477th Fighter Group

477th Fighter Group
477th Fighter Group - F-22A Raptor
Active	1 June 1943-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Group
Role	Fighter
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Elmendorf Field, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Commanders
Notable commanders	Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
Insignia
477th Fighter Group emblem
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F-22A Raptor

The 477th Fighter Group (477 FG) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Elmendorf Field, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

The 477th FG is an associate unit of the 3d Wing, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), and if mobilized the wing is gained by PACAF.

The 477th Fighter Group was reactivated on 1 October 2007 as the first Air Force Reserve unit to fly, maintain, and support the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The group is an associate unit responsible for recruiting, training, developing and retaining Citizen Airmen to support 3d Wing and Air Force expeditionary unit mission requirements.

The 477th Fighter Group provides a combat-ready force of approximately 425 Air Reserve Technicians, Traditional Reservists, and civil servants assigned to the following squadrons:

The men and women of the 477th Fighter Group will functionally integrate with their active duty Air Force partners in almost all F-22A mission areas to increase efficiency and overall combat capability while retaining Reserve administrative support and career enhancement. The 477th Fighter Group will leverage the traditional Reserve Component strengths of experience and continuity to fly, and fight, and win as Unrivaled Wingmen on the Total Force team at Elmendorf.

The 477th was originally established in May 1943 at MacDill Field, Florida as the United States Army Air Forces 477th Bombardment Group (Medium). Assigned to Third Air Force, the group trained with Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers. The unit was subsequently inactivated on 25 August 1943.

The 477th was reactivated as the 477th Composite Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan on 15 Jan 1944 and assigned to First Air Force. The 477th's new mission was to train what would become the legendary World War II African-American aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen with Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and North American B-25 Mitchell bombers. During World War II, continued pressure from African-American civilian leaders led the Army to let blacks train as members of bomber crews, a step that opened many more skilled combat roles to them.