McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 65th Aggressor north

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 65th Aggressor Squadron black


Encyclopedia
The 65th Aggressor Squadron (65 AGRS) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Overview

The 65th AGRS is assigned 24 F-15 aircraft, painted in camouflage schemes identical to those observed on Russian-manufactured Su-27 Flanker fighters and operates in conjunction with the 64th Aggressor Squadron, which performs a similar task using F-16s.

On 30 July 2008, one pilot was killed and another injured when their F-15 crashed into the ground during a training mission.
History

See also: 4477th Tactical Evaluation Flight


The Aggressor Squadron program has its origins in the post-Vietnam War Air Force, when in 1975 the benefits of evaluating obtained Foreign Technology aircraft (HAVE DRILL, HAVE PRIVILEGE, HAVE DOUGHNUT, HAVE FERRY) at test ranges in Nevada were applied to operational fighter squadrons, in order to improve the combat flying skills of front-line USAF pilots during the Cold War.
Lineage

Constituted 65th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940

Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated 65th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
Inactivated on 7 November 1945

Activated on 15 August 1946

Redesignated 65th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 January 1950
Inactivated on 8 January 1958

Redesignated 65th Fighter Weapons Squadron on 22 August 1969

Activated on 15 October 1969
Redesignated: 65th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron on 30 December 1981
Redesignated: 65th Aggressor Squadron on 1 April 1983
Inactivated on 7 April 1989

Activated on 15 September 2005.


Assignments

57th Pursuit (later, Fighter) Group, 15 January 1941-7 November 1945
57th Fighter (later, Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 15 August 1946
10th Air Division, 13 April 1953
328th Fighter Group, 1 November 1957-8 January 1958
57th Fighter Weapons (later, 57 Tactical Training; 57 Fighter Weapons) Wing, 15 October 1969-7 April 1989
57th Adversary Tactics Group, since 15 September 2005


Stations


Mitchel Field, New York, 15 January 1941
Bradley Field, Connecticut, 19 August 1941
Trumbull Field, Connecticut, 13 December 1941
Rentschler Field, Connecticut, 24 June-5 July 1942
Cairo, Egypt, 9 August 1942
Cyprus, 15 August 1942
Landing Ground 174, Egypt, 16 September 1942
Landing Ground 172, Egypt, 6 November 1942
Landing Ground 75, Egypt, 9 November 1942
Martube, Libya, 12 November 1942
Belandal, Libya, 11 December 1942
Hamariet, Libya, 12 January 1943
Zuara, Libya, February 1943
Ben Gardane, Tunisia, 10 March 1943
Sollane, Tunisia, 21 March 1943
Hani, Tunisia, April 1943
Cape Bon, Tunisia, c. 6 June 1943
Takali, Malta, 13 July 1943


Pachino, Sicily, 19 July 1943
Scordina, Sicily, 30 July 1943
Rocco Bernado, Italy, 18 September 1943
Gioia del Colle, Italy, 25 September 1943
Foggia, Italy, 2 October 1943
Amendola, Italy, 28 October 1943
Cercola, Italy, 1 March 1944
Alto, Corsica, 28 March 1944
Grosseto, Italy, 11 September 1944
Villafranca di Verona, Italy, 29 April 1945
Grosseto, Italy, 7 May 1945
Bagnoli, Italy, 15 July −5 August 1945
Drew Field, Florida, 22 August-7 November 1945
Ladd Field, Alaska Territory, 15 August 1946
26 Mile Field, Alaska Territory, 20 September 1946
Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, 23 June 1947-1 November 1957
Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, 1 November 1957-8 January 1958
Nellis AFB, Nevada, 15 October 1969-7 April 1989; since 15 September 2005



Aircraft


P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1943
P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1945
AT-6 Texan, 1946
C-45 Expeditor, 1946–1947
P-51 Mustang, 1946–1948
F-80 Shooting Star, 1948–1951
C-47 Skytrain, 1948
T-6 Texan, 1948


B-26 Invader, 1949
T-33 Shooting Star, 1949–1956
F-94 Starfire, 1951–1954
F-89 Scorpion, 1953–1957
F-100 Super Sabre, 1969
A-7D Corsair II, 1972–1975
F-5E Tiger II, 1975–1989
F-15C Eagle, since 2005



Operations

A pre-World War II squadron, the 65th entered combat early in the war when, on 12 August 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 June–July 1943, it attacked enemy targets on Pantelleria and Lampedusa Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In Italy, from September 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 65th flew its last combat mission on 2 May 1945.

In August 1946, the squadron began training new P-51 pilots at Ladd Field, Alaska. Later, it was equipped with F-80Bs in March–April 1948, F-80Cs in October–December 1948, F-94Bs in the summer of 1951, and F-89Cs in September 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 65th Fighter Weapons Squadron took over the F-100F aircraft, personnel, and facilities of the 4536th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, only to become non-operational early in 1970.

Reequipped in July 1972 with A-7Ds, from May 1973 – June 1975, the 65th conducted fighter weapons training. Then in October 1975, having transitioned to F-5Es, it took on a dissimilar aircraft combat tactics training role until its inactivation in 1989.