The 8th Operations Group (8 OG) is the operational flying component of the

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 Si ...

8th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at

Kunsan Air Base Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan (also romanized as Kunsan), about south of Seoul. ...

, South Korea, and is a part of

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

(PACAF). The group is a direct successor organization of the 8th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II. During World War II, the unit operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as part of

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...

. When the unit arrived in

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, in April 1942, three squadrons were assigned: the 35th, 36th and 80th Pursuit Squadrons. Since fighting became the new objective, the unit took on the new designation of the 8th Fighter Group. During the course of World War II in the Pacific, the 8th participated in battles in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, Nadaab, Owi, Zamboanga, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Minadoro,

Ie Shima , previously romanized in English as Ie Shima, is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa Island. The island measures in circumference and covers . As of December 2012 the island had ...

and Japan. The Group participated in nine campaigns and received two

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

s. The 8th spawned twenty-seven "Aces" and accounted for destroying 449 enemy aircraft during World War II. During the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, the group was the first USAF air unit committed to combat, first jet unit, first unit to shoot down an enemy airplane, first to fly 255 sorties in one day, first to fly 50,000 sorties in jet warfare, first to fly 60,000 sorties, and first to fly 291 sorties in a single day. The Group added eleven streamers to their flag, two Republic of Korea citations, and another Distinguished Unit Citation.

Overview

The 8 OG is a combat-ready fighter group composed of two deployable Lockheed F-16CJ fighter squadrons (Tail Code: WP), and one operational support squadron. The group is assigned the following squadrons: * 35th Fighter Squadron (Blue tail stripe) "Pantons" * 80th Fighter Squadron (Yellow tail stripe) "Juvats" The squadrons conduct interdiction, close air support, counter air, air superiority, and suppression of enemy air defense missions

Heraldry

The group's emblem, approved in 1934, is a simple chevron in the stylized shape of clouds.

History

: ''For additional history and lineage, see 8th Fighter Wing''

Origins

The 8th Operations Group's origins go back to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, when the 33rd, 35th and 36th Aero Squadrons were activated in 1917 at Camp Kelly, Texas. These squadrons would later be combined in the 8th Pursuit Group. In 1931, the 8th Pursuit Group was reactivated helped fly the air corps

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

routes across the United States. In addition, the group trained, took part in maneuvers and reviews, and tested planes and equipment. Initially, the group had two flying squadrons assigned, but both operated from other bases. The 36th Pursuit Squadron flew from

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 Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, while the

55th Pursuit Squadron The 55th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the oldest in the U ...

operated from Mather Field, California. In June 1932 the group reorganized. It gained the 33rd and 35th Pursuit Squadrons, and activated at

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. The 36th moved from Selfridge to Langley to join the rest of the group. At the same time, the 55th Pursuit Squadron transferred to the 20th Fighter Group, leaving the 8th with three squadrons. At Langley the group trained in such aircraft as the Consolidated PB-2,

Curtiss P-6 The Curtiss P-6 Hawk is an American single-engine biplane fighter introduced into service in the late 1920s with the United States Army Air Corps and operated until the late 1930s prior to the outbreak of World War II. Design and development T ...

, and Boeing P-12. Over the next several years, the group transitioned to such newer aircraft as the Seversky P-35,

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

Bell 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 t ...

, and the Curtiss P-40. Significantly, on 11 October 1940, the 8th Pursuit Group participated in a test designed to compare the take-off runs of standard Navy and Army aircraft. On that day, 24 P-40s from the 8th Pursuit Group launched from the , an aircraft carrier, and returned to Langley Field. That experiment, the first time that Army planes had flown from a Navy carrier, foreshadowed the use of the ship in the ferry role that it performed admirably in

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In December 1940, the group became part of the defense force for the New York

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

, being reassigned to

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 Territory ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

. At Mitchel, the 33rd Pursuit Squadron was transferred to the 342d Composite Group in Iceland in August 1941 to engage in North Atlantic defense. This left the group with two flying squadrons, the 35th and 36th. To replace the 33rd the 58th was activated, but then was transferred to form the 33rd Fighter Group. Finally, the 80th Squadron was activated on 10 January 1942.

