The 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 unit. Its last was assigned to the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. It was inactivated on 18 March 1969.

History

Activated in October 1957 at George AFB, California. Initially equipped with F-100 Super Sabre

F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...

s, however was programmed to receive the new F-104C tactical strike version of the Lockheed Starfighter. Delays in development caused the squadron not to receive the F-104 until September 1958, when it was the first Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

 squadron to be equipped with the new aircraft. It was primarily intended for nuclear strike, but it could also carry out ground attack missions with conventional weapons.

After obtaining operational readiness with the Starfigher, was deployed to Spain for air defense missions over the SAC B-47 Reflex base at Moron AB. Also used by the USAF/Lockheed for demonstrations for NATO military sales to replace Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

F-84F Thunderstreak

The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American-built swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version....

 combat aircraft. Also deployed in this role to Hahn AB, West Germany in 1962.

Was deployed to Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 in 1968 to reinforce the ROC Air Force air defense mission. In April 1968 was forward deployed with regular rotations to Da Nang Air Base

Da Nang Air Base

Da Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...

, South Vietnam. Their job was to fly MiG combat air patrol (MiGCAP) missions to protect American fighter bombers against attack by North Vietnamese fighters. They flew these missions armed with their single M61A1 20-mm cannon and four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The effect of F-104 deployment upon NVN and PRC MiG operations was immediate and dramatic; NVN MiGs soon learned to avoid contact with USAF strikes being covered by F-104s. During the entire deployment of the 476th only two fleeting encounters between F-104Cs and enemy fighters occurred.

Returned to the United States without aircraft in July 1968, the F-104Cs remaining in Taiwan and sold to the ROC Air Force. Was planned to be re-equipped with F-4C Phantom IIs as part of the phaseout of the F-104 from TAC, however budget reductions led to the squadron being placed on non-operational status; personnel were re-designated as the 4535th Combat Crew Training Squadron. Was reassigned to 4th TFW at Seymour Johnson AFB, but remained non-operational and inactivated in March 1969.

Lineage

• Established as 476th Fighter-Day Squadron on 1 October 1957

Activated on 8 October 1957

Re-designated as 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

Inactivated on 18 March 1969

Assignments

• 479th Fighter-Day (later Tactical Fighter) Wing
  479th Tactical Training Wing
  The 479th Tactical Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Tactical Training, Holloman, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...
  
  : 8 October 1957-25 September 1968

Attached to: 65th Air Division, 12 Nov 1959-28 Mar 1960

Attached to: 65th Air Division, 8 Apr-17 Aug 1961

Attached to: 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 Apr-l0 Aug 1962

Attached to: 65th Air Division, 6 Jan-l Apr 1964

Attached to: 2d Air Division, 7 Apr-11 Jul 1968

In non-operational status, 11 July-25 September 1958

• 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 September 1968-18 March 1969 (Not manned or equipped)

Stations

• George Air Force Base
  George Air Force Base
  George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...
  
  , California, 8 October 1957-25 September 1968

Deployed to: Morón Air Base

Morón Air Base

Morón Air Base is located at in southern Spain, approximately southeast of the city of Seville and northeast of Naval Station Rota. The base gets its name from the nearby town of Morón de la Frontera - although its is actually located in the municipality of Arahal.Morón's massive flight line,...

, Spain, 12 Nov 1959-28 Mar 1960; 8 Apr-17 Aug 1961; 6 Jan-l Apr 1964

Deployed to: Hahn Air Base

Hahn Air Base

Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...

, West Germany, 8 Apr-l0 Aug 1962

Deployed to: Ching Chuan Kang Air Base

Ching Chuan Kang Air Base

Ching Chuan Kang Air Base is a Republic Of China Air Force base located on Taiwan. It is the home to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, with three squadrons of Ching-kou air-defense /attack fighters...

, Taiwan, 7 Apr-11 Jul 1968

Performed rotational deployments to Da Nang AB, South Vietnam

• Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 25 September 1968-18 March 1969