78th Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base or NAS Fort Worth JRB includes Carswell Field, a military airfield located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by United States Navy...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The 78 RS conducts operations from Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in conjunction with their active-duty associates in the Air Force Warfare Center.
Mission
The mission of the 78th Reconnaissance Squadron is to maintain combat-ready reservists to train and equip the Combat Air Forces to conduct Integrated and Expeditionary Combat Operations, as well as training operations, in the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Systems.The squadron consists of UAS pilots, sensor operators and intelligence personnel integrated into Regular Air Force units within the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base
Creech Air Force Base
Creech Air Force Base , formerly known as Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, is a United States Air Force base located one mile north of the central business district of Indian Springs, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is about northwest of Las Vegas and northwest of Nellis Air...
, Nevada.
History
The 78th was organized in 1917 at Rich FieldRich Field
Rich Field is a defunct military airfield near Waco, Texas, used for flying training during World War I. It was named in honor of 2nd Lt. C. Perry Rich of the Philippine Scouts. He had been instructed to fly by Lt. Frank P. Lahm in May 1913, then crashed his Wright Model C into Manila Bay on...
, Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
as a training unit. In February 1918 moved to Hicks Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
before being deactivated. In 1931, the 78th Pursuit Squadron was again activated and assigned to the 20th Pursuit Group at Mather Field, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
flying single-seat Boeing P-12
Boeing P-12
The Boeing P-12 or F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Navy.-Design and development:...
biplane fighters.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the unit was recognized and stationed in the Pacific theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
where the unit flew P-39s, P-40s, and P-51
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s. With a combat record from the war of 200 enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged, versus the loss of only six aircraft assigned to the unit. The 78th received the Distinguished Unit Citation for actions at the Musashino Plant, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, on 7 April 1945.
On the 1 November 1952 the 78th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was reactivated, flying F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
aircraft as part of the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. In 1954 the 81st became a Fighter Bomber Wing and the assigned squadrons began flying the F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
. Then in 1958, the 78th received its first F-101 Voodoo
F-101 Voodoo
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
aircraft.
The squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in 1990, where it took part in Operation Desert Storm. Subsequently, the 78th began a regular rotation of deployments to patrol the Northern and Southern No-Fly Zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
s of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the last of which took place in mid to late 2002, when they deployed to Incirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base
The Incirlik Air Base is located in İncirlik, five miles east of Adana, Turkey's fifth largest city, and from the Mediterranean Sea.The U.S...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The squadron also performed combat operations in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
from March to June 1999.
The 78th was prepared to again deploy to Turkey in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom, however, the Turkish government denied the use of its nation as a staging area against Iraq. Consequently, the 78th stood down and was deactivated. The personnel and equipment to the 55th Fighter Squadron
55th Fighter Squadron
The 55th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-World War I:...
.
Lineage
- Organized as 78th Aero Squadron on 28 February 1918
- Redesignated, Squadron A, Taliaferro Field, TX, on 23 July 1918
- Demobilized on 15 November 1918
- Reconstituted, and consolidated (25 April 1933) with 78th Observation Squadron, which was constituted on 18 October 1927
- Redesignated 78th Pursuit Squadron on 8 May 1929
- Activated on 1 April 1931
- Inactivated on 1 September 1937
- Redesignated 78th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 22 December 1939
- Activated on 1 February 1940
- Redesignated: 78th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
- Redesignated: 78th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 August 1943
- Inactivated on 15 October 1946
- Redesignated 78th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 11 September 1952
- Activated on 1 November 1952
- Redesignated: 78th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 April 1954
- Redesignated: 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958
- Inactivated on 1 May 1992
- Redesignated 78th Fighter Squadron on 22 December 1993
- Activated on 1 January 1994
- Inactivated on 30 June 2003
- Redesignated 78th Reconnaissance Squadron on 19 April 2006
- Activated on 19 May 2006.
Assignments
- Unknown, 28 February-15 November 1918
- 20th Pursuit Group (attached to 6th Composite Group), 1 April 1931
- 3d Attack Wing (attached to 6th Composite Group), 15 June 1932
- 16th Pursuit Group, 1 December 1932-1 September 1937
- 18 Pursuit (later, 18 Fighter) Group, 1 February 1940
- 15th Fighter Group, 16 March 1943-15 October 1946
- 81 Fighter-Interceptor (later, 81 Fighter-Bomber) Group81st Fighter-Bomber GroupThe 81st Fighter-Bomber Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 81st Fighter-Bomber Wing, being assigned to RAF Bentwaters, England. It was inactivated on 8 February 1955.-World War II:...
