat missions in the South and Southwest Pacific from 21 December 1942 – 15 August 1945.

Vietnam War

It again flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, 19 – 29 October 1965, and 25 April 1967 – 6 October 1970.

The squadron was unmanned from 31 December 1966 – 24 April 1967 and November 1970–15 May 1971.

Japan

It has flown air defense over Okinawa and Japan since 1971.

On 17 January 2006 an F-15C of the squadron crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Okinawa. The pilot ejected and was rescued by an HH-60 of the 33d Rescue Squadron.

The 44th Fighter Squadron was named as the winner of the Raytheon Trophy for 2012.

Taiwan

From 3-30 September 1955, 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron Deployed to Taoyuan Air Base, Taiwan with F-86 Sabre, returning again in 1962-1963 in support of “BLUE SKY” military exercise in Kung Kuan Air Base, Taiwan, equipped F-100 Super Sabre.

The 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron was deployed to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung from 6 November 1972 to 10 April 1975, using F-4 Phantom II to assist Taiwan’s air defense.

2013 Sequestration

Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan.

Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called "basic mission capable" for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013. This affected the 44th Fighter Squadron with a reduction of its flying hours, placing it into a basic mission capable status from 5 April-30 September 2013.

Recent events

On 28 May 2013 an F-15C of the squadron crashed into the ocean off Okinawa. The pilot ejected and was rescued by the Air Rescue Wing Naha Detachment of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

On 11 June 2018 the pilot of another F-15C from the squadron ejected over the sea off Okinawa. This pilot was also rescued by the Air Rescue Wing Naha Detachment of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 44th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 22 November 1940
: Activated on 1 January 1941
: Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
: Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 26 January 1944
: Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 6 May 1946
: Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 23 December 1949
: Redesignated 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950
: Redesignated 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
: Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991

Assignments

* 18th Pursuit Group (later 18 Fighter Group), 1 January 1941
* 318th Fighter Group, 20 October 1942
* South Pacific Area, 1 December 1942
* Thirteenth Air Force, 4 January 1943
* 18 Fighter Group (later 18 Fighter-Bomber Group), 30 March 1943
: Attached to 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing 25 July – 30 November 1950, 6200th Air Base Wing until 30 January 1953, Thirteenth Air Force until 10 November 1954
: Attached to Thirteenth Air Force 11 December 1954 – 4 January 1955, 6200th Air Base Wing until January 1955, Air Task Group Fifth, Provisional until 16 February 1955, 6200th Air Base Wing until 14 July 1955
: Attached to Air Task Force 13, Provisional 3–30 September 1955
: Attached to 314th Air Division 15–18 April 1956
: Attached to 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing after 1 February 1957
* 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 18 Tactical Fighter Wing), 1 October 1957
: Attached to 2d Air Division 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April–23 June 1965, and 19–29 October 1965
* 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 April 1967 (attached to 355th Tactical Fighter Wing after 10 October 1969)
* 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 October 1969
* Thirteenth Air Force, 10 December 1970
* 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 March 1971
: Attached to 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972
: Attached to 327th Air Division, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975
* 18th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 May 1978
* 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 February 1981
* 18th Operations Group, 1 October 1991–present

Stations

* Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 1 January 1941
* Bellows Field, Hawaii, 7 November 1941
* Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 12 December 1941
* Kaneohe Field, Hawaii, 27 December 1941
* Wheeler Field], Hawaii, 25 January 1942
* Bellows Field, Hawaii, 23 June – 23 October 1942
* Bauerfield International Airport, Efate Airfield, New Hebrides 7 November 1942
: Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 20 December 1942 – 20 March 1944
* Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 25 October 1943
: Air echelon operated from Mono Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands, 20 March – 25 April 1944
: Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 11 May – 16 July 1944
* Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 17 July 1944
* Cape Opmarai Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 23 August 1944
: Air echelon operated from Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 7 November 1944 – 16 January 1945
* Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 13 January 1945
* McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines, 26 February 1945
: Air echelon operated from Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 26 April – 13 May 1945
* San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Mindanao, Philippines, 4 May–November 1945
* Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 10 November 1945

* Floridablanca Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 17 July 1946
* Clark Field (later Clark Air Force Base), Luzon, Philippines, 3 October 1947
: Deployed to Yontan Auxiliary Air Base, Okinawa 11 November – 11 December 1954, Taoyuan Air Base Formosa, 27 January – 17 February 1955)
* Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 15 July 1955
: Deployed to Taoyuan Air Base, Formosa, 3–30 September 1955
: Deployed to Pyongtaek Air Base, South Korea, 15–18 April 1956
: Deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, 10–29 October 1965 28 January 1966–8 April 1966
* Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 25 April 1967
: Deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 1–27 February 1969
* Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 10 October 1969 – 15 March 1971
* Kadena Air Base, Okinawa (later Japan), 15 March 1971–present
: Deployed to Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972
: Deployed to: Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975
: Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 1998
: Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, March 2000
: Deployed to Incirlik AB, Turkey, June 2001
: Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, September 2002, Operation Southern Watch
: Deployed to: SW Asia , October 2011 – April 2012
: Deployed to: Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, July 2012 – January 2013
: Deployed to: Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, April 2020 - October 2020

Aircraft

*Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1940–1942, 1943)
*Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1943–1946)
*North American P-51 Mustang (1946–1947, 1948–1950)
*Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1946–1948)
*Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (1946–1947, 1949–1954)

*North American F-86 Sabre (1954–1957)
*North American F-100 Super Sabre (1957–1964)
*Republic F-105 Thunderchief (1963–1970)
*McDonnell F-4 Phantom II (1971–1980)
*McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle (1979–present)

References

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Bibliography

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External links

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{{USAF Pacific Air Forces

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