USAF Patch Rescue USAFE b 81 FS Fighter Squadron SAR Sandy A 10

USAF Patch USAFE 81 FS Fighter Squadron SAR Sandy Rescue Close Air Support CAS 1999 A 10 Thunderbolt Spangdahlem AB Deployed Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 101mm by 94mm four inches by three and eleven sixteenth inches

Free Shipping

Squadron History

81 Fighter Interceptor Squadron was reassigned from Clovis AB USA to 50 Fighter Bomber Group at Hahn AB Germany in August 1953 with F 86 Sabres and moved to Toul Rosières Air Base France in July 1956. The Squadron converted to F 100 Super Sabre and was redesignated 81 Tactical Fighter Squadron in July 1958 and returned to Hahn AB in 1959.  F 4 Phantom II arrived in December 1966 and the Squadron moved from 50 Tactical Fighter Wing to 86 TFW at Zweibrücken AB in June 1971.

In 1973 the 81 TFS was assigned to 52 Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB for the Wild Weasel role of suppression of enemy air defenses. In 1984 the Squadron transitioned to a mixed F 4G and F 4E hunter killer team mission using the AGM 88 HARM and AGM 45 Shrike munitions with 52 TFW remaining as the only defense suppression wing in NATO.

The Squadron received F 16 Fighting Falcons in January 1988 with 81 TFS crews flying the Phantom F 4G and the F 16C in the hunter killer role until December 1993 when the Squadron again became an all Phantom F 4G squadron racking up 113 radar kills on more
than 12,000 combat sorties and 25,000 hours over Iraq.

The Squadron was redesignated 81 Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991 and reequipped with A 10 Warthogs in February 1994 replacing 510 Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base. During this period the Squadron provided continuous Close Air Support CAS and Search and Rescue SAR Sandy Flight deployments to Aviano AB Italy for Operation Deny Flight enforcing a no fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. 81 FS participated in Operation Southern Watch enforcing the no fly zone in southern Iraq in September 1997.

81 Fighter Squadron deployed to Aviano AB in October 1998 supporting NATOs air presence during the crisis in Kosovo and returned to Aviano AB in January 1999 for a regular contingency rotation but then remained to support Operation Allied Force until 11 April 1999 when it moved to Gioia del Colle Italy flying more than 1400 combat missions including two successful Combat Search and Rescue CSAR Sandy CAS missions for downed F 117 and F 16 pilots. In September 2000 the Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia for Operation Southern Watch flying more than 700 combat and training sorties.

The squadron deployed several times to Bagram AB Afghanistan providing close air support and SAR Sandy Flights during Operation Enduring Freedom in June 2003 September 2004 and May 2006. During the 2006 deployment the Squadron flew in excess of 2000 combat sorties and 7600 combat hours employing over 109000 30mm rounds dropping 350 guided and conventional bombs and firing over 325 rockets in 260 Coalition operations.

The Panthers returned to Afghanistan in May 2010 this time to Kandahar AB flying over 9500 hours on over 2100 sorties and employed over 70000 rounds of 30mm 159 precision weapons and 141 rockets while providing close air support to OEF and ISAF operations. The Squadron earned the 1991 1996 and 2006 USAFE Commanders Trophy. On 16 February 2012 Air Force officials announced that 81 Fighter Squadron would be inactivated in March 2013. 

This patch dates from the late 1970s.