14th Fighter Squadron

The 14th Fighter Squadron (14 FS) is part of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.

History
The 14th flew combat reconnaissance missions in the European Theater of Operations from, 12 August 1943–25 April 1945 and conducted damage assessment of Germany until 23 July 1945. It again flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from, 2 November 1967–August 1973 including documenting by aerial photography the communist takeover of Cambodia and the Republic of Vietnam in 1975.

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 14th Fighter Squadron with a reduction of its flying hours, placing it into a basic mission capable status from 5 April-30 September 2013.

Operations

 * World War II
 * Vietnam War

Lineage

 * 14th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (1942–1943)
 * 14th Photographic Squadron (Light) (1943)
 * 14th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (1943–1947)
 * 14th Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic (1947–1952)
 * 14th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1966)
 * 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (1966–1984)
 * 14th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1984–1991)
 * 14th Fighter Squadron (1991 – present)

Assignments

 * 3d Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group (1942–1943)
 * 7th Reconnaissance Group (1943–1945)
 * United States Air Forces in Europe (1945)
 * 65th Reconnaissance Group (1947–1949)
 * 65th Troop Carrier Group (1952–1953)
 * Tactical Air Command (1966–1967)
 * 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (1967)
 * 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (1967–1975)
 * 432d Fighter Wing (1987–1994)
 * 35th Fighter Wing (1994 – present)

Bases stationed

 * Peterson Army Air Field, Colorado (1942–1943)
 * RAF Mount Farm, England (1943–1945)
 * RAF Chalgrove, England (1945)
 * Vélizy-Villacoublay, France (1945)
 * Camp Shanks, New York (1945)
 * Binghamton, New York (1947–1949)
 * Mitchel Air Force Base, New York (1952–1953)
 * Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas (1967)
 * Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (1967–1975)
 * Misawa Air Base, Japan (1987 – present)

Aircraft Operated

 * P-38 Lightning (1942–1944, 1944–1945)
 * Supermarine Spitfire (1943–1945)
 * P-51 Mustang (1945)
 * C-46 Commando (1945, 1952–1953)
 * C-53 Skytrooper (1945)


 * T-6 Texan (1947–1949)
 * AT-11 Kansan (1947–1949)
 * RF-4 (1967–1975)
 * F-16 Fighting Falcon (1987 – present)