21st Fighter Squadron
| 21st Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
21st Fighter Squadron Patch
|
|
| Active | 15 October 1944 – 15 October 1946 11 November 1954 – 15 March 1959 1 December 1972 – 28 June 1991 1 November 1991 – 31 December 1993 8 August 1996 – present |
| Country |
 Taiwan (Republic of China)
|
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Fighter Training |
| Part of |
Air Education and Training Command 19th Air Force 56th Fighter Wing 56th Operations Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Luke Air Force Base |
| Nickname(s) | Gamblers |
| Colors | Red & Black |
| Decorations |
 AFOUA
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lt Col Bill "Saw" Bowman |
The 21st Fighter Squadron (21 FS) is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training for the pilots of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force.
The 21st Fighter Squadron, 'The Gamblers', operate the Block 20 F-16A/B for the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF), under a three-year pilot training programme called 'Peace Fenghuang'. This is the only squadron at Luke to operate the original F-16 variant, which are unusual in being 93 fiscal year serial new build Block 20 aircraft.
The squadron is to:
Prior to reforming at Luke in 1997, the 21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron operated F-4E Phantom IIs at George AFB, California until 1993.
The unit was activated in October 1944 as a Very Long Range P-47N Thunderbolt fighter-escort squadron for B-29 Superfortress units engaged in the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. It trained under the Third Air Force in the southeast United States and deployed to the Pacific Theater, being assigned to Okinawa in May 1945.
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Wikipedia