Aggressor Aircraft Thread.

[Mech]

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This is a thread to discuss aggressor aircraft. The first squadron was created back in 1969. The idea is to give American pilots the experience, and the advantage of "realistic training". The edge that could make the critical difference in aerial combat. The USN's air-to-air kill ratio dropped from 14:1 to a very disappointing 2.3:1 midway through the Vietnam War ; which inspired the creation of a Navy fighter weapons program,Top Gun in March 1969.

[Mech]

The 65th Aggressor squadron.

Lineage.

Constituted as 65 Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated as 65 Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942. Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945. Activated on 15 Aug 1946. Redesignated as 65 Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950. Inactivated on 8 Jan 1958. Redesignated as 65 Fighter Weapons Squadron on 22 Aug 1969. Activated on 15 Oct 1969. Redesignated as: 65 Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron on 30 Dec 1981; 65 Aggressor Squadron on 1 Apr 1983. Inactivated on 7 Apr 1989. Activated on 15 Sep 2005.


Assignments.

57 Pursuit (later, 57 Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941-7 Nov 1945. 57 Fighter (later, 57 Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 15 Aug 1946; 10 Air Division, 13 Apr 1953; 328 Fighter Group, 1 Nov 1957-8 Jan 1958. 57 Fighter Weapons (later, 57 Tactical Training; 57 Fighter Weapons) Wing, 15 Oct 1969-7 Apr 1989. 57 Adversary Tactics Group, 15 Sep 2005-.


Aircraft.

P-40, 1941-1943; P-47, 1943-1945. AT-6, 1946; C-45, 1946-1947; P-51, 1946-1948; F-80, 1948-1951; C-47, 1948; T-6, 1948; B-26, 1949; T-33, 1949-1956; F-94, 1951-1954; F-89, 1953-1957. F-100, 1969; A-7, 1972-1975; F-5, 1975-1989. F-15, 2005-.

Operations.

A pre-World War II squadron, the 65 Fighter Squadron (FS) entered combat early in the war when, on 12 Aug 1942, some of its pilots flew P-40s with the RAF against German positions in Egypt. From October 1942, the squadron pilots conducted reconnaissance, fighter sweeps, staffing, and dive-bombing missions against the retreating enemy troops across North Africa, as well as escorting fighter-bombers and medium bombers.

By April 1943, it was attacking targets in Sicily in support of Allied Forces. It earned a DUC for its support of the British Eighth Army in harsh conditions and against great odds in North Africa and Sicily. The squadron earned a second DUC for aerial combat against enemy aircraft over the Gulf of Tunis on 18 April 1943.

In Jun-Jul 1943, it attacked enemy targets on Pantelleria and Lampedusa Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In Italy, from Sep 1943, it escorted medium bombers, staffed and bombed enemy targets in support of ground forces, and conducted armed and weather reconnaissance as far as Yugoslavia. It also transitioned late in the year to P-47s. The squadron hit German shipping in harbors, railroad marshalling yards, bridges, and other transportation targets, earning a third DUC for devastating attacks against such targets in the Florence-Arezzo area on 14 April 1944. The 65 FS flew its last combat mission on 2 May 1945.

In Aug 1946, the squadron began training new P-51 pilots at Ladd Field, Alaska. Later, it was equipped with F-80Bs in Mar-April 1948, F-80Cs in Oct-Dec 1948, F-94Bs in the summer of 1951, and F-89Cs in Sep 1953. With these aircraft, the squadron provided fighter aircraft defense in support of the Alaska Area until late in the 1950s.

In October 1969, the 65 Fighter Weapons Squadron took over the F-100F aircraft, personnel, and facilities of the 4536 Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, only to become non-operational early in 1970.

Reequipped in July 1972 with A-7Ds, from May 1973-Jun 1975, the squadron conducted fighter weapons training. Then in Oct 1975, having transitioned to F-5Es, it took on a dissimilar aircraft combat tactics training role until its inactivation in 1989. Trained aircrews for combat by replicating tactics used by enemy forces during combat situations,

2005-

Decorations.

Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, 24 Oct 1942-17 Aug 1943; Tunis and Cape Bon Area, 18 Apr 1943; Italy, 14 Apr 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jun 1984-31 May 1986; 1 Jan 1987-31 Dec 1988; [15 Sep 2005]-31 May 2006. French Croix de Guerre with Palm: Oct 1942-May 1945.

[Mech]

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The 527th Space aggressor squadron.

Lineage.

Constituted 312 Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 13 Jan 1942. Activated on 10 Feb 1942. Redesignated: 312 Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 3 Sep 1942; 527 Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 23 Aug 1943; 527 Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 30 May 1944. Inactivated on 31 Mar 1946. Activated on 20 Aug 1946. Redesignated: 527 Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 Jan 1950; 527 Fighter-Day Squadron on 8 Oct 1954. Inactivated on 8 Feb 1956. Redesignated 527 Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron on 29 Sep 1975. Activated on 1 Apr 1976. Redesignated 527 Aggressor Squadron on 15 Apr 1983. Inactivated on 30 Sep 1990. Redesignated 527 Space Aggressor Squadron on 29 Sep 2000. Activated on 23 Oct 2000.


Assignments.

86 Bombardment (later 86 Fighter-Bomber, 86 Fighter) Group, 10 Feb 1942-31 Mar 1946. 86 Fighter Group, 20 Aug 1946; United States Air Forces in Europe, 15 May 1947; Tactical Air Command, 25 Jun 1947; United States Air Forces in Europe, 30 Dec 1947; 86 Fighter (later, 86 Fighter-Bomber, 86 Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 25 Jan 1948-8 Feb 1956. 10 Tactical Reconnaissance (later, 10 Tactical Fighter) Wing, 1 Apr 1976; 81 Tactical Fighter Wing, 14 Jul 1988-30 Sep 1990. Space Warfare Center, 23 Oct 2000-.

Aircraft.

A-20, 1942; A-24, 1942; A-31, 1942; A-36, 1942-1944; P-40, 1944; P-47, 1944-1946. P-47, (later, F-47), 1946-1947, 1948-1950; F-84, 1950-1953; F-86, 1953-1956. F-5, 1976-1988; F-16, 1988-1990

Operations.

Combat in MTO and ETO, 6 Jul 1943-8 May 1945. Fighter support in defense of Western Europe, 1948-1956. Dissimilar air combat training for USAFE fighter crews, Jun 1976-Feb 1990.

Decorations.

Distinguished Unit Citations: Italy, 25 May 1944; Germany, 20 Apr 1945. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 31 Oct 1955-[8 Feb 1956]; 15 Nov 1977-14 Nov 1979; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1980; 1 Jun 1985-31 May 1987; 1 Jun 1989-30 Sep 1990.