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Military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 95th Fighter Squadron (95th FS), nicknamed the Boneheads, is an active squadron of the United States Air Force. Last activated on 15 June 2023 as a Lockheed Martin F-35 squadron stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Previously the 95 FS was an F-22 equipped squadron, but in 2019 the squadron's aircraft and personnel were distributed across other bases in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in 2018 and its destruction of large parts of Tyndall Air Force Base. It was subsequently disbanded in 2019. In August 2023, the unit received its first Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft.
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95th Fighter Squadron
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95th Fighter Squadron F-35A Lightning IIs | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1952–1973; 1974–2010; 2013–2019; 2023–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Nickname(s) | Boneheads[1] |
| Motto(s) | Death with Finesse |
| Mascot(s) | Mr. Bones[2] |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 95th Fighter Squadron Emblem (approved 4 February 1954)[3][note 1] |  |
The 95th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations between 25 December 1942 and 3 May 1945. It flew fighter escort and air defense from 1947 to 1949 and air defense from 1952 to 1973. Between 1988 and 2010 it conducted advanced fighter training for the McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle.
The squadron was activated in early 1942 at Harding Field, Louisiana as the 95th Pursuit Squadron,[3] one of the original three squadrons of the 82d Pursuit Group.[4] It soon moved to California where it equipped with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and began training with Fourth Air Force as the 95th Fighter Squadron. It left California in the fall and sailed for Northern Ireland, where it received additional combat training under Eighth Air Force. A month after the initial Operation Torch landings in North Africa the squadron deployed to Algeria, where it entered combat as an element of Twelfth Air Force.[5]
In North Africa, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols, bomber escort missions and attacked enemy shipping and airfields, moving its base east through Algeria and Tunisia. As the North African campaign drew to a close, the unit began attacking targets in Italy, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation[3] for its actions on 25 April 1943 during an attack on enemy airfields in Foggia.[5] On this mission, the squadron's aircraft flew hundreds of miles at an altitude of 100 feet to destroy dozens of enemy aircraft at Foggia while suffering minimal losses,[6]
In May 1943, the 95th was tasked with bombing Pantellaria, supporting the Allied invasion of Sicily. In part due to the squadron's efforts the garrison surrender just prior to the Allies landing on the island.[citation needed] In September, the squadron participated in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, during which it was awarded a second Distinguished Unit Citation for a bomber escort mission against marshalling yards near Naples.[3][5] In this mission the squadron protected 72 North American B-25 Mitchells without loss while destroying numerous attacking enemy fighters.[6]
The squadron moved to Italy, where it became part of Fifteenth Air Force as part of the buildup to provide fighter cover for Fifteenth's heavy bombers.[5] On 10 June 1944 the squadron earned a third Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions during an attack on oil refineries in Ploiești, Romania.[3] During this attack each aircraft carried a 1,000-pound bomb and a 300-gallon gas tank.[6] The squadron also took part in some of the first shuttle missions to the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
At the end of World War II, the 95th destroyed more than 400 aircraft including 199 air-to-air kills[2][7] and had seven aces.[6] Following the surrender of Germany, the squadron remained in Italy until September 1945, when it was inactivated[3]
In 1947 the squadron was again activated at Grenier Field, New Hampshire, where it was equipped with North American P-51 Mustangs as a Strategic Air Command fighter escort unit.[8] Between April and June 1948 the squadron deployed to Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, where it practiced rendezvousing with and escorting bombers, intercepting simulated enemy bombers and aerial gunnery.[5] In August 1949 it was transferred to Continental Air Command and its primary role became air defense, but this mission change was brief, for the squadron was inactivated in October.[8]
In late 1952, the squadron, now designated the 95th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, was activated under Air Defense Command (ADC) and assigned to the 4710th Defense Wing. It was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where it replaced the federalized 121st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was returned to the control of the District of Columbia Air National Guard.[9] The 95th took over the personnel, mission, and Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft of the inactivating 121st.[3] The squadron was tasked with defending Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area against the threat of crewed bomber attacks.[6]
In May 1953 the squadron replaced its cannon armed F-94Bs with Mighty Mouse rocket armed North American F-86D Sabres.[10] In 1956, as ADC prepared to upgrade its system to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), the 4710th wing was discontinued and the squadron was reassigned to the 85th Air Division.[3] In 1957, the squadron replaced its Sabres with the F-86L model,[6] which was equipped with data link to receive commands directly from the SAGE combat direction center without using voice radio.
