311th Fighter Squadron



The 311th Fighter Squadron (311 FS) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 56th Operations Group, being stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 26 September 1995.

The squadron operated the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training at Luke. Was inactivated due to budget constraints after the end of the Cold War.

World War II
The 311th Fighter Squadron was constituted on 21 January 1942, as the 310th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) and was activated on 9 February at Harding Field, Louisiana, where it flew the P-39 and P-40 aircraft. During 1942 and early 1943 the squadron was both an Operational and a Replacement Training Unit initially under III Fighter Command, being reassigned to I Fighter Command in October 1942. Also was part of the air defense of the Northeast United States, being a component of several Air Defense fighter wings (Philadelphia, New York, Boston), under First Air Force.

Was converted into an operational squadron in March 1943 at Bradley Field, Connecticut, being re-equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts. Was deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater, being assigned to Fifth Air Force in Australia in November 1943. Began combat operations in February 1944, providing protection for U.S. bases and escorting transports initially, then escorting bombers over New Guinea and sea convoys to Admiralty Islands. From Noemfoor, bombed and strafed Japanese airfields and installations on Ceram, Halmahera, and the Kai Islands.

Moved to the Philippines in Nov, flew fighter sweeps against enemy airfields, supported U.S. ground forces, and protected sea convoys and transport routes. Beginning in July 1945, attacked railways, airfields, and enemy installations in Korea and Kyushu, Japan from Okinawa. After V-J Day, flew reconnaissance missions over Japan. Moved without personnel or equipment to the Philippines in Dec to be inactivated in January 1946 at Fort William McKinley, Luzon.

Cold War
Reactivated during the Korean War at Taegu Air Base, South Korea, being re-designated the 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. First equipped with the Republic F-84G Thunderjet, the squadron adopted the North American F-86 Sabrejet in 1954 and kept it through 1958. During the Korean War, the squadron flew primarily air-to-ground missions supporting ground operations. The 311th FBS participated in the Korea Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, and Korean Summer-Fall 1953 campaigns, the squadron again distinguished itself, earning the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

After the armistice in 1953, the squadron was moved to Osan Air Base on 19 March 1955. Remained in South Korea to provide deterrence against any armistice violations by North Korea. Inactivated 1 July 1958 due to budget restraints.

Pilot training
Reactivated in January 1970 as the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, assuming personnel and equipment of the provisional 4515th Combat Crew Training Squadron, carried tail code "LA" with yellow fin cap. Initially operated the F-100D Super Sabres of the 4515th CCTS, re-equipped with the McDonnell F-4C Phantom II in August 1971, performing F-4 pilot training role previously performed by Davis-Monthan AFB units.

Re-equipped with Block 1, 5 and 10 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon aircraft in late 1982. F-16s carried tail code "LF". In 1988 the squadron began receiving brand new block 42 F-16C/Ds to replace the F-16A/B. Inactivated 1 April 1994 with the phase down of combat training at Luke after the end of the Cold War.

Reactivated in January 1995 with F-16C/D block 42s to train Foreign Military Sales customers, mission and aircraft reassigned to the 152d Fighter Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard at Tucson Air National Guard Base and inactivated late September 1995

Lineage

 * Constituted 311th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 21 January 1942
 * Activated on 9 February 1942
 * Re-designated: 311th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
 * Re-designated: 311th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 August 1943
 * Inactivated on 20 February 1946


 * Re-designated 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 June 1952
 * Activated on 10 July 1952
 * Inactivated on 1 July 1958


 * Re-designated 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 12 January 1970
 * Activated on 18 January 1970
 * Re-designated: 311th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991
 * Inactivated on 1 April 1994


 * Activated on 1 January 1995
 * Inactivated on 26 September 1995

Assignments

 * 58th Pursuit (later, 58th Fighter) Group, 9 Feb 1942 – 27 Jan 1946
 * Fifth Air Force, 27 Jan – 20 Feb 1946
 * 58th Fighter-Bomber Group, 10 Jul 1952
 * Attached to 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 Mar – 7 Nov 1957


 * 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 8 Nov 1957 – 1 Jul 1958
 * 58th Tactical Fighter Training (later, 58th Tactical Training) Wing, 18 Jan 1970
 * 58th Operations Group, 1 October 1991 – 1 April 1994
 * 56th Operations Group, 1 January – 26 September 1995

Stations

 * Harding Field, Louisiana (1942)
 * Dale Mabry Field, Florida (1942)
 * Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia (1942)
 * Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. (1942–1943)
 * Bradley Field, Connecticut (1943)
 * Hillsgrove, Rhode Island (1943)
 * Grenier Field, New Hampshire (1943)
 * Archerfield Airport (Brisbane), Australia, (1943)
 * Dobodura Airfield, New Guinea,(1943–1944)
 * Saidor Airfield, New Guinea, (1944)
 * Kornasoren Airfield Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, New Guinea, (1944)


 * San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Leyte, Philippines, (1944)
 * McGuire Field, Mindoro, Philippines (1944–1945)
 * Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, (1945)
 * Porac Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, (1945)
 * Ie Shima Airfield, Okinawa, (1945)
 * Japan (1945)
 * Fort William McKinley, Luzon (1945–1946)
 * Taegu Air Base, South Korea (1952–1955)
 * Osan Air Base, South Korea (1955–1958)
 * Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1970–1994, 1995 - )

Aircraft

 * P-39 Airacobra (1942)
 * P-40 Warhawk (1942–1943)
 * P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1945)
 * F-84 Thunderjet (1952–1954)
 * F-86 Sabre (1954–1958)
 * F-4 Phantom II (1970–1983)
 * F-16 Fighting Falcon (1982–1994)

Operations

 * World War II
 * Korean War