| 457th Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the 457th Fighter Squadron |
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| Active | 1944 - June 1949 (deactivated) July 1972–present (reactivated) |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force/AFRC |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | 301st Fighter Wing 12th Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | NAS Fort Worth JRB (formerly Carswell AFB) |
| Nickname | Spads |
| Motto | Spad to the Bone |
The 457th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) unit, assigned to the 301st Operations Group. Stationed at Carswell Field, Texas, the squadron flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
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The 457th FS is part of the only Air Force Reserve unit in the state of Texas. Since September 11, 2001, 301st Fighter Wing units and individual personnel in various career fields have supported a number of missions related to Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle's homeland defense, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.[1] The 457th FS ended a two month deployment to Balad AB in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2005.[2]
The aircraft of the 457th FS carry the base tail code TX on their F-16s. The tail code carried by 457th TFS aircraft when the NAS JRB Fort Worth was known as Carswell AFB was TH.
Trained in the continental United States, Oct 1944-Feb 1945. Moved to western Pacific Ocean in spring of 1945. Escorted B-29 bombers in raids against Japan, and attacked targets such as enemy airfields, May-Aug 1945. Between 1953 and 1959, and again since July 1972, trained for a variety of tactical air missions. Frequently deployed for training exercises, some of them overseas.
Took part in Operation Deny Flight, enforcing a no-fly zone over Bosnia, in mid-1990s. Participated in training exercises and deployments. Provided resources for Operations Northern Watch (1999-2000), Southern Watch (2001), Noble Eagle (2001-), and Iraqi Freedom (2003-).
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.