325th Fighter Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 325th Fighter Wing


caption=
dates= 24 June 1942 — present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=Air Force
type=
role=
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command_structure=Air Education and Training Command
current_commander=Brigadier General [http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=8890 Tod Wolters]
garrison=Tyndall Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=


* World War II: European Campaign (1943-1945)
notable_commanders= Richard Myers
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

Mission

The 325th Fighter Wing’s primary mission is to provide air dominance training for F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor pilots and maintenance personnel and air battle managers to support the combat Air Force.

Training for F-15 pilots is performed in the 2nd and 95th fighter squadrons, while training for F-22 pilots is performed in the 43rd Fighter Squadron. The 325th Air Control Squadron trains air battle managers for assignment to combat Air Force units. Additionally, wing personnel manage the southeastern air combat maneuvering instrumentation range and provide mission-ready F-15 and F-22 air dominance forces in support of the Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command/lst Air Force contingency plans.

Other specialties trained under the 325th Fighter Wing include F-15 and F-22 intelligence officer training, F-15 and F-22 crew chief training and officer and enlisted air traffic controller training.

The 325th Fighter Wing is host to more than 30 tenant organizations located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The wing comprises the 325th Operations Group, 325th Maintenance Group, 325th Mission Support Group and 325t

Units

325th Operations Group (325 OG)
*2d Fighter Squadron (2 FS)
*43d Fighter Squadron (43 FS)
*95th Fighter Squadron (95 FS)
*325th Air Control Squadron (325 ACS)
*325th Operations Support Squadron (325 OSS)

325th Maintenance Group (325 MXG)
*325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (325 AMXS)
*325th Maintenance Operations Squadron (325 MOS)
*325th Maintenance Squadron (325 MXS)325th Mission Support Group (325 MSG)
*325th Civil Engineering Squadron (325 CES)
*325th Communications Squadron (325 CS)
*325th Contracting Squadron (325 CONS)
*325th Mission Support Squadron (325 MSS)
*325th Security Forces Squadron (325 SFS)
*325th Services Squadron (325 SVS)

325th Medical Group (325 MDG)
*325th Aerospace-Dental Squadron (325 ADS)
*325th Medical Operations Squadron (325 MDOS)
*325th Medical Support Squadron (325 MDSS)

History

Lineage

* Established as 325th Fighter Group on 24 Jun 1942: Activated on 3 Aug 1942: Inactivated on 28 Oct 1945
* Redesignated 325th Fighter Group (All Weather) on 2 May 1947: Activated on 21 May 1947: Established as 325th Fighter Wing, All Weather, on 10 May 1948. : Activated on 9 Jun 1948: Redesignated: 325th Fighter-All Weather Wing on 20 Jan 1950: Redesignated: 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 May 1951: Inactivated on 6 Feb 1952
* Redesignated 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense) on 14 Sep 1956: Activated on 18 Oct 1956: Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 Jul 1968
* Redesignated 325th Fighter Weapons Wing on 17 Jun 1981: Activated on 1 Jul 1981: Redesignated: 325th Tactical Training Wing on 15 Oct 1983: Redesignated: 325th Fighter Wing on 1 Oct 1991.

Assignments

* First Air Force: I Fighter Command, 3 Aug 1942: Boston Air Defense Wing, 11 Aug 1942
* Twelfth Air Force, 13 Feb 1943: Northwest African Tactical Air Force, 18 Feb 1943: Northwest African Strategic Air Force, 14 Mar 1943: 47 Bombardment Wing, 27 Mar-7 Jun 1943: 2686 Medium Bombardment Wing (Provisional), 7 Jun 1943: 42d Bombardment Wing, 24 Aug 1943
* Fifteenth Air Force: 5th Bombardment Wing, 22 Oct 1943: 306th Fighter Wing, May 1944 - 13 Jun 1945: 305th Bombardment Wing, 13 Jun 1945: 49th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, Aug 1945: Army Service Forces, c. 9-28 Oct 1945

* Air Defense Command: First Air Force, 21 May 1947: Fourth Air Force, 2 Dec 1947:: Attached to Western Air Defense Force, 10 Nov 1949-31 Jul 1950:: Western Air Defense Force, 1 Aug 1950-6 Feb 1952:: 25th Air Division, 18 Oct 1956:: Seattle Air Defense Sector, 10 Feb 1960:: 25th Air Division, 1 Apr 1966- 1 Jul 1968
* Tactical Air Command: USAF Air Defense Weapons Center, 1 Jul 1981: First Air Force, 12 Sep 1991
* Air Combat Command 1 Jul 1992
* Air Education and Training Command, : Nineteenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1993-.

Bases Assigned

*Mitchel Field, New York (1942)
*Hillsgrove, Rhode Island (1942 – 1943)
*Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1943)
*Tafaraoui, Algeria (1943)
*Tunisia (1943)
*Italy (1943 – 1945)
*Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1945)
*Mitchel Field, New York (1947)
*Hamilton Air Force Base, California (1947 – 1948)
*Moses Lake Air Force Base, Washington (1948 – 1950)
*McChord Air Force Base, Washington (1950 – 1952, 1956 – 1968)
*Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida (1981 – Present)

