![ENJJPT logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Emblem_of_the_Euro-NATO_Joint_Jet_Pilot_Training_Program.png)
The 80th Flying Training Wing is a
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
based out of
Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Educati ...
in
Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. According ...
, Texas.
The 80th FTW is home of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. ENJJPT, established in the spirit of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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 ...
(NATO), is the world's only multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for NATO.
Components
80th Operations Group (80 OG)
: The 80th OG provides operational support, flying training, air traffic control and evaluation of 256 student pilots and 110 instructor pilot candidates, as well as Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals for more than 145 trainees annually. The group oversees seven squadrons – 80th Operations Support Squadron, 88th Fighter Training Squadron, 89th Flying Training Squadron, 90th Flying Training Squadron, 97th Flying Training Squadron, 459th Flying Training Squadron, and 469th Flying Training Squadron – that train and support undergraduate pilots from NATO countries.
*80th Operations Support Squadron (80 OSS)
*
88th Fighter Training Squadron (88 FTS) T-38C Talon
*
89th Flying Training Squadron
The 89th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.
History World War II
The 89th flew combat missions in the C ...
(89 FTS) T-6A Texan II
*
90th Flying Training Squadron (90 FTS) T-38C Talon (Blue/Yellow tail stripe)
*97th Flying Training Squadron (97 FTS)
*
459th Flying Training Squadron
The 459th Flying Training Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron tasked with providing undergraduate flying training for Euro-NATO joint jet pilot candidates. Based at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, the unit draws its lineage from a f ...
(459 FTS) T-6A Texan II
*
469th Flying Training Squadron (469 FTS) T-38C Talon (Green tail stripe)
History
World War II
The 80th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) was constituted on 13 January 1942 and activated in February 1942 under command of Rear Admiral Arron Reitcheck. It was redesignated as the 80th Fighter Group in May 1942. During World War II, the group was the first USAAF unit to be stationed in
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
after the Allied retreat in 1942. During its two years in combat, this group, which called itself the Burma Banshees, kept the supply lines open to China while clearing the way for Allied forces and US Army units such as
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit ''Galahad'', officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the South ...
to sweep Japanese forces from northern Burma.
The 80th trained for combat and served as part of the defense force for the northeastern United States from, 1942–1943. It's flying squadrons were the
88th,
89th, and
90th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadrons. It first trained with the P-47 Thunderbolt and later in the Curtis P-40.
The 80th sailed for
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, via
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, the
Cape of Good Hope, and
Ceylon, in May 1943, commencing combat operations in the
China-Burma-India theater in September 1943. The group supported
Allied ground forces during the battle for northern
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and the push southward to
Rangoon, bombing and strafing troop concentrations, supply dumps, lines of communication,
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
positions, and other objectives.
The 80th was assigned the defense of the Indian terminus of
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 an ...
route, which it carried out by striking Japanese
airfield
An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
s and patrolling Allied air bases to safeguard them from attack. The 80th received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for intercepting a formation of Japanese aircraft, preventing the destruction of a large oil refinery in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, India, on 27 March 1944. Though its primary mission in Burma was the protection of the "Hump" cargo route, the group also played an important role in reopening the Ledo/Burma Road. Using modified, so-called ''B-40'' fighter bombers (the
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...
fitted with a 1,000-pound bomb), the 80th FG attacked Japanese-held bridges, sometimes demolishing their target with a single bomb. By the end of the war, the group had destroyed more than 200 bridges and killed scores of bridge repair crews. Air-to-air and air-to-ground sweeps by the group's pilots claimed 80 enemy planes destroyed in the air or on the ground.
The 80th Fighter Group was withdrawn from combat in May 1945 and inactivated in November.
Flying training
The 3630th Flying Training Wing was activated at
Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Educati ...
on 10 December 1965 to provide pilot training for the
German Air Force. It was discontinued and replaced by the ''80th Flying Training Wing in 1972 as part of an
Air Training Command program to replace its four-digit
Major Command controlled wings with wings that had a combat lineage. Since its reactivation, the wing has provided undergraduate pilot training, initially for USAF, German Air Force, and
Republic of Vietnam Air Force
The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...
students.
