The 494th Fighter Squadron (494th FS), nicknamed ''the Panthers'', is part of the
48th Fighter Wing
The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE). It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only F ...
at
RAF Lakenheath
Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon.
Despite being an RAF sta ...
, United Kingdom, where they operate the
McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.
Mission
The 494th FS is a combat-ready
McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle squadron capable of executing
strategic attack, interdiction, and counter air missions in support of
United States Air Forces in Europe
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
,
United States European Command
The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...
, and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
operations. It employs the full array of air superiority and surface attack munitions to include the most advanced precision-guided weapons in the USAF inventory. The squadron is capable of deploying to any theater of operations in the world.
History
World War II
Activated as a Southeastern Air District
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
training squadron, equipped with a variety of second-line aircraft, both single and twin engine, preparing its pilots and maintenance crews for eventual combat. After the
Pearl Harbor Attack
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...
, the squadron flew
antisubmarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
patrols from, March–April 1942. Resumed aircrew training, many of the group's members went on to serve in squadrons stationed in Europe and the Pacific theaters.
Eventually coming under the AAF
III Fighter Command in 1944, trained replacement pilots with
P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...
s, Converted in January 1944 to an operational fighter squadron with the end of RTU training. Deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), being assigned to the
IX Fighter Command
The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, wheret was inactivated on 16 November 1945.
IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fighter ...
in England, March 1944.
Almost immediately after their arrival, the squadron began a rigorous training program, flying dive-bombing, glide bombing, night flying, low-level navigation, smoke laying, reconnaissance, and patrol convoy sorties. Over the next two months, the number of sorties steadily increased and the squadron flew its first combat mission on 20 April 1944—an uneventful fighter sweep of the occupied French coast.
Assisted the Normandy invasion by dropping bombs on bridges and gun positions, attacking rail lines and trains, and providing visual reconnaissance reports. Moved to France in mid-June 1944, supporting ground operations of Allied forces moving east across northern France throughout the war: primarily providing support for the
United States First Army
First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Korea ...
. Eventually was stationed in Occupied Germany on V-E Day.
On 5 July 1945, the squadron arrived in
Laon, France. After a few weeks back in France the squadron received orders to return to the US. With many of the members separating at port, those remaining set up the headquarters at
Seymour Johnson Field
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, and was programmed for deployment to
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
to take part in planned
Invasion of Japan. Training discontinued after
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the sudden end of the
Pacific War.
Two months later on 7 November 1945, the squadron inactivated as part of the massive postwar draw down.
Cold War
![F-86f-35-na-53-1222-494th-1955](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/F-86f-35-na-53-1222-494th-1955.jpg)
Reactivated in 1952 as a
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Fighter-Bomber squadron assigned to France. Equipped initially with
F-84G Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
s, upgraded in 1954 to
F-86F Sabre aircraft. conducted operational readiness exercises and tactical evaluations. Honing bombing and gunnery skills. The squadron frequently deployed to
Wheelus AB
Wheelus Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in British-occupied Libya and the Kingdom of Libya from 1943 to 1970. At one time it was the largest US military facility outside the US. It had an area of on the coast of Tripoli. T ...
, Libya for training.
![F-100d-54-2222-wc-48tfw-chm-1957](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/F-100d-54-2222-wc-48tfw-chm-1957.jpg)
Then in late 1956 the squadron upgraded to the
F-100D Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of US ...
. However the nuclear-weapon capable F-100 caused disagreements with France concerning atomic storage and custody issues within NATO, resulting in a decision to remove Air Force atomic-capable units from French soil. On 15 January 1960, the squadron and its host 48th TFW moved to
RAF Lakenheath
Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon.
Despite being an RAF sta ...
, UK.
Between 1960 and 1972 the squadron's F-100 fleet maintained its readiness by participating in a number of USAFE and NATO exercises training to react to possible aggression from the Soviet Union. They underwent a series of NATO tactical evaluations. The squadron conducted several deployments to Turkey, Italy, Spain, and across the United Kingdom.
![494th Fighter-Bomber Squadron - McDonnell F-4D-29-MC Phantom - 66-7502](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/494th_Fighter-Bomber_Squadron_-_McDonnell_F-4D-29-MC_Phantom_-_66-7502.jpg)
Beginning in late 1971 the squadron started its conversion to the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, with the aircraft being transferred from the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters. The conversion to the F-4D took several years, with the last F-100 departing in August 1974. With the arrival of the Phantoms, the F-4s adopted a common tail code of "LK". This tail code lasted only a few months as in July and August 1972 the 48th TFW further recoded to "LN".
The F-4's service with squadron was short as operation "Ready Switch" transferred the F-4D assets to the 474th TFW at Nellis AFB Nevada. The 474th sent their General Dynamics F-111As to the 347th TFW at Mountain Home AFB Idaho, and the 347th sent their F-111Fs to Lakenheath in early 1977. Unlike the previous F-4 transition, the F-111 change took place quickly and without any significant problems. Almost immediately after changing aircraft, the squadron began a series of monthly exercises and deployments that took the Liberty Wing to Italy, Iran, Greece, and Pakistan.
