195th Fighter Squadron | |
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195th Fighter Squadron Emblem |
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Active | 1983-Present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Type | Squadron |
Role | Fighter Training |
Part of | Air National Guard/Air Combat Command |
Garrison/HQ | Tucson International Airport |
Nickname | Warhawks |
The 195th Fighter Squadron flies the F-16C Block 25 Fighting Falcon. It is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 162nd Fighter Wing.
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The 195th Fighter Squadron was formed in 1983 as the 195 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, TFTS, Tactical Air Command(TAC),Air National Guard(ANG). It was the second of four squadrons assigned to the 162 Tactical Fighter Group, TFG(ANG). First commanded by Lt Col "Cass" Cassaro, (callsign Devil) it was equipped with the A-7D/K Corsair II. The mission of the 195th was to train combat-ready pilots for the Air National Guard.
The squadron was the last of the Replacement Training Units (RTUs) in that aircraft. At that time it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Steve LeFebvre, (callsign Baldy). The last A-7 class graduated in July 1991, after which the squadron converted to the F-16A/B block 10 and continued the same RTU mission it had been tasked for previously.
The Air National Guard began to train non-NATO pilots. Six aircraft from the 148TFTS were designated to begin a school for those students. This group of aircraft and an initial cadre of instructors formed what would later become IMT (International Military Training.) The squadron had no official number or designation.
New software was installed in the jets as crew personnel worked diligently to make deadlines in preparation for the first students to arrive in 1992. Housed in semi-permanent trailers just east of the Operations building, the squadron took on the name of the "International Military Training Squadron" or IMT.
The 195th became an academic-only squadron for a short period of time. In 1995, the designation of the 195TFTS was transferred to the new squadron. As the Air Force underwent its reorganization, IMT eventually became the 195th Fighter Squadron (AETC)(ANG), but the International Military Training sign can still be seen hanging over the entrance of the building.
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