18th Reconnaissance Squadron



The 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (18 RS) is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 432d Operations Group, and stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

Mission
The 18th RS conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, operating the MQ-1 Predator UAV.

History
Activated as part of IV Fighter Command in early 1943, the squadron engaged in the Air Defense of the San Francisco area as well as a RTU until the end of 1943. It trained as a P-51 operational squadron and deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), where it was assigned to IX Fighter Command in England. It operated both as a tactical fighter squadron, providing air support to Allied ground forces in France as well as an air defense squadron, attacking enemy aircraft over Europe.

In August 1944, the squadron was redesignated as the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron carrying out photo-reconnaissance missions. The unit was inactivated in November 1945.

Reactivated in 1945 at Brooks Field, Texas under the 363d Reconnaissance Group, it trained with the RF-80A Shooting Star. The 18th moved to Langley Field in 1947 when Brooks was transferred to SAC (Strategic Air Command). The squadron was reassigned directly to the Fourteenth Air Force in 1949 when the 363d was inactivated and moved to Shaw AFB, South Carolina.

The unit was re-assigned to the 363d when the group was re-activated at Shaw on 2 Apr 1951. It became a training squadron with a mission to provide photographic intelligence training to support both air and ground operations by American or Allied ground forces. Upgraded to the RF-84F Thunderstreak in 1954, it continued training operations until 1957 when it re-quipped with the RF-101C Voodoo.

The squadron was reassigned to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and deployed to NATO in 1957. It operated from France until 1966, moving to RAF Upper Heyford, England. It remained in the UK until 1970, when it returned to Shaw AFB and was assigned to the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. It was re-equipped with the RF-4C Phantom II at Shaw and performed training for new photo-reconnaissance pilots until 1979 when it was inactivated due to budget reductions.

The 18th was reactivated at Beale AFB, California as an RQ-4 Global Hawk strategic reconnaissance UAV squadron, between 2006 and 2007. It moved to Creech AFB, Nevada in 2009 where it was reactivated as an MQ-1 Predator UAV squadron.

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 381st Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 11 Feb 1943
 * Activated on 1 Mar 1943
 * Re-designated as the 381st Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 20 Aug 1943
 * Re-designated as the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 Aug 1944
 * Inactivated on 9 Nov 1945


 * Re-designated as the 161st Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo (Jet Propelled) on 9 Jul 1946
 * Activated on 31 Aug 1946
 * Re-designated as the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo-Jet on 28 Aug 1948
 * Re-designated as the 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo-Jet on 10 Oct 1950
 * Re-designated as the 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 Oct 1966
 * Inactivated on 30 Sept 1979


 * Re-designated as the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron on 14 Mar 2006
 * Activated on 3 Apr 2006
 * Inactivated on 24 Aug 2007


 * Activated on 11 Dec 2009

Assignments

 * 363d Fighter (later, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance) Group, 1 Mar 1943
 * Attached to 10th Photographic Group, 23 Dec 1944 – 3 Jan 1945


 * 67th Reconnaissance Group, 3 Ju1-9 Nov 1945
 * 363d Reconnaissance (later, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance) Group, 31 Aug 1946
 * Fourteenth Air Force, 23 Sept 1949
 * Attached to 20th Fighter Wing, 20 Sept 1949 – 2 Apr 1951


 * 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 2 Apr 1951
 * 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 Feb 1958
 * 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Jun 1959
 * 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 30 Jan 1970 – 30 Sept 1979
 * 9th Operations Group, 3 Apr 2006 – 24 Aug 2007
 * 432d Operations Group, 11 Dec 2009–Present

Stations

 * Hamilton Field, California, March 1943
 * Santa Rosa Army Airfield, California, 23 August 1943
 * Oakland International Airport, California, 8 October – 2 December 1943
 * RAF Keevil (AAF-471), England, 23 December 1943
 * RAF Rivenhall (AAF-168), England, c. 3 February 1944
 * RAF Staplehurst (AAF-413), England, 14 April 1944
 * Maupertu Airfield (A-15), France, c. 5 July 1944
 * Azeville Airfield (A-7), France, c. 22 August 1944
 * Montreuil Airfield (A-38), France, 9 September 1944
 * Sandweiler Airfield (A-97), Luxembourg, 11 October 1944
 * Le Culot Airfield (A-89), Belgium, 29 October 1944
 * Operated from Conflans Airfield (A-94), France, 24 December 1944 – 6 February 1945


 * Venlo Airfield (Y-55), Netherlands, 11 March 1945
 * Gutersloh Airfield (R-85), Germany, 16 April 1945
 * Brunswick/Waggum Airfield (R-37), Germany, 26 April 1945
 * AAF Station Wiesbaden, Germany, 20 May 1945
 * Reims/Champagne Airfield, France, c, 3 Jul – c. 4 Sept 1945
 * Drew Field, Florida 16 Sep – 9 Nov 1945
 * Brooks Field, Texas, 31 Aug 1946
 * Langley Field, Virginia, 1 Nov 1946
 * Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 23 Sept 1949 – 25 May 1959
 * Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, 1 Jun 1959
 * RAF Upper Heyford, England, 1 Sept 1966
 * Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 30 Jan 1970-30 Sept 1979
 * Beale AFB, California, 3 Apr 2006 – 24 Aug 2007
 * Creech AFB, Nevada, 11 Dec 2009 –

Aircraft

 * P-39 Airacobra (1943)
 * P-51 Mustang (1944–1945)
 * F-6 Mustang (1944–1945, 1946–1947)
 * FP-80 (1946–1955)
 * T-33 Shooting Star (1950–1954)


 * RF-84 Thunderflash (1954–1957)
 * RF-101 Voodoo (1957–1970)
 * RF-4 Phantom II (1970–1979)
 * RQ-4 (2006–2007)
 * MQ-1 (2009–Present)

Operations

 * World War II