World War II

In May 1942, the unit was redesignated as the 8th Fighter Group, as fighting became the new mission. The group was assigned to the South West Pacific Theatre and deployed

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia, sailing on the Army Transport Ship . After a 21-day voyage, headquarters was established on 6 March 1942. Upon completion of the reassembly of planes, men and equipment they moved to the

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

area. On 26 April while the U.S. Navy was preparing to engage the Japanese invasion fleet headed for

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, men from the 35th and 36th arrived at the 7 mile strip where the 75th and 76th Australian Squadrons were sacrificing their last P-40s to the Japanese Zero's. When the squadrons arrived their first act included preparation and take-off over the

Owen Stanley Range Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. Its highest point is Mount Victoria at , while its most prominent peak is Mount Suckling. History Owen Stanley Range was seen in 1849 by Captain Ow ...

to surprise the Japanese at Lae. Meanwhile, the Japanese fleet withdrew from the intended invasion and the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

. During the month of May the 35th and 36th were experiencing not only daily and night raids, but endured the shortage of food, excessive heat, rain, mud, mosquito's and necessary parts for planes and vehicles plus continuous alerts, bombing and strafing. Returning to Townsville in June, the 35th and 36th Squadrons were equipped and prepared to leave for

Oro Bay Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities, located at . History Duri ...

when word was received that the Japanese began offensive action to occupy the same territory. On 20 July 1942 the 80th left the group for

equipped with P-400s for action near

. In August 1942 the Japanese invaded

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to th ...

where it was reported that the 8th Fighter Control Squadron played an important part of the ground defense with four wheel drive vehicles capable of moving supplies and ammo through mud to the ground personnel. Once again the 35th and the 36th replaced the Australian 75th and 76th in Milne Bay on 18 September 1942 with the 80th following on 8 November for limited air action. The group served in

combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

until February 1943 flying P-40s. In February 1943 the Group returned to Mareeba where the 80th was equipped with the

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 ...

which they took to Port Moresby in March. Resuming operations in April 1943, the 8th served in combat operations through the rest of the Second World War, providing cover for Allied landings, escorting

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s, and attacking enemy

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 publ ...

s. The group supported operations of the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

at Cape Gloucester, February and March 1944; flew long-range escort and attack missions to

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

, Ceram,

Halmahera Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island. Ha ...

, and the southern

; provided cover for convoys; and attacked enemy shipping. The unit won a Distinguished Unit Citation for strafing a Japanese

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

force off

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...

on 26 December 1944. The group went on to cover landings at

Lingayen Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Pangasi ...

; support ground forces on

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

; escort bombers to targets on the Asian mainland and on

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...

; and, in the last days of the war, attack enemy airfields and railways in Japan. After V-J Day, the group remained as part of the

Far East Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

occupation force at

Ashiya Air Field is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a de ...

on the island of

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. Initially flying North American P-51D Mustangs in 1946, the 8th provided air defense for the Japanese region. While stationed in Japan, the wing upgraded to the more sophisticated Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star jet fighter in 1948.

Korean War

It began operations in the

on 26 June 1950 by providing cover for the evacuation of US personnel from

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, entering into combat the next day. The group is known for the heroic actions of its members, including Major Charles J. Loring, a pilot in the 80th FS, who was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

for his actions on 22 November 1952 when he flew his badly damaged F-80 aircraft into an enemy artillery emplacement near Sniper Ridge so that entrenched U.S. Infantry men could escape. During the next three years, the 8th flew more than 60,000 sorties while operating from bases in both

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

and Japan. The wing participated in 10 campaigns and earned three unit citations. Following the war, it performed air defense in Japan and maintained a quick reaction strike force. The group was not operational from 1 February 1957 until its inactivation in October 1957.

Modern era

Activated again in 1992, and assumed responsibility for flight operations of the 8th Fighter Wing.

Lineage

* Authorized on the inactive list as the 8th Pursuit Group on 24 March 1923 : Redesignated 8th Pursuit Group, Air Corps, on 8 August 1926 : Activated on 1 April 1931 : Redesignated: 8th Pursuit Group on 1 September 1936 : Redesignated: 8th Pursuit Group (Fighter) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated: 8th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 12 March 1941 : Redesignated: 8th Fighter Group on 15 May 1942 : Redesignated: 8th Fighter Group, Single Engine, 20 August 1943 : Redesignated: 8th Fighter-Bomber Group on 20 January 1950 : Inactivated on 1 October 1957 * Redesignated: 8th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive) * Redesignated: 8th Operations Group on 1 February 1992 : Activated on 3 February 1992.

Commanders

* Col. Emmett "Cyclone" Davis: 18 January 1944 – c. 1 July 1944 * Col. Emmett "Cyclone" Davis: c. late May 1945 – c. January 1946

Assignments

* 2d Bombardment (later, 2d; 2d Bombardment) Wing, 1 April 1931 *

7th Pursuit Wing 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

, 18 December 1940 * I Interceptor Command, 31 August 1941 * US Army Forces in Australia, c. 6 March 1942 * AAF Southwest Pacific Area, April 1942 *

V Fighter Command The V Fighter Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established as the 2nd Interceptor Command in June 1941, with responsibility for air defense of the northwest United States and training fighter units in its are ...

, September 1942 *

, November 1942 : Attached to:

86th Fighter Wing Area codes 084 and 086 are Nigerian telephone area codes serving the cities of Port Harcourt and Ahoada in Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed i ...

