The first predecessor of thegroup was organized in 1942 as the85th Bombardment Group. It served as a training unit and participated inmilitary exercises until it was disbanded in a general reorganization ofArmy Air Forces units in the spring of 1944.
The second predecessor of the group was organized in 1952 as theIceland Air Defense Force. Except for a brief period in the early 1980s, it served as the United States' air defenseheadquarters in Iceland until inactivating in 2006.
The 85th returned to Third Air Force in Louisiana and re-equipped withNorth American A-36 Apache attack aircraft in early 1943, moving briefly to Kentucky for maneuvers.[1] The group then moved to Georgia withCurtiss P-40 Warhawk single-enginefighter aircraft in early 1944 as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for fighter-bomberpilots.[1] RTUs were oversized units designed to train replacement aircrew for assignment overseas.[8] In late 1943, it assumed a split operation as its 500th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS) moved toHarris Neck Army Air Field, Georgia and its 502d FBS moved toPunta Gorda Army Air Field, Florida, while the group and remaining squadrons remained atWaycross Army Air Field. It received a fewRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1944. It served as a RTU until it disbanded in early in 1944,[1] when like most RTUs and Operational Training Units its personnel, equipment, and training activities at Waycross were handed over to the 345th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter).[9][failed verification] Those at Punta Gorda became the duty of the 344th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter)[10] and at Harris Neck of the 346th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter).[11] This reorganization occurred because the AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[12]
Air Forces Iceland continued the air defense mission of Iceland as a tenant organization after the Keflavik airfield becameNaval Air Station Keflavik. it was transferred from MATS toAir Defense Command in 1962;Tactical Air Command in 1978 andAir Combat Command in 1992 until it was inactivated in 1993 and replaced by the35th Wing. In 1994, it was consolidated with the 85th Tactical Fighter Training Wing and activated to replace the 35th Wing to serve again as the headquarters for Air Force units in Iceland, as the 85th Wing.[13] It assumed the operational management of fighter and tanker aircraft deployed to Iceland to protect the nation's airspace.[13] It defended U.S. national interests in the North Atlantic.[13] In 2003, its 56th Rescue Squadron deployed to Liberia as part ofJoint Task Force Liberia. It provided a U.S. presence over the capital of Monrovia towards the end of theSecond Liberian Civil War and saved lives by extracting people from the United States Embassy in Monrovia.[14]
Reactivated in 1952, the 85th Group was an independent group comprising seven squadrons and 13 staff agencies, with more than 1300 people assigned.[15][14] Operationally, the group was assigned to theIceland Defense Force as part of Island Command Iceland.
As the "Guardians of the North," the 85th Group was responsible for deterring aggression in the North Atlantic, protecting Iceland's airspace. This was accomplished through surveillance,air superiority and the use of rescue assets. The 85th Group was responsible for deterring aggression in the North Atlantic and protecting Iceland's airspace. It also supported contingency operations through surveillance, air superiority and rescue forces.
Air Force reductions and a new agreement with the Government of Iceland continued to affect Keflavik organizations. On 1 March 1995, the 57th Fighter Squadron was inactivated and the interceptor force was replaced by Regular Air Force and Air National Guard F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft rotating every 90 days to Iceland. The 85th Wing was reduced to a Group level in 1995 and supported rotational deployments. In 2002 jurisdiction of Air Force units in Iceland was transferred to theUnited States Air Forces in Europe.
57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-15 Eagles over Iceland 1986
The 85th Group continued to support rotational deployments until it was inactivated on 28 June 2006, as a result of the Air Force reduction in forces in Iceland. All rotational fighters left and the56th Rescue Squadron ceased operation at the end of the fiscal year.
The group was redesignated the85th Fighter Group and activated atEbbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas on 2 July 2024,[16] drawing its resources from Detachment 1,33rd Fighter Wing, which was discontinued. Detachment 1 had been established in 2023, when Ebbing was selected as the site for Foreign Military Sales associated training on the F-35 Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Its initial mission was to establish the tasks required to prepare for flight operations.[2] In May 2025, the group reached initial operational capability, graduating its first class, pilots from thePolish Air Force.[17]
932d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 932d Air Defense Squadron, 932d Air Control Squadron), 8 March 1954 – 18 December 1955; 1 July 1960 – 31 May 1993; 1 July 1995 – 28 July 2006
^Approved 13 December 1955, modified 9 October 1968.
^Approved 6 November 1942. Description:Azure, five drop bombsor, arranged one largein pale two todexterbendwise in pale and two to sinisterbend sinisterwise in pale, a chiefindented of eight points of the last [color mentioned].
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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