80th Flying Training Wing
Encyclopedia
The 80th Flying Training Wing (80 FTW) is a wing
of the United States Air Force
based out of Sheppard Air Force Base
in Wichita Falls
, Texas.
The 80th FTW is home of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. The ENJJPT, established in the spirit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is the world's only multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for NATO.
*Redesignated as part of ATC program to replace four-digit MAJCOM wings with two-digit wings with a combat lineage. The 3630th FTW was activated at Shepphard on 10 December 1965 to provide UPT for the West German Air Force.
Squadrons
to sweep northern Burma clean of the Japanese.
The 80th trained for combat and served as part of the defense force for the northeastern United States from, 1942–1943. It's flying squadrons were the 88th
, 89th
, and 90th Pursuit
(later Fighter) Squadrons. It first trained with the P-47 Thunderbolt and later in the Curtis P-40.
The 80th sailed for India
, via Brazil
, the Cape of Good Hope
, and Ceylon, in May 1943, commencing combat operations in the China-Burma-India
theater in September 1943. The group supported Allied
ground forces during the battle for northern Burma and the push southward to Rangoon, bombing and strafing troop concentrations, supply dumps, lines of communication, artillery
positions, and other objectives.
The 80th was assigned the defense of the Indian terminus of the Hump
route, which it carried out by striking Japanese airfields and patrolling Allied air bases to safeguard them from attack. The 80th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for intercepting a formation of Japanese aircraft, preventing the destruction of a large oil refinery in Assam
, India, on 27 March 1944. Though its primary mission in Burma was the protection of the "Hump" cargo route, the group also played an important role in reopening the Ledo/Burma Road. Using modified, so-called B-40 fighter bombers (the Curtiss P-40
fitted with a 1,000 pound bomb), the 80th FG attacked Japanese-held bridges, sometimes demolishing their target with a single bomb. By the end of the war, the group had destroyed more than 200 bridges and killed scores of bridge repair crews. Air-to-air and air-to-ground sweeps by the group's pilots claimed 80 enemy planes destroyed in the air or on the ground.
The 80th Fighter Group was withdrawn from combat in May 1945.
students.
Although South Vietnamese Air Force pilot training ceased in September 1974, students from other nations continued to train under the security assistance program through April 1980. It also provided USAF rotary-wing pilots' conversion training to fixed-wing aircraft from June 1977 – November 1981. The wing has conducted pilot training and pilot instructor training under the Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program, since October 1981, with participating nations contributing staff and financial support. In January 1994, the 80th began training Euro-NATO pilots in fighter fundamentals, using AT-38 aircraft.
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of the 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...
based out of Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Education and Training Command...
in Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, Texas.
Mission
The 80th FTW mission is to provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance.The 80th FTW is home of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. The ENJJPT, established in the spirit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is the world's only multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for NATO.
Components
80th Operations Group (80 OG)- The 80th OG provides operational support, flying training, air traffic control and evaluation of 256 student pilots and 110 instructor pilot candidates, well as Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals for more than 145 trainees annually. The group maintains five squadrons – 80th Operations Support Squadron, 88th Fighter Training Squadron, 89th Flying Training Squadron, 90th Flying Training Squadron and the 97th Flying Training Squadron – that support and train undergraduate pilots from NATO countries.
- 80th Operations Support Squadron (80 OSS)
- 88th Fighter Training Squadron88th Fighter Training SquadronThe 88th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
(88 FTS) - 89th Flying Training Squadron89th Flying Training SquadronThe 89th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
(89 FTS) T-6A Texan II - 90th Flying Training Squadron90th Flying Training SquadronThe 90th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
(90 FTS) T-38C Talon (Blue/Yellow tail stripe) - 459th Flying Training Squadron (459 FTS) T-6A Texan II
- 469th Flying Training Squadron469th Flying Training SquadronThe 469th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing and is based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.-History:...
(469 FTS) T-38C Talon (Green tail stripe)
Lineage
- Established as 80 Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 13 January 1942
- Activated on 9 February 1942
- Redesignated 80 Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 3 November 1945
- Consolidated (31 January 1984) with the 80 Flying Training Wing, which was established on 23 May 1972
- Activated on 1 January 1973 by redesignation of the 3630th Flying Training Wing*
*Redesignated as part of ATC program to replace four-digit MAJCOM wings with two-digit wings with a combat lineage. The 3630th FTW was activated at Shepphard on 10 December 1965 to provide UPT for the West German Air Force.
Assignments
- III Interceptor (later, III Fighter) CommandIII Fighter CommandThe III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 9 February 1942 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 20 June 1942 - I Fighter CommandI Fighter CommandThe I Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Mitchel Army Airfield, New York...
, 4 July 1942 - New York Air Defense Wing, 11 August 1942 – 10 May 1943
- 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....
, 28 June 1943 - American Air Command 1 (later, 5320 Air Defense Wing [Provisional]), September 1943
- 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....
