310th Fighter Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 310th Fighter Squadron


caption= 310th Fighter Squadron Patch
dates= 9 February 1942 - 20 February 1946
10 July 1952 - 25 March 1962
15 December 1969 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch=United States Air Force
type= Fighter Training
role=
size=
command_structure= Air Education and Training Command
19th Air Force
56th Fighter Wing
56th Operations Group
current_commander=
garrison= Luke Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
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The 310th Fighter Squadron (310 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training.

Mission

History

The 310th Fighter Squadron was constituted on 21 January 1942, as the 310th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) and was activated on 9 February at Harding Field, Louisiana, where it flew the P-39 and P-40 aircraft. From November 1943 until March 1962, the 310th served extensively throughout the Pacific theater supporting Allied forces in World War II and the Korean War. During this time, the squadron flew the P-47, F-84, F-86 and the Matador weapon systems. In March 1962, it was inactivated at Osan Air Base, South Korea. [http://www.luke.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5003 56 OG Fact Sheet] ] Re-designated the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 1 December 1969, it was reactivated 15 days later at Luke Air Force Base and flew the A-7D until its transition into the F-4 in 1971. The 310th TFTS transitioned into the F-16 in 1982 and became the 310th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991.

The unit, which adopted its original "Tophat" name in September 1987, has earned two Distinguished Unit Citations, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. The 310 FS converted to the new LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) F-16CG, Block 42 aircraft in May of 1989. As the Air Force's first and only full-up F-16 LANTIRN squadron, the 310th started formal course training in the new aircraft in July of 1989. In 1997, the Tophats were chosen to begin the first USAF F-16 Forward Air Controller-Airborne training and to train F-16 pilots with Night Vision Goggles. They are now training pilots with MATIRN (Medium Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night).

=Operations [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0310fs.html AFHRA 310 FS Page] ] =

*World War II
*Korean War

=Lineage=

*310th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (1942)
*310th Fighter Squadron (1942 - 1943)
*310th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1943 - 1952)
*310th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1952 - 1958)
*310th Tactical Missile Squadron (1958 - 1969)
*310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (1969 - 1991)
*310th Fighter Squadron (1991 - Present)

=Assignments=

*58th Fighter Group (1942 - 1946)
*5th Air Force (1946)
*58th Fighter-Bomber Wing (1952 - 1958)
*314th Air Division (1958)
*58th Tactical Missile Group (1958 - 1962)
*58th Fighter Wing (1969 - 1994)
*56th Fighter Wing (1994 - Present)

=Bases stationed=

*Harding Field, Louisiana (1942)
*Dale Mabry Field, Florida (1942)
*Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia (1942)
*Philadelphia Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania (1942 - 1943)
*Bradley Field, Connecticut (1943)
*Hillsgrove, Rhode Island (1943)
*Grenier Field, New Hampshire (1943)
*Brisbane, Australia (1943)
*Dobodura, New Guinea (1943 - 1944)
*Saidor, New Guinea (1944)
*Noemfoor (1944)
*San Roque, Leyte (1944)
*San Jose, Mindoro (1944 - 1945)
*Mangaldan, Luzon (1945)
*Porac, Luzon (1945)
*Okinawa (1945)
*Japan (1945)
*Fort William McKinley, Luzon (1945 - 1946)
*Taegu Air Base, South Korea (1952 - 1955)
*Osan Air Base, South Korea (1955 - 1962)
*Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1969 - Present)

=Weapon Systems Operated=

*P-39 Airacobra (1942)
*P-40 Warhawk (1942 - 1943)
*P-47 Thunderbolt (1943 - 1945)
*F-84 Thunderjet (1952 - 1954)
*F-86 Sabre (1954 - 1958)
*MGM-1 Matador (1958 - 1962)
*A-7 Corsair II (1969 - 1971)
*F-4 Phantom II (1971 - 1982)
*F-16 Fighting Falcon (1982 - Present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0310fs.html USAF 310th Fighter Squadron History]
* [http://www.luke.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5003 56th Operations Group Fact Sheet]

Also See