63rd Fighter Squadron

63d Fighter Squadron
63d Fighter Squadron Patch
Active	15 January 1941 - 18 October 1945 1 May 1946 - 8 January 1958 30 June 1975 - 1 June 2009
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
Nickname(s)	Panthers
Engagements	Battle of Normandy Battle of the Bulge
Decorations	DUC AFOUA
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) John S. Loisel

63d FIS (Air Defense Command)

The 63d Fighter Squadron (63 FS) is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operated the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, conducting advanced fighter training until its deactivation on 22 May 2009.

History

The 63d was activated on 15 January 1941, at Savannah, Georgia as the 63d Pursuit Squadron. It was originally assigned to the 56th Pursuit Group, which, like many pursuit squadrons organized in the early 1940s, initially flew Curtis P-35 and P-36 Hawks. A year later the 63d came under control of the 1st Interceptor Command and switched to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawks. A few months later it was re-designated a fighter unit and began flying the new Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. In 1943, the 63d moved to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, then to England where it became one of the most successful squadrons in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Flying escort for fighter sweeps ahead of U.S. bomber fleets, the pilots destroyed 167.5 enemy aircraft in the air and 110 on the ground. After Germany's surrender, the 63d returned to Camp Kilmer until inactivation on 18 October 1945.

A year later, it reopened with the 56th Fighter Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan, and briefly transitioned to the North American P-51 Mustang. In 1947, the 63d became one of the first fighter squadrons equipped with the new Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. Three years later, North American F-86A Sabres arrived, and then in 1954, Northrop F-89 Scorpions became the 63d's newest fighters.

The squadron was again inactivated on 1 November 1957, and reactivated 30 June 1975, as the 63d Tactical Fighter Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Its mission was to train pilots and weapons systems officers for the F-4 Phantom II. The name changed slightly, but the mission stayed the same when the F-16 Fighting Falcon arrived and the 63d became a tactical fighter training squadron in 1981. On 12 March 1993, the 63d Fighter Squadron transferred to Luke Air Force Base, where it flew the Block 42, F-16CG for just over 16 years until it's deactivation on 22 May 2009. The aircraft, maintainers, and pilots of the 63d FS were transferred to the 309th FS, and remain flying and training there to this day.

Lineage

• Constituted as 63d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940

Activated on 15 Jan 1941

Re-designated as: 63d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (Twin Engine) on 31 Jan 1942

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron on 1 Jun 1942

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 28 Feb 1944

Inactivated on 18 Oct 1945

• Activated on 1 May 1946

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled, on 24 Apr 1947

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 14 Jun 1948

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950

Inactivated on 8 Jan 1958

• Re-designated as 63d Tactical Fighter Squadron on 12 May 1975

Activated on 30 Jun 1975

Re-designated as: 63d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 1 Oct 1981

Re-designated as: 63d Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991.

Inactivated on 22 May 2009

Assignments

• 56th Pursuit (later, 56th Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941-18 Oct 1945
• 56th Fighter (later, 56th Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 1 May 1946
• 4708th Defense Wing, 6 Feb 1952
• 4706th Defense Wing, 1 Jul 1952
• 527th Air Defense Group, 16 Feb 1953
• 56th Fighter Group, 18 Aug 1955-8 Jan 1958
• 56th Tactical Fighter (later, 56th Tactical Training; 56th Fighter) Wing, 30 Jun 1975
• 56th Operations Group, 1 Nov 1991
• 58th Operations Group, 25 Feb 1993
• 56th Operations Group, 1 Apr 1994-22 May 2009

Stations

• Savannah, Georgia (1941)
• Charlotte Army Air Base, North Carolina (1941)
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (1941–1942)
• Farmingdale, New York (1941–1942)
• Bridgeport, Connecticut (1942–1943)
• RAF Wittering, England (1943)
• RAF Horsham St Faith, England (1943)
• RAF Halesworth, England (1943–1944)
• RAF Boxted, England (1944–1945)

• RAF Little Walden, England (1945)
• Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1945)
• Selfridge Field, Michigan (1946–1951)
• Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan (1951–1955)
• O'Hare Air Reserve Station, Illinois (1955–1958)
• K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan (1959–1971)
• MacDill Air Force Base, Florida (1975–1993)
• Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1993–2009)

Aircraft

• P-35 (1941)
• P-36 Hawk (1941)
• P-39 Airacobra (1941–1942)
• P-40 Warhawk (1941–1942)
• P-47 Thunderbolt (1942–1945, 1946–1947)
• P-51 Mustang (1946–1947)

• F-80 Shooting Star (1947–1950)
• F-86 Sabre (1950–1954, 1955–1957)
• F-89 Scorpion (1955–1958)
• F-4 Phantom II (1975–1981)
• F-16 Fighting Falcon (1981–2009)

Operations

• World War II

References

Bibliography

• USAF 63d Fighter Squadron History
• 56th Operations Group Fact Sheet