![494th Tactical Fighter Squadron - General Dynamics F-111F - 74-0184](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/494th_Tactical_Fighter_Squadron_-_General_Dynamics_F-111F_-_74-0184.jpg)
The 494th also participated in
Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, consisted of air strikes by the United States against Libya on Tuesday 15 April 1986. The attack was carried out by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy and U.S. M ...
, the air raid on Tripoli, Libya on 14 and 15 April 1986. It flew combat missions in
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
from, January–February 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm.
[
]
Modern era
In the midst of the organizational changes, the squadron switched aircraft again, exchanging the F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...
s for the F-15E
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relyin ...
Strike Eagle in early February 1992. The Strike Eagle represented a change from a strictly ground attack role to a dual role mission for the 494th: air interdiction
Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of ...
and air superiority.
The squadron participated in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya in March 2011, along with numerous deployments to Southwest Asia supporting Air Expeditionary units as part of the ongoing Global War on Terrorism as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).[
When squadron components are the primary force provider deploying to support Air Expeditionary operations the provisional unit is designated as the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
In spring of 2019, the 494th Fighter Squadron was announced as the recipient of the 2018 Raytheon Trophy. The squadron received the 66-year-old trophy, a servicewide award sponsored by defense contractor Raytheon, for its overall performance and in recognition of its six-month deployment to the Middle East.
]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 57th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940
: Activated on 15 January 1941
: Redesignated 57th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 28 August 1942
: Redesignated 494th Fighter Bomber Squadron on 10 August 1943
: Redesignated 494th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 30 May 1944
: Inactivated on 7 November 1945
* Redesignated 494th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 June 1952
: Activated on 10 July 1952
: Redesignated 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958
: Redesignated 494th Fighter Squadron on 30 November 1991[
]
Assignments
* 48th Bombardment Group (later 48th Fighter-Bomber Group, 48 Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 – 7 November 1945
* 48th Fighter-Bomber Group, 10 July 1952
* 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing
The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE). It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only F ...
(later 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, 48th Fighter Wing), 8 December 1957
: Attached to 48th Fighter Wing rovisional 2 September 1990 – 15 March 1991
: Attached to 7440th Composite Wing, September–December 1991
* 48th Operations Group, 31 March 1992 – present[
]
Stations
* Savannah Army Air Base
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia.
Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet (3,468 m) long and an Airpor ...
, Georgia, 15 January 1941
* Will Rogers Field
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Oklahoma, 23 May 1941
* Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia, 7 February 1942
* Key Field
Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...
, Mississippi, 28 June 1942
* William Northern Field, Tennessee, 15 August 1943
* Walterboro Army Air Field, South Carolina, 27 January – 13 March 1944
* RAF Ibsley (Station 347), England, 29 March 1944
* Deux Jumeaux Airfield (A-4), France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, 4 July 1944
* Vélizy-Villacoublay
Vélizy-Villacoublay () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the center and east of Versailles. Its inhabitants are called Véliziens.
...
(A-42),[Airfield numbers in Johnson.] France, 29 August 1944
* Cambrai/Niergnies Airfield (A-74),[ France (1944)
* Sint-Truiden Airfield (A-92),][ Belgium, 15 September 1944
* Kelz Airfield (Y-54),][ Germany, 26 March 1945
* ]Kassel-Rothwestern Airfield
Kassel-Rothwesten Airfield is a former military airfield located in Rothwesten, a part of Fuldatal in Germany about north-northeast of Kassel (Hessen); approximately southwest of Berlin.
Then known as ''Fliegerhorst Kassel'', the facility w ...
(R-12),[ Germany, c. 17 April 1945
* Illesheim Airfield (R-10),][ Germany, 29 April 1945
* ]Laon
Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
History
Early history
The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...
, France, 5 July–August 1945
* Seymour Johnson Field
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...
, North Carolina, 9 September – 7 November 1945
* Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France, 10 July 1952
* RAF Lakenheath
Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon.
Despite being an RAF sta ...
, England, 15 January 1960 – present
: Deployed to: Ta’if
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat ...
, Saudi Arabia, 2 September 1990 – 15 March 1991
: Deployed to: Incirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of ...
, Turkey, September–December 1991
: Deployed to: Aviano Aviano ( fur, Davian; cim, Pleif) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pordenone at the foot of the Dolomites mountain range in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy.
Aviano is home to the C.R.O. (Oncological Referral Center), a cancer rese ...
, Italy, 48 EFW alongside Triple Nickel 555th F-16 squadron, March–June 1999[Station information in Dollman, except as noted.]
Aircraft
[
]
Operations
* World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
* Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, consisted of air strikes by the United States against Libya on Tuesday 15 April 1986. The attack was carried out by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy and U.S. M ...
* Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
* Operation Allied Force
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
* Operation Enduring Freedom
* Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Operation Odyssey Dawn
* Operation Inherent Resolve[
]
See also
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
;Further reading
*
* McAuliffe, Jerome J. ''U.S. Air Force in France, 1950–1967''. 2005.
*
*
External links
48th Operations Group Fact Sheet
{{USAF Bases in the UK
494
__NOTOC__
Year 494 ( CDXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Praesidius (or, less frequently, year 1247 ...
Fighter squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces