The 31st Combat Training Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is currently assigned to the Nevada Test and Training Range at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The squadron was first activated as the 31st Pursuit Squadron for the air defense of the Panama Canal shortly before the United States entered World War II. It served in this role until 1944 when the reduced threat to the canal and the Caribbean permitted its transfer to the United States, where it was inactivated. The squadron was reactivated a few months later as an element of the 412th Fighter Group, the first

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit equipped with jet fighters. It was inactivated in 1946 when the 412th group and its squadrons were replaced by elements of the

1st Fighter Group 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

. In 1953, the squadron was activated as the 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, an

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

unit in the Pacific northwest. It was inactivated two years later in a major realignment of

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...

fighter unit designations. It was again active in the air defense role from 1956 to 1958 in Michigan and Alaska. It became a training unit in 1969, first training

tactical reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...

aircrews on the

McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...

from 1969 to 1971 as the 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron'', then acting as the "schoolhouse" for F-4 aircrews from 1982 to 1988. A ceremony activating the 31st Combat Training Squadron (Virtual Test and Training Center) was held on 9 April 2021, at Nellis Air Force Base.

Mission

The squadron operates the Virtual Test and Training Center, a multi-domain, advanced training, tactics, and testing campus, supporting the USAF Weapons School. It supports operational test, combatant command exercises, and colored flag exercises. The mission of the 31st is to enhance, sustain, and operate a synthetic environment to optimize warfighting capabilities and ready

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

History

World War II

Defense of the Panama Canal

31st Pursuit Squadron Curtiss P-40C 41-13468

The squadron was constituted in 1939 as the 31st Pursuit Squadron and activated on 1 February 1940 at Albrook Field,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

as one of the original squadrons of the 37th Pursuit Group.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 137–138 The unit was part of the build-up of the Canal Zone's defenses as war approached. It was initially equipped with a mixture of second-line pursuit aircraft, including Boeing P-26A Peashooters, Northrup A-17 Nomads, and some North American BC-1s. The mission of the squadron was air defense of the Panama Canal. In July 1941, the Squadron started re-equipping with new Curtiss P-40 Warhawks. The Squadron was briefly moved to Rio Hato Field on 5 October 1940 and, following a month there, returned to Albrook on 13 November, where it remained until 24 November 1941. After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Squadron was moved to

La Chorrera Army Airfield La Chorrera Army Airfield is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II air base on Panama. It was a sub-base of Albrook Field and later Howard Field which used for dispersal and overflow units as part of the defense of the Panama Canal. ...

where it shared the field with the

30th Pursuit Squadron 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. The unit operated as an element of the Panama Interceptor Command. On 15 May 1942, the squadron's designation was changed to 31st Fighter Squadron. In September 1942, the unit moved from Albrook to Howard Field and started to convert to Bell P-39 Airacobras. In December, "E" Flight was moved to San Jose Airport, Costa Rica where it was almost immediately reassigned to the

53d Fighter Squadron The 53rd Fighter Squadron (53 FS) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Assigned to the 495th Fighter Group, the squadron was last activated on 10 December 2021, as an associate unit to th ...

. The unit served out the remainder of its Panama tour at several airfields until April 1944, and was moved to the United States as Sixth Air Force eliminated or transferred combat units in view of the reduced threat to the Panama Canal and Caribbean. The squadron was to become a single-engine fighter Replacement Training Unit for Second Air Force at Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, but it was inactivated seven weeks after it arrived at Lincoln.

First Jet Fighters

The squadron was activated once again as part of the 412th Fighter Group, which was located at Muroc Army Air Field, California in August 1944. It became a testing unit for the Bell P-59 Airacomet and Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft under Fourth Air Force. The squadron served in a training role for transitioning pilots from piston-engine to jet engine fighters. The squadron provided

pilots and ground crews with valuable data about the difficulties and pitfalls involved in converting to jet aircraft. This information proved quite useful when more advanced jet fighters finally became available in quantity. The squadron was inactivated in July 1946 and its mission, personnel, and equipment were transferred to the 71st Fighter Squadron as the AAF replaced the 412th with the

Air Defense

31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron North American F-86D-45-NA Sabre 52-3922 1955

The squadron was reactivated as the 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, an element

at Larson Air Force Base, Washington in early 1953 and assigned to the

4702d Defense Wing The 4702nd Defense Wing (Def Wg) is a discontinued wing of the United States Air Force, last assigned to the 25th Air Division at Geiger Field, Washington. It was established in 1952 at Hamilton AFB, California in a general reorganization of Air De ...

. At Larson the squadron was equipped with

Mighty Mouse rocket The Mk 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR), also known as "Mighty Mouse", was an unguided rocket used by United States military aircraft. It was 2.75 inches (70 mm) in diameter. Designed as an air-to-air weapon for interceptor aircraft to ...

armed and airborne intercept radar equipped

North American F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...

interceptors.Cornett & Johnson, p. 118 The squadron was engaged in the

of the Pacific Northwest. In the summer of 1955 ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars and associate them with their traditional headquarters.Buss, ''et al''., p.6 As a result, the mission, personnel and equipment of the 31st were transferred to the

322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 408th Fighter Group at Kingsley Field, Oregon, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1968. The squadron was first activated during ...

