| 63d Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 63d Fighter Squadron – F-16s on ramp, Luke AFB, Arizona, 2003 | |
| Active | 1941–1945; 1946–1958; 1975–2009; 2016–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Training |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Luke Air Force Base |
| Nickname(s) | Panthers |
| Engagements | Battle of Normandy Battle of the Bulge[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | MajorHarold E. Comstock (later Colonel) Major (later Lt General)Gerald W. Johnson Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel)John S. Loisel[1] MajorDonavon F. Smith (later Lt General) |
| Insignia | |
| 63d Fighter Squadron emblem(approved 2 March 1995)[2] |  |
| 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron emblem(approved 26 January 1956)[3] |  (modified 2 March 1995) |
| 63d Fighter Squadron emblem(approved 22 June 1943)[4] |  |
The63d Fighter Squadron is an activeUnited States Air Force unit, assigned to the56th Operations Group, atLuke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates theF-35A aircraft, and conducts advanced fighter training since its reactivation in 2016. When this Squadron was reactivated in 1975, their mission was to train pilots and weapons systems officers for theMcDonnell F-4E Phantom II, and they switched to theF-4D in 1978.
Thesquadron was constituted as the63d Pursuit Squadron one of the three original squadrons of the56th Pursuit Group atArmy Air Base Savannah, Georgia on 15 January 1941. The squadron immediately began training for its wartime missions underIII Fighter Command, rapidly transitioning through theSeversky P-35,Curtiss P-36 Hawk,Bell P-39 Airacobra, andCurtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft. On 7 December 1941, the 63d assumed the mission to defend theNortheastern United States from anticipated enemy air attack while it converted to theRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft and prepared to deploy overseas, operating under theI Fighter Command,New York Fighter Wing in the early months of 1942.
It was redesignated63d Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942, and deployed to England on 9 January 1943. It was declared operationally ready two months later and flew its first combat missions 13 April. The squadron was given fuselage code "LM" and operated from several RAF stations during the war, flying the P-47C Thunderbolt as anVIII Fighter Command bomber-escort unit initially forBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and beginning in 1944 forConsolidated B-24 Liberators attacking enemy targets inOccupied Europe. 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 the end of the war in Europe, the squadron was inactivated on 18 October 1945.[5]
The squadron was reactivated on 1 May 1946 as aStrategic Air Command (SAC) escort fighter group, being assigned toFifteenth Air Force atSelfridge Field, Michigan. Initially equipped with the P-47D Thunderbolts, being replaced with long-rangeNorth American P-51H Mustangs, originally developed forTwentieth Air Force bomber escort missions in thePacific Theater. The mission of the squadron was to provide fighter escort of SAC'sB-29 Superfortress bombers on intercontinental strategic bombardment missions, deploying to Alaska and Europe in this role. In 1947, the squadron was upgraded toLockheed P-80C Shooting Stars, as SAC introduced theBoeing B-50 Superfortress in the late 1940s. The squadron trained to maintain proficiency as a mobile strike force, including bomber escort mission until transferred from Strategic Air Command toContinental Air Command (ConAC)on 1 December 1948.
The squadron began performingair defense missions upon its transfer to ConAC and relocated toWurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan in 1951 and re-equipped with theNorth American F-86A Sabre. The squadron was redesignated the63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 January 1950. It was assigned toAir Defense Command in December 1950 and the4708th Defense Wing in February 1952. In 1954, the squadron was re-equipped with the purpose-builtNorthrop F-89 Scorpion interceptor. In 1957 began re-equipping with theNorth American F-86L Sabre. Moved toO'Hare International Airport, near Chicago, the squadron maintained the air defense alert at O'Hare until being inactivated in January 1958.[5]
The squadron was reactivated 30 June 1975 as the63d Tactical Fighter Squadron atMacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Its mission was to train pilots and weapons systems officers for theMcDonnell F-4E Phantom II. It changed equipment to theF-4D in 1978, sending the "E" models to operational squadrons.General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcons started to arrive for the 63d in 1980 and was active with the F-16A and F-16B by 1981. Squadron aircraft carried the "MC" tail code, with a red tail stripe outlined in white. On 1 October 1981, the squadron was re-designated the63d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron even though it had trained crew when it flew the Phantom II. Starting in 1988, the 63d converted to the F-16C/D block 30.
On 1 November 1991, the host56th Tactical Training Wing at MacDill implemented the Objective Wing organization plan, and the subsequent redesignation of units led to the 63d becoming simply the63d Fighter Squadron, and being assigned to the 56th Operations Group. The end of theCold War led to the BRAC commissions, and the downsizing of the Air Force to a smaller organization. As a result, it was decided first to close MacDill, although under political pressure later it was realigned to a new mission.
Like its two sister squadrons, the61st and62d Fighter Squadrons, the 63d Fighter Squadron moved toLuke Air Force Base, Arizona, but instead of getting F-16 Block 25s the squadron took over Block 42 F-16Cs. The 63d moved to Luke AFB on 25 February 1993. The move was one of the starts to the process of making Luke the main F-16 Replacement Training Unit location.
On 14 January 2008, the 63d started a course that caught a few aviation headlines. They began training pilots selected to fly theLockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, pilots who have never flown a fighter before. Up to this point F-22 pilots were hand-picked from the existing fighter community. Once the training in the F-16 was completed, the student pilots were reassigned to the43d Fighter Squadron atTyndall Air Force Base, Florida where they spent the next two years training with the F-22.
In February 2008, it was announced that the 63d was to be inactivated as a result of BRAC 2005 that Luke give up twenty-five block 25 F-16s. Although the 63d flew the Block 42 it transferred its F-16s to the 61st Fighter Squadron, which did operate the block 25. The 61st, due to its seniority and historical heritage, would remain active.
On 4 April 2009, the 63d graduated its last class of F-16 pilots at which time it continued the process to inactivate. Officially the squadron stood down on 22 May 2009 after 68 years of service.[5]
The squadron was reactivated on 1 August 2016 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Vedder to trainLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II pilots as part of a joint effort between Turkey and the United States.[6]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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