325th Fighter Wing

325th Fighter Wing
Active	24 June 1942 — present
Country	United States
Branch	Air Force
Part of	Air Education and Training Command
Garrison/HQ	Tyndall Air Force Base
Engagements	World War II European Campaign (1943-1945)
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier General Tod Wolters
Notable commanders	Richard Myers

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 is comprised of 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 1943

2686 Medium Bombardment Wing (Provisional), 7 Jun 1943

42 Bombardment Wing, 24 Aug 1943

• Fifteenth Air Force

5 Bombardment Wing, 22 Oct 1943

306 Bombardment (later, 306 Fighter) Wing, 27 Mar 1944

305 Bombardment Wing, 13 Jun 1945

49 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

25 Air Division, 18 Oct 1956

Seattle Air Defense Sector, 10 Feb 1960

25 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)

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

• 325 OG
  325 OG
• 2 FS
  2 FS
• 
  43 FS
• 
  95 FS
• 
  325 ACS
• 
  325 OSS
• 
  325 MXG
• 
  325 MOS
• 
  325 AMXS
• 
  325 MXS
• 
  325 MSG
• 
  325 CES
• 
  325 CS
• 
  325 CONS
• 
  325 MSS
• 
  325 SFS
• 
  325 SVS
• 
  325 MDG
• 
  325 MDOS
• 
  325 ADS
• 
  325 MDSS

See also

• 5th Air Division

External links

• Tyndall AFB Home Page