425th Fighter Squadron

425th Fighter Squadron
425th Fighter Squadron Patch
Active	December 1, 1943 – August 25, 1947 October 15, 1969 – September 1, 1989 December 30, 1992 – Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Fighter Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command 19th Air Force 56th Fighter Wing 56th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Luke Air Force Base
Engagements	World War II European Campaign (1944–1945)
Decorations	AFOUA

The 425th Fighter Squadron (425 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.

The squadron's World War II predecessor unit, the 425th Night Fighter Squadron was assigned to Ninth Air Force in England, as a P-61 Black Widow interceptor unit. Its mission was to defend Allied-controlled airspace over England and the liberated areas of Western Euorpe against night Luftwaffe attacks.

Mission

The 425th Fighter Squadron's current mission is to provide advanced weapons and tactics continuation training for Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 pilots, weapon systems officers and maintenance personnel. RSAF aircrew and maintenance personnel are assigned to the 425th for two years, during which they receive advanced tactics training, participate in Red Flag, shoot live missiles at Combat Archer, and deploy to locations throughout the United States to participate in composite operations and dissimilar air combat exercises.

History

Lineage

• Constituted as the 425th Night Fighter Squadron on November 23, 1943

Activated on December 1, 1943.

Inactivated on August 25, 1947

• Redesignated: 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on August 22, 1969

Activated on October 15, 1969

Inactivated on September 1, 1989

• Redesignated: 425th Fighter Squadron on December 1, 1992.

Activated on December 30, 1992

Assignments

• 481 Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 1 Dec 1943
• IX Fighter Command, 23 May 1944
• IX Air Defense Command, 10 Jun 1944
• 471st Fighter Wing (Provisional), 20 Jun 1944
• IX Air Defense Command, 6 Aug 1944
• XIX Tactical Air Command, 7 Oct 1944
• Ninth Air Force, 7 Jul 1945

• Fourth Air Force, 9 Sep 1945
• Air Defense Command, 21 Mar 1946
• Fourth Air Force, 31 Jul 1946-25 Aug 1947
• 58 Tactical Fighter Training (later, 58 Tactical Training) Wing, 15 Oct 1969
• 405 Tactical Training Wing, 29 Aug 1979-1 Sep 1989
• 58 Operations Group, 30 Dec 1992
• 56 Operations Group, 1 Apr 1994-Present

Stations

• Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, December 1, 1943
• Hammer Field, California, January 30, 1944
• Visalia AAF, California, February 25 – May 1, 1944
• RAF Charmy Down (USAAF Station 487), England, May 26, 1944
• RAF Scorton (USAAF Station 425), England, June 12, 1944
• Stoneman Park, England, August 12, 1944
• Vannes Airfield (A-33), France, August 18, 1944
• Coulommiers Airfield (A-58), France, September 11, 1944
• Prosnes Airfield (A-79), France, October 13, 1944
• Verdun Airfield (A-82), France, November 9, 1944

• Fliegerhorst Frankfurt/Rhein-Main (Y-73), Germany, April 12, 1945
• Fliegerhorst Furth (R-28), Germany, May 2, 1945
• Crépy-en-Laommis, France, July 5, 1945 (Ground Echelon)
• Saint-Victoret, France, August 18–24, 1945 (Ground Echelon)
• Lemoore Army Airfield, California, September 9, 1945
• Camp Pinedale, California, October 23, 1945
• March Field, California, March 8, 1946
• McChord Field, Washington, September 1, 1946 – August 25, 1947
• Williams AFB, Arizona, October 15, 1969 – September 1, 1989
• Luke AFB, Arizona, December 30, 1992 – Present

Reference for lineage, assignments and stations

Aircraft operated

• YP-61 (1944)
• P-61 Black Widow (1944–1947)
• A-20 Havoc (1944)
• P-70 (1944)
• F-5 Freedom Fighter (1969–1989)
• F-16 Fighting Falcon (1993–Present)

Reference

Operational history

P-61A-10NO 42-5569  "Tabitha"
425th NFS (RAF Scorton, England)

File:Scor-425thnfs-p61-1.jpg

Northrop P-61A-10-NO Black Widow Serial 42-5570 of the 425th Night Fighter Squadron

Constituted as the 425th Night Fighter Squadron on November 23, 1943, and activated on December 1, the 425th was originally assigned to the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, Orlando Air Base, Florida. The unit was reassigned, beginning on January 30, 1944, to bases in California before arriving at its first European station at RAF Chormy Down, England, May 26, 1944 as a unit of 9th Air Force. After being reassigned to various bases in England, the 425th settled at its first home base on the European Continent at Vannes, France on August 18, 1944. During the air war in Europe, the 425th flew the YP-61, A-20, P-61, and P-70 aircraft. The unit was at several locations in California between September 8, 1945 and September 1, 1946, before arriving at McChord Field, Washington. The 425th was inactivated on August 25, 1947.

The unit was reactivated at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona on October 15, 1969 as the 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and was assigned to the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The squadron's new mission was to train aircrews from friendly nations to fly and fight in the F-5. The first F-5E Tiger II was delivered to the 425th on April 6, 1973. The 425 TFTS was reassigned to the 405th Tactical Training Wing as of August 29, 1979 and the unit was activated at Luke. In June 1989, the squadron's F-5 training program terminated after having produced 1,499 graduates, and the 425th was inactivated September 1, 1989.

The squadron was reactivated under the designation 425th Fighter Squadron on December 30, 1992.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Northrop P-61 Black Widow--The Complete History and Combat Record, Garry R. Pape, John M. Campbell and Donna Campbell, Motorbooks International, 1991.
• USAF 425th Fighter Squadron History
• 56th Operations Group Fact Sheet