The 495th Fighter Squadron (495th FS), nicknamed ''the Valkyries'', is part of the

48th Fighter Wing The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE). It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only ...

RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The insta ...

, United Kingdom. Having been reactivated on 1 October 2021, it became the first overseas

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

squadron to operate the

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warfa ...

on 15 December 2021. The unit had previously operated the General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark at RAF Lakenheath between 1977 and 1991.

History

World War II

Activated as a Southeastern Air District Army Air Corps training squadron, equipped with a variety of second-line aircraft, both single and twin engine, preparing its pilots and maintenance crews for eventual combat. After the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the ti ...

, the squadron flew

antisubmarine Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...

patrols from, March–April 1942. Resumed aircrew training, many of the group's members went on to serve in squadrons stationed in Europe and the Pacific theaters. Eventually coming under the AAF

III Fighter Command The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946. History Background GHQ Air Force (GHQ, AF) had been established with two major comba ...

in 1944, trained replacement pilots with

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

s, inactivated in 1944 with the end of RTU training.

Cold War

495th Tactical Fighter Squadron - General Dynamics F-111F - 70-2391

The 495th was reactivated on 1 April 1977 as the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron, becoming the fourth tactical fighter squadron with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at

, England. This was 33 years to the day since the squadron’s inactivation. The 495th mission was as a replacement training unit for General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSO) assigned to the three combat fighter squadron at RAF Lakenheath. The 495 TFS participated in

Operation El Dorado Canyon The United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps carried out air strikes, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, against Libya on 15 April 1986 in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier, which U.S. President Ron ...

on 15 April 1986, the air raid against

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

's Libyan government due to its involvement in the

West Berlin discotheque bombing On 5 April 1986, three people were killed and 229 injured when La Belle Nightclub, discothèque was bombed in the Friedenau locality (then part of Schöneberg, and since 2001 part of the merged district of Tempelhof-Schöneberg) of West Berlin. ...

ten days prior. The mission was successful, however one of the squadron's F-111Fs (''70-2389''), callsign 'Karma 52', was shot down over the

Gulf of Sidra The Gulf of Sidra (), also known as the Gulf of Sirte (), is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya, named after the oil port of Sidra or the city of Sirte. It was also historically known as the Great Sirte or G ...

, killing pilot Capt.

Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci (June 24, 1952 – April 15, 1986), was a captain and F-111F pilot in the United States Air Force. He was killed in action during the U.S. air raid on Libya, Operation El Dorado Canyon, on April 15, 1986. Riba ...

and WSO Capt.

Paul F. Lorence Paul F. Lorence (February 17, 1955 – April 15, 1986) was a captain in the United States Air Force (USAF). A weapon systems officer (WSO), he was killed when his General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark fighter-bomber, tail number 389 and callsign Karma 5 ...

. In 1990, the 495 TFS deployed crews to augment the three deployed squadrons from the 48 TFW to

Taif Air Base King Fahad Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الملك فهد الجوية) (ICAO: OETF) (KFAB) is a Royal Saudi Air Force military base located in Taif, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia. Units * RSAF 2 Wing: ** No. 3 Squadron RSAF with the Eurofighter ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, as part of

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

which was in response to the

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country for the next seven months ...

. The squadron suffered a loss on 15 October 1990, when F-111F ''74-0183'' crashed during a night time training mission, killing pilot Capt. Art Reid and WSO Capt. Thomas Caldwell. The 495th was inactivated on 13 December 1991, shortly before retirement of the F-111F Aardvark at RAF Lakenheath.

Modern era

On 15 September 2020, the USAF announced that the 495th Fighter Squadron would be reactivated as first F-35A unit of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath. On 6 April 2021, the unit was officially redesignated as the 495th Fighter Squadron. The 495th FS was reactivated on 1 October 2021, with 27 aircraft and roughly 60 personnel. The "Valkyries" received their first four F-35As (''19-5473'', ''19-5474'', ''19-5475'', and ''19-5476'') on 15 December 2021. They received their next three F-35As (''19-5484'', ''19-5485'' and ''19-5486'') on 10 February 2022. The third batch, consisting of two aircraft, including the 493rd FS and 495th FS commanders’ jets (''19-5493'' and ''19-5495'') arrived on 15 April 2022. ''19-5493'' was integrated with the 495th FS until the 493rd FS reactivated with the F-35A Lightning II.

Lineage

* Constituted 9th Reconnaissance Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940. : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated: 88th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 14 August 1941 : Redesignated: 88th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 28 August 1942 : Redesignated: 495th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 August 1943 : Disbanded on 1 April 1944 * Reconstituted, redesignated: 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated on 1 April 1977 (not operational until 29 July 1977)''See'' : Inactivated on 13 December 1991 : Redesignated: 495th Fighter Squadron on 6 April 2021 : Activated on 1 October 2021

Assignments

* 48th Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber) Group : Attached on 15 January 1941 : Assigned on 14 August 1941 * 407th Fighter-Bomber Group, March 1944 – 1 April 1944 * 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 April 1977 – 13 December 1991 *

48th Operations Group The 48th Operations Group (48 OG) is the flying component of the 48th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The group is stationed at RAF Lakenheath, England. Assigned Units The 48th Operations ...

, 1 October 2021 – present

Stations

Savannah Army Air Base Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia. Hunter features a runway that is long and an aircraft parking area tha ...

, Georgia, 15 January 1941 *

Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Oklahoma 26 May 1941 *

, Georgia. 7 February 1942 *

Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...

, Mississippi, 28 June 1942 *

William Northern Field Arnold Air Force Base (Arnold AFB) is a United States Air Force base located in Coffee and Franklin counties, Tennessee, adjacent to the city of Tullahoma. It is named for General Henry "Hap" Arnold, the father of the U.S. Air Force. The ai ...

, Tennessee, 20 August 1943 * Galveston Army Airfield, Texas, March 1944 – 1 April 1944 *

, Suffolk, England, 1 April 1977 – 13 December 1991; 1 October 2021 – present

Aircraft

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...

(1941) *

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

(1941–1943) *

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

(1942–1944) *

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber 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 ...

(1942–1944) *

Vultee A-35 Vengeance The Vultee A-31 Vengeance is an American dive bomber of World War II that was built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was called A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States but was operated as a front-line aircraft ...

(1943) *

Douglas A-24 Banshee The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

(1943) *

(1944) * General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark (1977–1991) *

(2021–present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{cite book, last=Ravenstein, first=Charles A., title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977, url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave, year=1984, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-912799-12-9, url-access=registration Fighter squadrons of the United States Air Force