, 1 November 1952
- Attached to 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, c. 22 April 1954-7 February 1955
- 81st Fighter-Bomber (later, 81 Tactical Fighter) Wing, 8 February 1955-1 May 1992
- 20th Operations Group20th Operations GroupThe 20th Operations Group is a component of the 20th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 1 January 1994-30 June 2003 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 19 May 2006–present
Bases stationed
- Waco, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1918) - Taliaferro FieldCamp TaliaferroCamp Taliaferro was a World War I flight training center run by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Fort Worth, Texas area. It was named after Walter R. Taliaferro, a U.S. Army aviator who had been killed in an accident....
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1918) - France Field, Panama Canal ZonePanama Canal ZoneThe Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
(1931–1932) - Albrook Field, Panama Canal ZonePanama Canal ZoneThe Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
(1932–1937) - Wheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
, Hawaii Territory, (1940–1941) - Kaneoke Airfield, Hawaii Territory, (1941–1943)
- Henderson FieldHenderson Field (Midway)Henderson Field on East Midway Island is a former World War II airfield in the Central Pacific. The airfield was abandoned after the war....
, Midway AtollMidway AtollMidway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
,(1943) - Barking Sands Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, (1943)
- Haleiwa Fighter StripHaleiwa Fighter StripHaleiwa Fighter Strip was a military airfield located on Oahu, Hawaii. It was used as part of the island's defense in World War II.-History:This obscure former military strip became famous during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor....
, Hawaii Territory, (1943–1944) - Stanley Army AirfieldStanley Army AirfieldStanley Army Airfield is a former World War II airfield located on Oahu, Hawaii. It was a temporary airfield, used for fighter as part of the island's defense...
, Hawaii Territory, (1944) - Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, (1944)
- Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, (1944–1945)
- Central FieldCentral Field (Iwo Jima)Central Field was a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Volcano Islands are part of Japan. The airfield was located on the southern corner of Iwo Jima located on the Motoyama plateau, to the north of Mount Suribachi.It was abandoned after...
, Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
(1945) - Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory,(1945–1946)
- Wheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
, Hawaii Territory, (1946) - RAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force base in Suffolk England 9 miles NE of Bury St Edmunds.The base was built for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force during World War II. However the facility was not used by the USAAF and was opened by 3 Group, RAF on 3 April 1944...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1952–1956, 1957–1958) - RAF SculthorpeRAF SculthorpeRAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...
, England (1956–1957) - RAF WoodbridgeRAF WoodbridgeRoyal Air Force Station Woodbridge, more commonly referred to as RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force military airbase situated to the east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England...
, England (1958–1992) - Shaw Air Force BaseShaw Air Force BaseShaw Air Force Base is a United States Military facility located approximately west-northwest of Sumter, South Carolina. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
(1994–2003 - Nellis Air Force BaseNellis Air Force BaseNellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
(2006–present)
Aircraft Operated
- JN-4 (1918)
- JN-6 Jenny (1918)
- S-4 (1918)
- P-12Boeing P-12The Boeing P-12 or F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Navy.-Design and development:...
(1932–1936) - P-26 PeashooterP-26 PeashooterThe American Boeing P-26 Peashooter, was the first all-metal production fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane used by the United States Army Air Corps...
(1940) - P-36 HawkP-36 HawkThe Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design...
(1940–1941) - P-40 Warhawk (1941–1944)
- P-39 Airacobra (1942)
- P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
(1944–1945) - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1944–1946) - F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
(1952–1955) - F-84 ThunderjetF-84 ThunderjetThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
(1954–1958) - F-101 VoodooF-101 VoodooThe McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
(1958–1966) - F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
(1965–1979) - A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
(1979–1992) - F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
(1994–2003)
Operations
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- Operation Desert Storm
- Operation Allied ForceOperation Allied ForceThe NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
- Operation Northern WatchOperation Northern WatchOperation Northern Watch, the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a US European Command Combined Task Force charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq...
- Operation Southern WatchOperation Southern WatchOperation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Summary:Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992...