Components

Squadrons
* 1 Tactical Fighter Training (later, 1 Fighter): 1 Jan 1984- Present
* 2 Tactical Fighter Training (later, 2 Fighter): 1 Jul 1981- Present
* 4 Troop Carrier: attached 1 May-17 Jul 1950
* 43 Fighter: 1 Oct 2002 - Present
* 64 Fighter-Interceptor: 15 Aug 1957-15 Mar 1960
* 82 Tactical Aerial Target (later, 82 Tactical Aerial Targets): 1 Jul 1981-15 Oct 1983.
* 95 Tactical Fighter Training (later, 95 Fighter): 1 Jul 1981 - Present
* 123 Fighter-Interceptor: : Attached 10 Feb 1951-6 Feb 1952.
* 317 Fighter (later, 317 Fighter-All Weather; 317 Fighter-Interceptor):: 3 Aug 1942-28 Oct 1945: 31 Dec 1947-6 Feb 1952: 18 Aug 1955-15 Aug 1957
* 318 Fighter (later, 318 Fighter-All Weather; 318 Fighter-Interceptor): : 3 Aug 1942-28 Oct 1945: 21 May 1947-6 Feb 1952: 18 Aug 1955-1 Jul 1968
* 319 Fighter (later, 319 Fighter-All Weather; 319 Fighter-Interceptor):: 3 Aug 1942-28 Oct 1945: 1 Jul 1949-6 Feb 1952 (detached 14 Dec 1951-6 Feb 1952).
* 460 Fighter-Interceptor Training: 15 Jan-15 Oct 1982.
* 475 Test: 1 Jul 1981-15 Oct 1983.
* 498 Fighter-Interceptor:: Attached 18 Oct 1956-c. Jun 1957: 1 Jul 1963-25 Jun 1966.
* 4756 Air Defense: 1 Jul 1981-15 Oct 1983.

Wings
* 302 Troop Carrier: attached 6 May 1950-8 Jun 1951.

Groups
* 325 Fighter (later, 325 Fighter-Interceptor; 325 Fighter; 325 Operations): : 9 Jun 1948-6 Feb 1952: 18 Oct 1956-25 Mar 1960: 1 Sep 1991-.

School
* USAF Interceptor Weapons: 1 Jul 1981-15 Oct 1983.

Aircraft operated

*P-40 Warhawk (1942 – 1943)
*P-47 Thunderbolt (1943 – 1944)
*P-51 Mustang (1944 – 1945, 1951 – 1952)
*P-61 Black Widow (1947 – 1948)
*F-82 Twin Mustang (1948 – 1951)
*F-94 Starfire (1950 – 1952)
*C-54 Skymaster (1950)
*F-86 Sabre (1955 – 1957)
*F-102 Delta Dagger (1956 – 1960)
*F-106 Delta Dart (1960, 1981 – 1983)
*F-101 Voodoo (1981 – 1982)
*T-33 Shooting Star (1981 – 1988)
*TF/QF/PQM-102 (1981 – 1983)
*QF-100 (1982 – 1983)
*F-15 Eagle (1983 – Present)
*F-22 Raptor (2003 – Present)

Operational History

World War II

The 325th trained in the U.S. with P-40 aircraft before moving to North Africa by ship and transport planes, January-February 1943. It entered combat in April 1943 and began escorting medium bombers, flying strafing missions, and conducting sea sweeps from bases in Algeria and Tunisia. The group participated in the defeat of Axis forces in Tunisia, the reduction of Pantelleria, and the conquest of Sicily. The 325th received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for action over Sardinia on 30 July 1943 when the group, using diversionary tactics, forced a superior number of enemy planes into the air and destroyed more than half of them. The group did not fly combat missions from the end of September to mid-December 1943 as the group converted to P-47 aircraft and moved to Italy.

The 325th began operations with Fifteenth Air Force in December 1943, and primarily engaged in escort operations. It received a second DUC for a mission on 30 January 1944 when the group flew more than 300 miles at very low altitude to surprise the enemy fighters that were defending German airdromes near Villaorba, Italy; by severely damaging the enemy's force, the 325th enabled heavy bombers to strike vital targets in the area without encountering serious opposition. The group converted to P-51 aircraft in May 1944 and provided the fighter escort on the first shuttle bombing mission from Italy to Russia in early June 1944. It escorted heavy bombers during long-range missions to attack the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, the Daimler-Benz tank factory at Berlin, oil refineries at Vienna, and other targets, such as airfields, marshalling yards, and communications targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. It also covered operations of reconnaissance aircraft and strafed such targets as trains, vehicles, and airfields. The group continued combat operations until May 1945. The group moved back to the U.S. and was deactivated after V-E Day.

Cold War

The group was reactivated and then the wing stood up in 1947 and 1948 respectively. It conducted air defense of the U.S. west coast, 1948-1952 and 1956-1968. Beginning in spring 1949, the 325th conducted the All Weather Combat Crew Training School. During 1950, the wing also controlled a troop carrier squadron and from May 1950 to June 1951, provided training for elements of a troop carrier wing. From August 1955, the 325th served as the "host" unit at McChord Air Force Base until October 1956. From February-July 1968, the wing operated an air defense detachment at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The 325th was again deactivated in late 1968.

The wing was reactivated at Tyndall Air Force Base in 1981. It provided Air Defense Weapons Center operational and technical advice on air defense and tactics from, 1981-1983. It also provided test and evaluation new air defense equipment, including use of the PQM-102 and QF-100, former operational aircraft modified to function as manned/unmanned drones. In October 1983, the wing assumed a new mission of conducting qualification training of tactical aircrews. Beginning in 1983 it deployed T-33 and later, F-15 aircraft to USAF, Air National Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy air units to provide electronic countermeasures and dissimilar air combat training and to increase aircrew combat proficiency. The wing performed alert duties from, 1988-1990, intercepting unidentified aircraft and assisting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in anti-smuggling efforts. It became host unit at Tyndall Air Force Base in September 1991. The 325th has conducted the Air Force's initial qualification training program for the F-22 since 2003

Unit shields

ee also

* Aerospace Defense Command
* Tactical Air Command
* Air Combat Command
* 5th Air Division

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
* Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.

External links

* [http://www.tyndall.af.mil/ Tyndall AFB Home Page]