44th Fighter Squadron

The 44th Fighter Squadron (44 FS) is part of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

Mission
The 44 FS operates the F-15 Eagle aircraft conducting air superiority missions.

History
The 44th Flew patrols over the Pacific from Hawaii from 7 December 1941–October 1942. It went on to fly combat missions in the South and Southwest Pacific from 21 December 1942 – 15 August 1945. It again flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, 19 –29 October 1965, and 25 April 1967 – 6 October 1970.

The squadron was unmanned from 31 December 1966–24 April 1967 and November 1970–15 May 1971. It has flown air defense over Okinawa and Japan since 1971.

The 44th Fighter Squadron was recently named as the winner of the Raytheon Trophy for 2012. The 44th FS closed out the year with more than 3,000 sorties, logged more than 5,000 hours of flying, and provided air superiority for 11 countries across three continents. Awarded annually since 1953, the Raytheon trophy is awarded to the top air superiority or air defense squadron in the Air Force.

2013 Sequestration
Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan.

Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called “basic mission capable” for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013. This affected the 44th Fighter Squadron with a reduction of its flying hours, placing it into a basic mission capable status from 5 April-30 September 2013.

Lineage

 * Constituted 44th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 22 November 1940
 * Activated on 1 January 1941
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 26 January 1944
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 6 May 1946
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 23 December 1949
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950
 * Redesignated: 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
 * Redesignated: 44th Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991

Assignments

 * 18th Pursuit (later, 18 Fighter) Group, 1 January 1941
 * 318th Fighter Group, 20 October 1942
 * South Pacific Area, 1 December 1942
 * Thirteenth Air Force, 4 January 1943
 * 18 Fighter (later, 18 Fighter-Bomber) Group, 30 March 1943
 * Attached to: 18 Fighter-Bomber Wing, 25 July – 30 November 1950
 * Attached to: 6200th Air Base Wing, 1 December 1950 – 30 January 1953
 * Attached to: Thirteenth Air Force, 31 January 1953-10 November 1954 and 11 December 1954 – 4 January 1955
 * Attached to: 6200th Air Base Wing, 5–27 January 1955
 * Attached to: Air Task Group Fifth, Provisional, 27 January – 16 February 1955
 * Attached to: 6200th Air Base Wing, 17 February – 14 July 1955
 * Attached to: Air Task Force 13, Provisional, 3–30 September 1955
 * Attached to: 314th Air Division, 15–18 April 1956
 * Attached to: 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 February – 30 September 1957


 * 18th Fighter-Bomber (later, 18 Tactical Fighter) Wing, 1 October 1957
 * Attached to: 2d Air Division, 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 23 June 1965, and 19–29 October 1965


 * 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 April 1967
 * Attached to: 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 10–14 October 1969


 * 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 October 1969
 * Thirteenth Air Force, 10 December 1970
 * 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 March 1971
 * Attached to: 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972
 * Attached to: 327th Air Division, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975


 * 18th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 May 1978
 * 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 February 1981
 * 18th Operations Group, 1 October 1991–present

Bases stationed

 * Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 1 January 1941
 * Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 7 November 1941
 * Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 12 December 1941
 * Kaneohe Field, Hawaii Territory, 27 December 1941
 * Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 25 January 1942
 * Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 23 June – 23 October 1942
 * Efate Airfield, New Hebrides 7 November 1942
 * Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 20 December 1942 – 20 March 1944


 * Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 25 October 1943
 * Air echelon operated from Mono Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands, 20 March – 25 April 1944
 * Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 11 May – 16 July 1944


 * Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 17 July 1944
 * Cape Opmarai Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 23 August 1944
 * Air echelon operated from Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 7 November 1944 – 16 January 1945


 * Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 13 January 1945
 * McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines, 26 February 1945
 * Air echelon operated from Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 26 April – 13 May 1945


 * San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Mindanao, Philippines, 4 May–November 1945
 * Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 10 November 1945


 * Floridablanca Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 17 July 1946
 * Clark Field (later, AFB), Luzon, Philippines, 3 October 1947
 * Deployed to: Yontan Auxiliary AB, Okinawa, 11 November – 11 December 1954
 * Deployed to: Taoyuan Air Base, Formosa, 27 January – 17 February 1955


 * Kadena AB, Okinawa, 15 July 1955
 * Deployed to: Taoyuan Air Base, Formosa, 3–30 September 1955
 * Deployed to: Pyongtaek AB, South Korea, 15–18 April 1956
 * Deployed to: Korat RTAFB, Thailand, 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, and 10–29 October 1965 Jan 28, 1966 to 8 April 1966


 * Korat RTAFB, Thailand, 25 April 1967
 * Deployed to: Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 1–27 February 1969


 * Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 10 October 1969 – 15 March 1971
 * Kadena AB, Okinawa (later, Japan), 15 March 1971–present
 * Deployed to: Kunsan AB, South Korea, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972
 * Deployed to: Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975
 * Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 1998
 * Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, March 2000
 * Deployed to Incirlik AB, Turkey, June 2001
 * Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, September 2002, Operation Southern Watch
 * Deployed to: SW Asia, October 2011 - April 2012
 * Deployed to: Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, July 2012 - January 2013

Aircraft Operated

 * P-40 Warhawk (1940–1942, 1943)
 * P-38 Lightning (1943–1946)
 * P-51 Mustang (1946–1947, 1948–1950)
 * P-47 Thunderbolt (1946–1948)
 * F-80 Shooting Star (1946–1947, 1949–1954)


 * F-86 Sabre (1954–1957)
 * F-100 Super Sabre (1957–1964)
 * F-105 Thunderchief (1963–1970)
 * F-4 Phantom II (1971–1980)
 * F-15 Eagle (1979–present)

Operations

 * World War II
 * Vietnam War