Although
Republic of Vietnam Air Force
The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...
pilot training ceased in September 1974, students from other nations continued to train under the security assistance program through April 1980. It also provided USAF rotary-wing pilots' conversion training to fixed-wing aircraft from June 1977 – November 1981. The wing has conducted pilot training and pilot instructor training under the Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program, since October 1981, with participating nations contributing staff and financial support. In January 1994, the 80th began training Euro-NATO pilots in fighter fundamentals, using AT-38 aircraft.
Lineage
; 80th Fighter Group
* Established as the 80 Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 13 January 1942
: Activated on 9 February 1942
: Redesignated 80 Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 15 May 1942
: Inactivated on 3 November 1945
* Consolidated with the 80 Flying Training Wing as the 80 Flying Training Wing on 31 January 1984
[
; 80th Flying Training Wing
* Established as the 80 Flying Training Wing on 23 May 1972
: Activated on 1 January 1973
* Consolidated with the 80 Fighter Group on 31 January 1984][
]
Assignments
* III Interceptor Command (later III Fighter Command), 9 February 1942
* First Air Force, 20 June 1942
* I Fighter Command, 4 July 1942
* New York Air Defense Wing, 11 August 1942 – 10 May 1943
* Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
, 28 June 1943
* American Air Command 1 (later 5320 Air Defense Wing rovisional, September 1943
* Tenth Air Force, 20 June 1944
* Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. 1 August-9 October 1945
* New York Port of Embarkation
The New York Port of Embarkation (NYPOE) was a United States Army command responsible for the movement of troops and supplies from the United States to overseas commands. The command had facilities in New York and New Jersey, roughly covering the ...
, 1–3 November 1945
* Air Training Command, 1 January 1973
* Nineteenth Air Force
The Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF) is an active Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force. During the Cold War it was a component of Tactical Air Command, with a mission of command and control over deployed USAF forces in support of Unit ...
, 1 July 1993 – present[
]
Components
Groups
* 80th Operations Group: 2 January 1998 – present[
Squadrons
* 88 Pursuit Squadron (later 88 Fighter Squadron, 88 Flying Training Squadron): 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973 – 2 January 1998.
* 89th Pursuit Squadron (later 89 Fighter Squadron, 89 Flying Training Squadron): 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973 – 2 January 1998.
* 90 Pursuit Squadron (later 90 Fighter Squadron, 90 Flying Training Squadron): 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973 – 2 January 1998.
* 459 Fighter Squadron (later 459th Flying Training Squadron: 1 September 1943 – 5 November 1945,][ 17 April 2009 – present]
Stations
*Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...
, Michigan, 9 February 1942 – 5 July 1942
*Farmingdale Army Air Field
Republic Airport is a regional airport in East Farmingdale, New York,
located one mile east of Farmingdale village limits.
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation ''reliever airpo ...
, New York 5 July 1942 – 9 March 1943
* Mitchel Field
Mitchell may refer to:
People
*Mitchell (surname)
*Mitchell (given name)
Places Australia
* Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate
* Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst
* Mitchell, Northern Territor ...
, New York, 9 March 1943 – 30 April 1943
* Karachi Airport
Jinnah International Airport ( ur, جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017 ...
, India, 28 June 1943 – October 1943
* Nagaghuli Airfield, India, October 1943 – 29 August 1944
* Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, 29 August 1944 – 20 January 1945
* Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 20 January 1945 – 24 May 1945
* Dudhkundi Airfield, India, 24 May 1945 – 6 October 1945
*Camp Kilmer
Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...
, New Jersey, 1 – 3 November 1945
*Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Educati ...
, Texas, 1 January 1973 – present[
]
Aircraft operated
* Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1942–1945)
*Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...
(1943–1944)
*P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
(1943–1944)
*Cessna T-37 Tweet
The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engined jet trainer type which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force (USAF) and in the air forces of several other nations. The T ...
(1973–2009)
*Northrop T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces.
The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...
(1973 – present)
* Northrop AT-38B Talon (1993–2006)
*T-6A Texan II
The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T ...
(2008 – present)[
]
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
{{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II
Military units and formations in Texas
0080
Military units and formations established in 1972