, 1 May 1944 – 16 August 1945 : Attached to: 310th Bombardment Wing, 16 August 1945 – 25 March 1946 * 315th Composite Wing, c. 31 May 1946 * 8 Fighter (later, 8th Fighter-Bomber) Wing, 18 August 1948 – 1 October 1957 : Attached to 6131st Fighter ater, 6131st Tactical SupportWing, 14 August-1 December 1950 * 8th Fighter Wing, 3 February 1992–present

Components

* 33rd Pursuit Squadron: 25 June 1932 – August 1941 * 35th Pursuit (later, 35 Fighter, 35 Fighter-Bomber, 35 Fighter) Squadron 25 June 1932 – 1 October 1957; 3 February 1992–present * 36th Pursuit (later, 36 Fighter, 36 Fighter-Bomber) Squadron: 1 April – 30 June 1931; 15 June 1932 – 1 October 1957 *

: 1 April 1931 – 15 June 1932 * 68th Fighter (later 68 Fighter-All Weather) Squadron: 15 December 1945 – 19 February 1947 * 80th Pursuit (later, 80 Fighter, 80 Fighter-Bomber; 80 Tactical Fighter) Squadron 10 January 1942 – 26 December 1945; 20 February 1947 – 30 September 1957, (detached 24 August-25 September 1950; 25 September-27 October 1950; 29 October 1954 – 10 February 1955; 10 February 1955 – 18 October 1956); 3 February 1992–present

Stations

, 1 April 1931 *

, New York, c. 5 November 1940 – 26 January 1942 *

Archerfield Airport Archerfield can refer to: *Archerfield, Queensland Archerfield is a mixed-use southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Archerfield had a population of 544 people. Geography Archerfield is bounded by Oxley Cree ...

, 6 March 1942 * RAAF Base Townsville, Australia, 29 July 1942 * Gurney Airfield,

, 18 September 1942 * Mareeba Airfield, Australia, February 1943 *

Port Moresby Airfield Complex The Port Moresby Airfield Complex was a World War II military airfield complex, built near Port Moresby in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. It was used during the Battle of New Guinea as a base of Allied air operations primarily in 1942 a ...

, 16 May 1943 * Finschhafen Airfield,

, 23 December 1943 * Cape Gloucester Airfield,

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the D ...

, c. 20 February 1944 *

Nadzab Airfield Complex Lae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located at Nadzab outside Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea along the Highlands Highway. It is served by both private and regional aircraft with domestic flights. The airport replaced the Lae Ai ...

, 14 March 1944 * Owi Airfield,

Schouten Islands The Schouten Islands ( id, Kepulauan Biak, also Biak Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New ...

, 17 June 1944 *

Wama Airfield Leo Wattimena Airport, formerly known as Pitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia. History World War II Morotai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea b ...

Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whic ...

, 19 September 1944 * McGuire Field, San Jose,

, Philippines, 20 December 1944 *

Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, 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 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...

, 6 August 1945 * Fukuoka Airfield, Japan, 22 November 1945 * Ashiya Airfield, Japan, 20 May 1946 * Itazuke Airfield, Japan, September 1946 * Ashiya Airfield, Japan, 13 April 1947 * Itazuke Airfield, Japan, 25 March 1949 * Tsuiki Airfield, Japan, 11 August 1950 * Suwon AB (K-13),

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, 7 October 1950 * Kimpo AB (K-14),

, 28 October 1950 * Pyongyang AB (K-23),

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, 25 November 1950 *

Seoul Air Base Seoul Air Base (sometimes K-16 Air Base, Seoul Airport or Seongnam Air Base) is located in Seongnam city near Seoul in South Korea. Runway 19 and 20 are equipped with an ILS. History Korea under Japanese rule constructed 여의도 비행장(Ye ...

(K-16),

, 3 December 1950 * Itazuke AB, Japan, 10 December 1950 * Kimpo AB (K-14),

, 25 June 1951 * Suwon AB (K-13),

, 24 August 1951 * Itazuke AB, Japan, 20 October 1954 – 1 October 1957 * Kunsan AB, South Korea, 3 February 1992–present

Aircraft

* Prior to 1940: P-6, P-12, PB-2A, and P-36 *

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 and ...

, 1940–1941; 1943–1944 * P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1943 *

, 1943–1946 *

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-bomb ...

, 1943–1944 *

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

, 1946–1950 *

P-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

, 1949–1953 *

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, 1953–1957 *

F-100 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 U ...

, 1957 * F-16 Falcon, 1992–present

References

* * * Stanaway, John. ''Attack and Conquer: The 8th Fighter Group in World War II''. Schiffer Publishing, 1995. .
USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present

External links

Kunsan AB Home Page
{{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II 008