93rd Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 93d Fighter SquadronF-16C Fighting Falcon | |
| Active | 1 Jun 1943 – 1 Jun 1946 27 Jun 1949 – 3 Apr 1951 15 Jun 1952 – 16 Nov 1957 1 Oct 1978 – present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Homestead Air Reserve Base |
| Nickname | Makos |
| Equipment | General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon |
| Engagements | Battle of Normandy Operation Market Garden Siege of Bastogne Operation Plunder Operation Northern Watch Operation Southern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award French Croix de Guerre with Palm[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 93d Fighter Squadron emblem(approved 11 June 1979)[1] |  |
| Squadron codes[2] | 3B (June 1943 – June 1946) FM (Oct 1978 – present) |
The93d Fighter Squadron, nicknamedthe Makos, is part of theAir Force Reserve Command's482d Fighter Wing atHomestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. Originally formed in June 1943 as the93d Troop Carrier Squadron, the squadron participated on theWestern Front flyingDouglas C-47 Skytrains dropping paratroopers and releasing gliders duringOperation Overlord,Operation Market Garden and theSiege of Bastogne before being inactivated in June 1946.The Makos were reactivated as a reserve squadron in June 1949, which they continue to be as of 2019. Between 1949 and 1989, the squadron flew a variety of types such as theCurtiss C-46 Commando,Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star andMcDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. Since 1995,the Makos have flown theGeneral Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, in which they have conducted air superiority missions over Iraq as part ofOperation Northern Watch andOperation Iraqi Freedom.
The squadron was initially activated on 1 June 1943 underI Troop Carrier Command and equipped withDouglas C-47 Skytrains as the93d Troop Carrier Squadron. It trained in various parts of the eastern United States until the end of 1943 when it was deployed to theUnited Kingdom and assigned toIX Troop Carrier Command.
Prepared for theinvasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Beganoperations by droppingparatroops of the101st Airborne Division inNormandy onD-Day (6 June 1944) and releasinggliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received aDistinguished Unit Citation and a French citation for these missions. After the Normandy invasion the squadron ferried supplies in the United Kingdom.
After moving to France in September, the unit dropped paratroops of the82nd Airborne Division nearNijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during theairborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated in theBattle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division nearBastogne.
When theAllies made the air assault across theRhine River in March 1945, each aircraft towed two gliders with troops of the17th Airborne Division and released them nearWesel. The squadron also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It converted from C-47s to C-46s and the new aircraft to transport displaced persons from Germany to France and Belgium afterV-E Day.
Returned to the U.S. during the period July–September 1945, and trained withCurtiss C-46 Commando aircraft until inactivated.[1]
The squadron was reactivated as part ofAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC) atSelfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, on 27 June 1949. From here they once again operated the C-46 Commando, training in troop carrier operations up until 3 April 1951. The squadron was reactivated as the93d Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 15 June 1952, equipped with theNorth American F-51 Mustang. These were operated for only a year until the unit converted to their first jet –Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, which was operated up until 1956. Converting to theRepublic F-84 Thunderjet, the squadron continued fighter-bomber operations up until 16 November 1957 when they were inactivated.
After lying dormant for almost 21 years, the unit was reactivated atHomestead Air Force Base, Florida, as the93d Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1978.[1] Initially assigned to the915th Tactical Fighter Group,the Makos were equipped with theMcDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II.[3][4] On 1 April 1981, the 93d TFS were reassigned to the482d Tactical Fighter Wing.[1] Between 9 and 22 August 1980,the Makos deployed 12 F-4Cs toBodø Main Air Station,Norway, as part of Exercise Coronet Mil.[5] The squadron converted to the F-4D Phantom II in 1983, continuing to maintain combat readiness in tactical fighter operations.[3] The 93d TFS participated in Exercise Patriot Pearl atRoosevelt Roads Naval Station,Puerto Rico in 1988.[6][7]
The Makos began to convert to theGeneral Dynamics F-16A/B Fighting Falcon in November 1989.[3] The squadron was re-designated as the93d Fighter Squadron on 1 February 1992, the designation it holds to this day.[1] The 93rd FS deployed eight F-16As toAviano AFB,Italy, between 16 August and 12 September 1992.[8] On 24 August 1992, Homestead Air Force Base was hit byHurricane Andrew, aCategory 5 storm, heavily damaging the base.[9] The 93d FS evacuated the base and briefly operated fromWright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, between September and December 1992 before relocating toMacDill Air Force Base, Florida, in February 1993 wherethe Makos remained until March 1994.[1] The 93d FS finally returned home on 1 April 1994, when Homestead was reopened as Homestead Air Reserve Base.The Makos deployed eight F-16As toKarup Air Base,Denmark, between 5 and 18 June 1994 as part of Exercise Central Enterprise.[10] The squadron converted over to the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon in 1995, with most of their old F-16A/B aircraft being retired toAMARC.[3]
The 93d FS were deployed toIncirlik Air Base,Turkey, to enforce theno-fly zone over northernIraq as part ofOperation Northern Watch in 1997, 1999 and 2000.[1][3] They later deployed toAhmad al-Jaber Air Base,Kuwait, in 2001 as part ofOperation Southern Watch.[3] The squadron participated inOperation Iraqi Freedom when they were deployed alongside the457th Fighter Squadron toBalad Air Base, Iraq, in 2007 and later in 2009. They then supported a Theater Support Program deployment to South Korea with 12 F-16C+ Block 30s in 2012 for 90+ days. In 2014 they deployed 9 F-16C+s alongside their sister squadron 457th FS 9 F-16C+s to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan (BAF) for 180 days. In 2016 they deployed 12 F-16C+s back to BAF for 100+ day deployment. Most recently the 93rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed 12 F-16C+s to BAF in 2021 for 4 months and then extended and supported the final crewed fighter presence over Afghanistan from an undisclosed location in the Middle East being some of the last fighter pilots to fly over Afghanistan while supporting the pullout effort.[3]
The 93rd FS participated in Exercise Iniohos atAndravida Air Base,Greece, between 27 March and 6 April 2017.[11] While deployed they operated alongside theHellenic,Israeli,Italian and theUnited Arab Emirates Air Forces.[12]
The Makos deployed 12 F-16Cs toRAF Lakenheath,Suffolk, in the United Kingdom between 5–21 May 2019 where they carried outdissimilar air combat training withF-15E Strike Eagles of the492nd Fighter Squadron andRAFTyphoons.[13][14][15] Across the two-week deployment, the 93rd FS flew more than 180 hours across over 136 sorties.[16]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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