148th Fighter Squadron

The 148th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 162d Fighter Wing, Arizona Air National Guard. It is stationed at Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona.

Overview

The squadron flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon and performs training for Air National Guard and NATO pilots.

History

Activated on 1 October 1942 at RAF Duxford, England as the 347th Fighter Squadron. Initially assigned to VIII Fighter Command, reassigned to Twelfth Air Force and engaged in combat in the North African Campaign and later based in Italy as part of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Engaged in combat during Sicilian and Italian Campaigns, also flew combat missions from Sardinia and in the Rhone Valley of France, 1944.

Inactivated November 1945 and allocated to Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 1946, being re-designated 148th Fighter Squadron, and assigned to Reading Army Airfield as a geographically separated unit of the 112th Fighter Group at Pittsburgh Airport.

The squadron was activated at Reading AAF on 22 April 1947 with P (later F-47) Thunderbolts. On 10 February 1951 the squadron was federalized due to the Korean War and brought to active duty at Dover AFB, Delaware.

It was released from active duty on 1 November 1952 and was equipped with the F-86D Sabre interceptor. In 1956, the end of era came for the 148th as the squadron was re-designated as the 140th Air Transport Squadron with the main airframe being the C-46 "Commando" transports

Reactivated 15 October 1985 under 162d Fighter Wing, Arizona Air National Guard as 148th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron. Equipped with F-16A/B block 20 MLU and began training mission. Re-designated 148th Fighter Squadron 16 March 1992. Engaged in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) training.

Lineage

• Activated on 1 Oct 1942 by special authority prior to constitution as 347th Fighter Squadron on 2 Oct 1942.

Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945

• Re-designated 148th Fighter Squadron, and allotted to Pennsylvania ANG, on 24 May 1946.

Organized and federally recognized 27 February 1947

Federalized and placed on active duty, 10 February 1951

Re-designated: 148th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine), 10 February 1951

Released from active duty and returned to Pennsylvania commonwealth control, 1 November 1952

Inactivated 30 June 1956

Re-designated: 140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron and activated 1 July 1956

• Designation only transferred to Arizona Air National Guard, 1 October 1985
• Reactivated as 148th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, 15 October 1985

Re-designated 148th Fighter Squadron 16 March 1992

Assignments

• 350th Fighter Group, 1 October 1942-7 November 1945
• Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 24 May 1946

112th Fighter Group (ADC), 27 February 1947

112th Fighter Group (ConAC), 1 December 1948

112th Fighter Group (ADC), 1 January 1951

Federalized and placed on active duty under Air Defense Command, 10 February 1951

113th Fighter Group, 10 February 1951

4710th Defense Wing, 6 February 1952

112th Fighter Group (ADC), 1 November 1952

Allocated to: Military Air Transport Service, 1956

• Designation only transferred to Arizona Air National Guard, 1 October 1985

162d Fighter Wing, 1 October 1985–Present

Stations

Aircraft

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links