The squadron's F-86L period lasted only a few months, however, for it converted to AIM-4 Falcon armed Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in February 1958.[10] A final interceptor upgrade occurred in September 1959 when the unit became operational with the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. On 22 October 1962, before President John F. Kennedy told Americans that missiles were in place in Cuba, the squadron dispersed one third of its force, equipped with nuclear tipped missiles to Atlantic City International Airport at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.[11][12] These planes returned to Andrews after the crisis.
In July 1963 the squadron moved to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, where its F-106s replaced the McDonnell F-101 Voodoos of the 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. which moved from Dover to Suffolk County Air Force Base the preceding month.[10] The 95th maintained a 24-hour alert status at both Dover, while its Detachment 1 did so at Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey. Its F-106 aircraft could be called to action and within minutes, be airborne fully loaded and armed with nuclear missiles.[6]
In 1968, following the Pueblo Incident, The Air Force tasked ADC to provide alert F-106s at Osan Air Base, Korea. Following the 1969 EC-121 shootdown incident, the deployed F-106s began flying escort missions for EC-121s. In November 1969, the squadron deployed to Korea to assume this duty. relieving the 94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. In May 1970, this tasking ended and the unit returned to Dover.[13]
The squadron was activated at Tyndall Air Force Base on 15 August 1974, as the 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron. Upon arrival at Tyndall, the 95th transitioned from the F-106 to the T-33 Shooting Star, where they flew in support of Tyndall's Weapons Controller (now known as Air Battle Manager) training program. They also provided training to pilots newly assigned to the T-33 as well as drone chase support for the Air Force's Weapons System Evaluation Program at Tyndall. The 95th FITS was the last active USAF unit to operate the T-33, affectionately known by its crews as the "T-Bird". In 1988, the 95th retired its last T-Birds and gained the mission of providing combat crew training for pilots flying the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. At this time, the 95th was redesignated the 95th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron.[6] In 1991, the 95th was redesignated the 95th Fighter Squadron, which remained the squadron's designation until the time of its inactivation in September 2010.
Though the 95th's mission was air dominance training, and was not an operational squadron,[2] during Operation Noble Eagle, the 95th Fighter Squadron generated combat-configured McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagles and flew combat air patrol missions over cities in the southeastern United States. However, the F-15 was aging and reduced budgets led to the Air Force to retire all F-15A/B and a portion of F-15C/D model aircraft and inactivate F-15C/D training units in the Regular Air Force and move the F-15C/D training mission to the Air National Guard. As a result, the squadron was inactivated in September 2010.[6]
The squadron was activated once again in October 2013 at Tyndall as a combat-coded Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor unit. The unit received aircraft from the 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base beginning in January 2014. The 95th completed acceptance of its fleet and gained initial operational capability in April 2014.[14]
In October 2018, large parts of Tyndall Air Force Base were damaged by Hurricane Michael. Subsequently, Tyndall's flying units were relocated to other bases, with the 2nd Fighter Training Squadron and 43rd Fighter Squadron being relocated to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, while the aircraft and personnel of the 95th Fighter Squadron were split up and relocated to Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii.[15][16][17] The squadron was disbanded in 2019.[18]
The 95th Fighter Squadron reactivated at Tyndall AFB in June 2023 as the first of three units to be stationed at the base with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.[19] The first three F-35As (18-5416, 20-5626 and 20-5627) were delivered to the 95th FS on 1 August 2023.[20]
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 25 April 1943 | 95th Fighter Squadron, Italy[3] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 2 September 1943 | 95th Fighter Squadron, Italy[3] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 10 June 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron, Ploiești, Romania[3] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1976-30 Jun 1977 | 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron[8] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1977-30 June 1979 | 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron[8] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1981-31 March 1983 | 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron[8] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1983-31 May 1985 | 95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron[8] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 3 October 1942 – 5 June 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Tunisia | 24 December 1942 – 13 May 1943 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Sicily | 14 May 1943 – 17 August 1943 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Naples-Foggia | 18 August 1943 – 21 January 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Rome-Arno | 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Southern France | 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| North Apennines | 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Po Valley | 3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 3 October 1942 – 11 May 1945 | 95th Fighter Squadron[3] |
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