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325th Fighter Wing
325th Fighter Wing
Active 1948-present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Part of Air Combat Command
Garrison/HQ Tyndall Air Force Base
Decorations Presidential Unit Citation ribbon DUC
Outstanding Unit ribbon AFOUA
Commanders
Current
commander
Colonel David E. Graff[1]
Notable
commanders
Richard Myers
Tyn-f22-f-15-kc135

An F-22 Raptor and two F-15 Eagles from Tyndall Air Force Base participate in a refueling mission with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Mississippi Air National Guard over eastern Florida, 22 September 2008.

The 325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

Mission[]

The 325th Fighter Wing’s primary mission is to provide air dominance training for F-22 Raptor pilots and maintenance personnel and air battle managers to support the combat Air Force.

Currently, training for F-22 pilots is performed in the 43d Fighter Squadron. The 325th Air Control Squadron trains air battle managers for assignment to combat Air Force units. Additionally, wing personnel manage the southeastern air combat maneuvering instrumentation range and provide mission-ready F-22 air dominance forces in support of the Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)/1st Air Force (1 AF) contingency plans. The 325th Fighter Wing is currently commanded by Colonel David E. Graff, who assumed command 1 October 2012.

Other specialties trained under the 325th Fighter Wing include F-22 intelligence officer training, F-22 crew chief training and officer and enlisted air traffic controller training.

The 325th Fighter Wing is host to more than 30 tenant organizations located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The wing comprises the 325th Operations Group, 325th Maintenance Group, 325th Mission Support Group and 325th Medical Group.

From 1983 until 2010, training for F-15 pilots was performed at Tyndall by the now inactive 1st, 2d, and 95th Fighter Squadrons. During this period, the 325th FW also hosted training for F-15 Maintenance personnel, and Intelligence Officers assigned to F-15 units. The 1st Fighter Squadron was inactivated in 2006. The 2d and 95th FS's were also inactivated in May and September 2010, respectively. However, with the return to Air Combat Command, the 325th FW will gain a combat-coded F-22 squadron.[2]

The 95th Fighter Squadron was reactivated on October 11, 2013 to begin preparing as a F-22 Raptor combat squadron.

Units[]

325th Operations Group (325 OG)

325th Maintenance Group (325 MXG)

  • 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (325 AMXS)
  • 325th Maintenance Operations Squadron (325 MOS)
  • 325th Maintenance Squadron (325 MXS)

325th Mission Support Group (325 MSG)

  • 325th Civil Engineer Squadron (325 CES)
  • 325th Communications Squadron (325 CS)
  • 325th Contracting Squadron (325 CONS)
  • 325th Force Support Squadron (325 FSS)
  • 325th Security Forces Squadron (325 SFS)
  • 325th Logistics Readiness Division (325 LRD)

325th Medical Group (325 MDG)

  • 325th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron (325 AMDS)
  • 325th Medical Operations Squadron (325 MDOS)
  • 325th Medical Support Squadron (325 MDSS)

History[]

QF-100 Super Sabres at Tyndall AFB 1990

A row of U.S. Air Force North American QF-100 Super Sabre target drones on the flight line Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida (USA), on 25 April 1990. The first five aircraft are single-seat QF-100Ds (s/n 55-3784, 56-3365, 56-3112, 55-3741, and 56-3093) and a double-seat QF-100F (s/n 56-3865)

The 325th Fighter Wing was established on 10 May 1948 and activated on 9 June 1948. It conducted air defense of the U.S. west coast, 1948–1952 and 1956–1968. Beginning in spring 1949, the 325th conducted the All Weather Combat Crew Training School. During 1950, the wing also controlled a troop carrier squadron and from May 1950 to June 1951, provided training for elements of a troop carrier wing. On 6 February 1952 the Wing was inactivated and replaced by the activation of the 4704th Air Defense Wing.

An Air Defense Command program to reactivate historic units named "Project Arrow" resulted in the reactivation of the 325th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 18 August 1955. From August 1955, the 325th served as the "host" unit at McChord Air Force Base until October 1956. From February–July 1968, the wing operated an air defense detachment at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The 325th was again inactivated in late 1968.

The wing was reactivated at Tyndall Air Force Base in 1981. It provided Air Defense Weapons Center operational and technical advice on air defense and tactics from, 1981–1983. It also provided test and evaluation new air defense equipment, including use of the PQM-102 and QF-100, former operational aircraft modified to function as manned/unmanned drones. In October 1983, the wing assumed a new mission of conducting qualification training of tactical aircrews. Beginning in 1983 it deployed T-33 and later, F-15 aircraft to USAF, Air National Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy air units to provide electronic countermeasures and dissimilar air combat training and to increase aircrew combat proficiency. The wing performed alert duties from, 1988–1990, intercepting unidentified aircraft and assisting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in anti-smuggling efforts. It became host unit at Tyndall Air Force Base in September 1991.

Modern era[]

The 325th has conducted the Air Force's basic course and transition training for the F-22 since 2003.

Lineage[]

  • Established as 325th Fighter Wing, All Weather, on 10 May 1948
Activated on 9 June 1948
Redesignated: 325th Fighter-All Weather Wing on 20 January 1950
Redesignated: 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 May 1951
Inactivated, personnel and equipment reassigned to: 4704th Defense Wing, 6 February 1952
  • Redesignated 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense) on 14 September 1956
Activated on 18 October 1956
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 July 1968
  • Redesignated 325th Fighter Weapons Wing on 17 June 1981
Activated on 1 July 1981
Redesignated: 325th Tactical Training Wing on 15 October 1983
Redesignated: 325th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991.

Note: The Air Defense Command 4704th Defense Wing was activated on 6 February 1952, at McChord AFB, Washington with the personnel and equipment of the inactivated 325th FIW assigned. The 4704the DW was inactivated with equipment and personnel absorbed into 567th Air Defense Group on 8 October 1954. The unit was redesignated as the 325th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 18 August 1955 as part of the ADC "Project Arrow", which redesignated notable World War II combat units. the 325th Fighter Wing was activated by the 25th Air Division and was assigned the 325th FG as subordinate unit on 18 October 1956

Assignments[]

Attached to Western Air Defense Force, 10 November 1949 – 31 July 1950

Components[]

Wings

Groups

Squadrons

School

  • USAF Interceptor Weapons: 1 July 1981 – 15 October 1983.

Stations[]

Aircraft assigned[]

References[]

PD-icon This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Notes[]

  1. Home of Air Dominance welcomes new commander Tyndall AFB, 18 November 2012
  2. FW reassigned to ACC in ceremony Tyndall AFB, 1 November 2012

Bibliography[]

  • Green, Herschel H. Herky! The Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7643-0073-3.
  • Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
  • Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.

External links[]


All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 325th Fighter Wing and the edit history here.
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