522d Fighter Squadron

9th Special Operations Squadron
A new MC-130J Commando II taxis on the flightline at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., 29 September 2011
Active	1939 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Part of	Air Force Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQ	Cannon AFB, New Mexico
Nickname(s)	Fireballs
Insignia
522d Special Operations Squadron emblem

The 9th Special Operations Squadron (9 SOS), the Fireballs, is a unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the 27th Special Operations Group, the flying component of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB. It is the first to operate the MC-130J Commando II.

The 9th SOS was originally constituted in 1939 as the 16th Bombardment Squadron, which was later redesignated the 522nd Fighter Squadron, and carries the lineage, history, and honors of those units.

The mission of the 9 SOS is the aerial refueling of Special Operations Forces aircraft and the infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of joint and coalition SOF via airdrop in hostile, denied, and politically sensitive areas. The unit achieved Initial Operational Capability in 2012.

The 9 SOS was originally constituted in 1939 as the 16th Bombardment Squadron (Light) and activated on 1 February 1940. It was stationed at Barksdale Field, LA, and later Hunter Field, GA, before being assigned to Luzon in the Philippines in 1941. After war began between the United States and Japan, the unit's air echelon operated Australia. When American units in the Philippines surrendered, ground elements of the unit were part of the Bataan Death March.

The unit was redesignated as the 522d Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 23 Aug 1943 and then the 522d Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 30 May 1944. During World War II, it was one of the most decorated U.S. Army Air Force units. The unit later served in conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam wars, and flew almost a dozen different aircraft in support of various missions. The 522d Fighter Squadron inactivated in 2007 when the 27th Fighter Wing became the 27th Special Operations Wing.

The 522d Special Operations Squadron was reactivated on 7 April 2011 using the lineage of the 522d Fighter Squadron.

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