IAW ADC "Project Arrow".

31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - Convair F-102A-80-CO Delta Dagger - 56-1440

The squadron was again reactivated in 1956 at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan and equipped with supersonic Convair F-102 Delta Daggers armed with the AIM-4 Falcon missile. The following year it moved to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska Territory where it performed intercepts of intruding aircraft as part of Alaskan Air Command, arriving in Alaska. The squadron was inactivated in October 1958 and its aircraft were reassigned to the

317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron The 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to Aerospace Defense Command, at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969. The squadron was first activated a ...

Training

The 31st was redesignated as the 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron and reactivated under

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

(TAC) at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina in 1969, where it assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of 4414th Combat Crew Training Squadron, which was discontinued.Mueller, p. 533 This was part of TAC's program to replace its Major Command controlled (MAJCON)units with USAF controlled (AFCON) units that were able to carry a permanent lineage and history.MAJCON units could not carry a permanent history or lineage. Ravenstein, p. 12. The squadron conducted RF-4C Phantom II training for

aircrews. The squadron was inactivated in 1971 due to reduced training requirements, and its aircraft assigned to the 33d Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron. In 1982, the squadron became the 31st Tactical Training Squadron and was activated at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. In 1988, the

31st Tactical Fighter Wing The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base ...

's mission switched from training to readiness as a fighter unit and the squadron was inactivated. In April 2021, the squadron became the 31st Combat Training Squadron and was activated at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 31st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 22 December 1939 : Activated on 1 February 1940 : Redesignated 31st Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 15 May 1942 : Inactivated on 25 May 1944 * Activated on 19 August 1944 : Inactivated on 3 July 1946 * Redesignated 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 11 February 1953 : Activated on 20 April 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 * Activated on 8 June 1956 : Inactivated on 8 October 1958Lineage, including assignments, stations, and aircraft through March 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 33 * Redesignated 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron on 18 August 1969AFOMO letter 176p, Subject: Activation of Certain Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadrons, 18 August 1969 : Organized on 15 October 1969 : Inactivated on 18 February 1971DAF MPM Letter 425q, Subject: Organization Actions Affecting Certain Tactical Air Command Units, 18 February 1971 * Redesignated 31st Tactical Training Squadron on 20 April 1982 : Activated on 1 May 1982 : Inactivated on 9 May 1988Tactical Air Command Special Order GB-32, 24 June 1988 * Redesignated 31st Combat Training Squadron : Activated on 9 April 2021

Assignments

37th Pursuit Group 37th may refer to: *37th (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery, a brigade of the Royal Field Artillery which served in the First World War *37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot, raised in Ireland in February 1702 *37th (Northern Ontario) Batt ...

, 1 February 1940 (later 37th Fighter Group) * XXVI Fighter Command, 1 November 1943 * Second Air Force, 8 April – 25 May 1944 * 412th Fighter Group, 19 August 1944 – 3 July 1946 *

, 20 April 1953 * 9th Air Division, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955 * 412th Fighter Group, 8 June 1956 *

10th Air Division "The 10th Air Division assumed responsibility for the air defense of Alaska south of the Alaskan Range on 1 November 1950. Subordinate units flew numerous interception and training missions. Between June 1957 and March 1960, the division operated ...

, 20 August 1957 – 8 October 1958 *

363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The mission ...

, 16 October 1969 – 18 February 1971 * 31st Tactical Training Wing (later 31st Tactical Fighter Wing), 1 May 1982 – 9 May 1988 * Nevada Test and Training Range, 9 April 2021 – present

Stations

* Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, 1 February 1940 * Rio Hato Field, Panama, 5 October 1940 * Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, 13 November 1940 *

, Panama, 9 December 1941 * Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, 23 December 1941 * La Chorrera Army Airfield, Panama, 3 February 1942 * Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, 19 May 1942 * Howard Field, Panama Canal Zone, 30 September 1942 – 25 March 1944 * Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, 8 April – 25 May 1944 * Palmdale Army Air Field, California, 19 August 1944 * Santa Maria Army Air Field, California, 10 July 1945 * March Field, California, 6 December 1945 – 3 July 1946 * Larson Air Force Base, Washington, 20 April 1953 – 18 August 1955 * Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, 8 June 1956 * Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 20 August 1957 – 8 October 1958 * Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 16 October 1969 – 18 February 1971 * Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, 1 May 1982 – 9 May 1988 * Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, c. 9 April 2021 – present

Aircraft

* Boeing P-26 Peashooter, 1940–1942 * Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1944 * Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1942–1944 * Curtiss A-25 Helldiver, 1944 *

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

, 1944 * Douglas A-24 Banshee, 1944–1945 *

Bell P-63 Kingcobra The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its pr ...

, 1944–1945 * YP/P-59A Airacomet, 1944–1945 * XP-80 Shooting Star, 1944–1945 * North American P-51 Mustang, 1945–1946 * Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, 1945–1946 * North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–1955 * Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, 1956–1958 * McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II, 1969-1971

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956 * * * * *

External links

{{USAAF 6th Air Force World War II 031 Military units and formations established in 1982