, 20 June 1944 - Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. 1 August-9 October 1945
- New York Port of Embarkation, 1–3 November 1945
- Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, 1 January 1973 - Nineteenth Air ForceNineteenth Air ForceThe Nineteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base and belonging to the Air Education and Training Command...
, 1 July 1993–present
Components
Groups- 80 Operations: 2 January 1998–present
Squadrons
- 88 Pursuit (later, 88 Fighter; 88 Flying Training) Squadron: 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973-2 January 1998.
- 89 Pursuit (later, 89 Fighter; 89 Flying Training) Squadron89th Flying Training SquadronThe 89th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
: 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973-2 January 1998. - 90 Pursuit (later, 90 Fighter; 90 Flying Training) Squadron: 9 February 1942 – 3 November 1945; 1 January 1973-2 January 1998.
- 459 Fighter Squadron: 1 September 1943 – 13 March 1944.
Stations
- Selfridge FieldSelfridge FieldSelfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
9 February 1942 – 5 July 1942 - FarmingdaleFarmingdale, New YorkThe Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States...
, New York 5 July 1942 – 9 March 1943 - Mitchel Field, New York, 9 March 1943 – 30 April 1943
- Karachi Airport, India, 28 June 1943 – October 1943
- Nagaghuli Airfield, India, October 1943 – 29 August 1944
- Tingkawk Sakan AirfieldTingkawk Sakan AirfieldTingkawk Sakan Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces airfield in Burma used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is now abandoned.-History:...
, Burma, 29 August 1944 – 20 January 1945
- Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 20 January 1945 – 24 May 1945
- Dudhkundi AirfieldDudhkundi AirfieldDudhkundi Airfield is an abandoned airfield in India, located 12 miles SE of Jhargram, in the Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
, India, 24 May 1945 – 6 October 1945 - Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
1–3 November 1945 - Sheppard Air Force BaseSheppard Air Force BaseSheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Education and Training Command...
, Texas (1 January 1973–present)
Aircraft operated
- 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...
(1942–1945) - P-40 WarhawkCurtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
(1943–1944) - P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
(1943–1944) - T-37B TweetCessna T-37The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
(1973–2009)
- T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1973 – present) - AT-38B TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1993–2006) - T-6A Texan II (2008 – present)
Operations in World War II
The 80th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) was constituted on 13 January 1942 and activated on February 1942. It was redesignated as the 80th Fighter Group in May 1942. During World War II, the group was the first USAAF unit to be stationed in Burma after the Allied retreat in 1942. During its two years in combat, this group, which called itself the Burma Banshees, kept the supply lines open to China while clearing the way for Merrill's MaraudersMerrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
to sweep northern Burma clean of the Japanese.
The 80th trained for combat and served as part of the defense force for the northeastern United States from, 1942–1943. It's flying squadrons were the 88th
88th Fighter Training Squadron
The 88th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
, 89th
89th Flying Training Squadron
The 89th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
, and 90th Pursuit
90th Flying Training Squadron
The 90th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
(later Fighter) Squadrons. It first trained with the P-47 Thunderbolt and later in the Curtis P-40.
The 80th sailed for India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, via Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, and Ceylon, in May 1943, commencing combat operations in the China-Burma-India
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
theater in September 1943. The group supported Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
ground forces during the battle for northern Burma and the push southward to Rangoon, bombing and strafing troop concentrations, supply dumps, lines of communication, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
positions, and other objectives.
The 80th was assigned the defense of the Indian terminus of the Hump
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
route, which it carried out by striking Japanese airfields and patrolling Allied air bases to safeguard them from attack. The 80th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for intercepting a formation of Japanese aircraft, preventing the destruction of a large oil refinery in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India, on 27 March 1944. Though its primary mission in Burma was the protection of the "Hump" cargo route, the group also played an important role in reopening the Ledo/Burma Road. Using modified, so-called B-40 fighter bombers (the Curtiss P-40
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
fitted with a 1,000 pound bomb), the 80th FG attacked Japanese-held bridges, sometimes demolishing their target with a single bomb. By the end of the war, the group had destroyed more than 200 bridges and killed scores of bridge repair crews. Air-to-air and air-to-ground sweeps by the group's pilots claimed 80 enemy planes destroyed in the air or on the ground.
The 80th Fighter Group was withdrawn from combat in May 1945.
USAF Training Wing
Since it's reactivation, the wing has provided undergraduate pilot training, initially for USAF, German Air Force, and South Vietnamese Air ForceVietnam Air Force
The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
students.
Although South Vietnamese Air Force pilot training ceased in September 1974, students from other nations continued to train under the security assistance program through April 1980. It also provided USAF rotary-wing pilots' conversion training to fixed-wing aircraft from June 1977 – November 1981. The wing has conducted pilot training and pilot instructor training under the Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program, since October 1981, with participating nations contributing staff and financial support. In January 1994, the 80th began training Euro-NATO pilots in fighter fundamentals, using AT-38 aircraft.