| 78th Reconnaissance Squadron | |
|---|---|
78th Reconnaissance Squadron Patch |
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| Active | 28 February 1918 - 15 November 1918 1 April 1931 - 1 September 1937 1 February 1940 - 15 October 1946 1 November 1952 - 1 May 1992 1 January 1994 - 30 June 2003 19 May 2006 - present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Reconnaissance and Surveillance |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command 10th Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Nellis Air Force Base |
| Nickname | Bushmasters |
| Engagements | World War I World War II |
| Decorations | DUC AFOUA |
The 78th Reconnaissance Squadron (78 RS) is part of the Tenth Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The 78 RS conducts operations from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in conjunction with their active-duty associates in the Air Force Warfare Center.
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The mission of the 78th Reconnaissance Squadron is to maintain combat-ready reservists to train and equip the Combat Air Forces to conduct Integrated and Expeditionary Combat Operations, as well as training operations, in the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Systems.
The squadron consists of UAS pilots, sensor operators and intelligence personnel integrated into Regular Air Force units within the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The 78th was organized in 1917 at Rich Field, Waco, Texas as a training unit. In February 1918 moved to Hicks Field, Fort Worth, Texas before being deactivated. In 1931, the 78th Pursuit Squadron was again activated and assigned to the 20th Pursuit Group at Mather Field, California flying single-seat Boeing P-12 biplane fighters.
During World War II the unit was recognized and stationed in the Pacific theater where the unit flew P-39s, P-40s, and P-51s. With a combat record from the war of 200 enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged, versus the loss of only six aircraft assigned to the unit. The 78th received the Distinguished Unit Citation for actions at the Musashino Plant, Tokyo, Japan, on 7 April 1945.
On the 1 November 1952 the 78th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was reactivated, flying F-86 Sabre aircraft as part of the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. In 1954 the 81st became a Fighter Bomber Wing and the assigned squadrons began flying the F-84 Thunderjet. Then in 1958, the 78th received its first F-101 Voodoo aircraft.
The squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990, where it took part in Operation Desert Storm. Subsequently, the 78th began a regular rotation of deployments to patrol the Northern and Southern No-Fly Zones of Iraq, the last of which took place in mid to late 2002, when they deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. The squadron also performed combat operations in Kosovo from March to June 1999.[1]
The 78th was prepared to again deploy to Turkey in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom, however, the Turkish government denied the use of its nation as a staging area against Iraq. Consequently, the 78th stood down and was deactivated. The personnel and equipment to the 55th Fighter Squadron.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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