549th Combat Training Squadron

The squadron was established on 1 April 1944 as the 549th Night Fighter Squadron at Hammer Field, California. It was part of the final group of dedicated night fighter interceptor squadrons formed by the Army Air Forces, being programmed to deploy to the Central Pacific. The squadron trained at various airfields in the San Joaquin Valley with the Douglas P-70 Havoc and YP-61 Black Widow night fighter and was ready to deploy into combat by late October.[3]

549th NFS Northrop P-61A-5-NO Black Widow 42-5544

The squadron moved by train to Seattle, Washington where it boarded a troop ship bound for Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands. Arriving after a two-week crossing, it remained at Hickam Field, until its aircraft and equipment arrived in Hawaii. At Hickam, it was assigned to Seventh Air Force, and its Northrop P-61 Black Widows were sent through the Hawaiian Air Depot to modify the aircraft for operations in the Pacific Theater. After being part of the defense forces of Hawaii for several weeks, it was deployed to East Field, Saipan in late February 1945 to provide night interceptor coverage of the new bases on Saipan and Guam for the Twentieth Air Force, which was going to use the airfields to carry out very long range strategic bombing of the Japanese Home Islands with the new B-29 Superfortress.[3]

After a month on Saipan, the squadron moved to the newly captured Central Field, on Iwo Jima in March 1945. Even after its capture, Iwo Jima remained vulnerable to long range Japanese attacks, and its mission was to defend the new American airfields being built there. A large percentage of the squadron's missions consisted of long-distance patrols over water, many of which involved interceptions of Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers. Its presence, although rarely shooting down any enemy aircraft, did cause the bombers to jettison their loads and beat a hasty retreat from the area. The squadron remained assigned to Iwo Jima for the balance of the Pacific War, flying long range missions over eastern China and night interdiction missions to chi Chi Jima. It was demobilized there in early 1946, and inactivated on 5 February as an administrative unit[3]

The squadron was reactivated briefly on 26 June 1946 as part of the 21st Fighter Group at Northwest Field on Guam. It was not manned or equipped due to personnel shortages and was inactivated again in February 1947.[1][4]

Cessna O-2A-CE Super Skymaster (s/n 67-21407) in flight.

The squadron was reactivated in 1969 as the 549th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron, training USAF and South Vietnamese forward air controllers (FAC)to direct tactical fighter bombers in attacks on communist forces in addition to the psychological warfare mission. It employed the Cessna O-2 Skymaster. Visual reconnaissance formed the core FAC mission during the Vietnam War, as the FAC flew light aircraft slowly over the rough terrain at low altitude to maintain constant aerial surveillance. The rugged jungle terrain of South Vietnam readily hid enemy troop movements, and the jet fighter-bombers flew so fast that pilots had great difficulty in distinguishing between enemy troops, friendly troops, and civilians. Forward air controllers directed the air strikes thus became essential in usage of air power. By patrolling the same area constantly, the FACs grew very familiar with the terrain, and they learned to detect any changes that could indicate enemy forces hiding below, and frequently drew ground fire from the communist forces.[5]

It continued the FAC training mission after the United States withdrawal from the Vietnam War, providing Direct Air Support Center and Tactical Air Control Party personnel and equipment to support US Army units. It was inactivated on 1 July 1988.[1]

• Douglas P-70 Havoc, 1944
• Northrop P-61 Black Widow, 1944–1946
• North American OV-10 Bronco, 1969–1988
• Cessna O-2 Skymaster, 1975–1986[1]
• Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1991 – present
• General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1991 – present

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Haas, Michael E.; Robinson, TSG Dale K. (1994). Air Commando! 1950-1975: Twenty-Five years at the Tip of the Spear (PDF). Hurlburt Field, FL: Air Force Special Operations Command Office of History. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Pape, Garry R.; Campbell, John M.; Campbell, Donna (1991). Northrop P-61 Black Widow: The Complete History and Combat Record. Minneapolis, MN: Motorbooks International. ISBN 978-0-879385-09-5.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.