497th Tactical Fighter Squadron
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The 497th Combat Training Flight is a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...
unit. Its present station is
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
's Paya Lebar Air Base, where its mission is to provide operational and logistical support to U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft deployed to Singapore for training exercises with the
Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...
.


History


World War II

Operational training unit, June 1942 – October 1943; replacement training, October 1943 – April 1944.


Cold War

Air defense of West coast, 1953–1955. Air Defense of Southwest Europe, 1958–1964. In the early 1960s Headquarters,
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...
(USAF) implemented Project Clearwater. Clearwater was designed to return overseas
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpos ...
squadrons stationed overseas to the United States to reduce "gold flow" (adverse balance of payments). This resulted in the 497th being reduced to a paper unit and its planes dispersed to
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...
squadrons in the US. Although it had originally been intended to inactivate the unit, it was instead transferred to
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
as a paper unit.


Vietnam War

Combat in Southeast Asia, 1965–1974; Defense of South Korea, 1974–1988.


Current mission

Combat training in Southeast Asia, 1991–present Approximately three deployments of USAF
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
s and
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
s from both active duty and
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
units from around the world are made each year to Singapore under the auspices of Exercise Commando Sling. The squadron supports/participates in regional exercise and global contingencies, and provides housing; morale, recreation and welfare facilities and programs: medical services; force protection to resources and personnel; and legal, financial, communications, and contracting support to assigned and deployed personnel. The 497th comprises the basic functional elements of a small-scale USAF fighter wing – fighter operations, flightline logistics, community and mission support, and medical services. With a permanently assigned staff of 37 personnel, the 497th represents the entire USAF presence in Singapore. However, six times a year for up to four weeks the unit grows to between 120 and 190 in strength, with the deployment of 6 to 12 F-15 and/or F-16 aircraft and the associated 75 to 150 support personnel. When so configured, the 497th "presence" is transformed into an operational role, to conduct an intense schedule of air-to-air combat training with the
Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...
(RSAF). The 497th also supports USAF fighter rotations to Southwest Asia and several other regional exercises such as Cope Taufan, Cope Tiger, and Cope West. An example of the 497th's "expanding capability" occurred in May 1998 during COMMANDO SLING 98-4 when they also supported the ordered departure of U.S. personnel from Indonesia. Paya Lebar Air Base ramp at that time had 28 USAF F-15s, four USAF Lockheed C-130 Herculeses, four USAF
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpor ...
s, one Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, one
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
, plus all the permanently based RSAF aircraft and aircraft from other nations. All were supported by squadron and RSAF personnel. Additionally, COMMANDO SLING 98-4 was the first time the normally bilateral exercise was expanded to include the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...
s. The 497th commander is also the designated commanding officer for legal jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel in nine Southeast Asian countries. It is a tenant command under Naval Region Singapore and shares space at the Sembawang Terminal with
Task Force 73/Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific Task Force 73/Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific (CTF 73/CLWP) is a U.S. Navy task force of the United States Seventh Fleet. CTF 73/CLWP is the U.S. 7th Fleet's provider of combat-ready logistics, maintaining and operating government-own ...
and a space at Paya Lebar Air Base.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 302d Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 13 January 1942 * Activated on 10 February 1942 : Redesignated 302d Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 July 1942 : Redesignated 497th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 August 1943 * Disbanded on 1 April 1944 * Reconstituted on 3 February 1953 and redesignated 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron * Activated on 18 February 1953 : Redesignated 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 25 July 1964 * Inactivated on 16 September 1974 * Activated on 1 October 1978 * Inactivated on 24 January 1989 : Redesignated 497th Fighter Training Squadron on 28 October 1991 * Activated on 31 October 1991 : Redesignated 497th Combat Training Squadron on 1 August 1994 : Redesignated 497th Combat Training Flight on 26 October 2006Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Robertson, AFHRA Factsheet


Assignments

*
84th Bombardment Group The 84th Combat Sustainment Group is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) group last assigned to the 84th Combat Sustainment Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where it was inactivated in 2010. The group was formed in 1942 as the 84th Bomb ...
(later 84th Fighter-Bomber Group), 10 February 1942 – 1 April 1944 *
503d Air Defense Group The 503d Air Defense Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 25th Air Division of Air Defense Command at Portland International Airport, Oregon. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group ...
, 18 February 1953 * 84th Fighter Group, 18 August 1955 * 65th Air Division, 5 July 1958 * United States Air Forces Europe (attached to 65th Air Division), 1 July 1960 *
32d Tactical Fighter Wing The 32d Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force (USAF). It is assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to activate or inactivate at any time. It was last active as the 32d Air And Space Operations ...
. 18 June 1964 * 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 July 1964 *
831st Air Division The 831st Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Twelfth Air Force at George Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1991. The Ai ...
, 6 December 1965 (attached to
479th Tactical Fighter Wing 479th may refer to: *479th Antisubmarine Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *479th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *479th Field Artillery Brigade (United States), field artillery brigade of the United States Ar ...
) * 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 December 1965 – 16 September 1974 * 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 October 1978 : 51st Composite Wing (later 51st Tactical Fighter Wing), 1 January 1982 – 1 January 1988 *
Thirteenth Air Force The Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (13 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was last headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stat ...
, 31 October 1991 *
36th Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 36th Wing is the host wing for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It is part of Pacific Air Forces' Eleventh Air Force. The 36th Wing provides day-to-day mission support to more than 9,000 military, civilian, dependent ...
, 30 June 2005 *
36th Operations Group The 36th Operations Group (36 OG) is the operational component of the 36th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces. The group is stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The group's World War II predecessor unit, t ...
, 15 March 2006 – present


Stations

* Savannah Air Base, Georgia, 10 February 1942 *
Drew Field Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. The ...
, Florida, 7 February 1943 *
Harding Army Air Field Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport , also known as Ryan Field, is a public use airport located four miles (7 km) north of the central business district of Baton Rouge, a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. The airport wa ...
, Louisiana, 4 October 1943 – 1 April 1944 * Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 18 February 1953 * Geiger Field, Washington, 18 August 1955 * Torrejon Air Base, Spain, 21 June 1958 * George Air Force Base, California, 18 June 1964 * Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 8 December 1965 *
Taegu Air Base Daegu International Airport (Hangul: ; Hanja: ; Revised Romanization: ''Daegu Gukje Gonghang''; McCune-Reischauer: ''Taegu Kukche Konghang'') is the international airport serving the city of Daegu and the surrounding area in the southeast of ...
, South Korea, 1 October 1978 – 24 January 1989 * Paya Lebar Airbase,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, 31 October 1991 – present


Aircraft

* V-72 Vengeance, 1942 *
A-24 Banshee A- or a- may refer to: ;A-hyphen * A- (plane), a U.S. military aircraft prefix * Privative a, a prefix expressing negation * Copulative a, a prefix expressing unification ;A-minus * A−, a blood type in the ABO blood group system * A− (grade) ...
, 1942–1943 *
P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...
, 1943 *
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-bombe ...
, 1943–1944 *
F-94B Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...
, 1953–1954 *
F-89D Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its per ...
, 1954–1955 *
F-86D Sabre Interceptor The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...
, 1955–1960 * Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, 1960–1964 *
F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
, 1964–1988


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * McMullen, Richard F. (1964) "The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962–1964" ADC Historical Study No. 27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000) *


External links


497th Combat Training Squadron on the NRCS website
{{Aerospace Defense Command Flights of the United States Air Force Combat Training 0497 Singapore–United States military relations