USAF 48th Tactical Fighter Wing TFW Patch F-111F Crash Recovery EMS 1984 – Variant A1a

48th TFW Crash Recovery Flight EMS Equipment Maintenance Squadron Patch USAF F-111F Tactical Fighter Wing RAF Lakenheath USAFE 1984 (4 Inch) Variant A1a

48th TFW Crash Recovery Flight EMS Equipment Maintenance Squadron Patch F-111F RAF Lakenheath 1984 Variant A1a

This Bryant & Tucker made variant has horizontal ribbed embroidery forming the F-111F Aardvark aircraft and a plastic coated black fabric backing

Validation – Tangible authentic and original

Manufacturer – British made Bryant & Tucker

Manufacture – embroidered on twill through black fabric stiffener with white synthetic return thread and a merrowed overlocked edge and a plastic coated backing

Visibility – color

Condition – very good has not been sewn to uniform

Size – 93mm by 104mm

Approximate imperial size – three and eleven sixteenth inches by four and one eighth inches

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48th TFW Crash Recovery Flight EMS Equipment Maintenance Squadron Patch F-111F USAFE

48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F Aardvark

This original 48th TFW EMS Crash Recovery Flight patch is from the famous F-111F Aardvark era of the Liberty Wing. Operating from RAF Lakenheath during the height of the Cold War the Wing flew advanced F-111F Aardvark fighter bomber from 1977. 48th Tactical Fighter Wing became one of the most combat-capable tactical strike wings in USAF in Europe and NATO.

In 1977 the 48th TFW exchanged its F-4D Phantom II aircraft for the F-111F Aardvark transferred from the 347th TFW at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The successful transition earned the Wing its third Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The Wing’s flying Squadrons remained the 492nd, 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. Equipped with the long-range strike capability of the F-111F, the Wing immediately expanded operational deployments and exercises throughout Europe and the Middle East, including Italy, Iran, Greece and Pakistan.

The Wing’s operational strength increased further when the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated on 1 April 1977.  Acting as a replacement training unit, the 495th TFS helped maintain combat readiness across the Liberty Wing. By 1979 the 48th TFW had flown the highest number of flying hours ever recorded by an F-111 unit in a fiscal year. The Wing passed  its USAFE Operational Readiness Inspection and NATO Tactical Evaluation in 1980 and received its fourth Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

During the 1980s the F-111F became internationally recognised through its precision strike capability and frontline NATO role. The 48th TFW deployed temporarily to RAF Sculthorpe in 1983 while RAF Lakenheath’s runway was resurfaced.

Operation El Dorado Canyon

In 1986 the Wing participated in the long-range strike mission against Libyan targets in Tripoli during Operation El Dorado Canyon. The attack was undertaken alongside the United States Navy Sixth Fleet. Although one aircraft and crew were lost, the Wing received the US Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for the operation.

Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm Gulf War

The Wing again entered combat during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Deploying as 48th TFW (Provisional) to Taif Air Base, Saudi Arabia, the 492nd, 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Squadrons flew 2,500 combat sorties. They achieved more than 2,200 target hits using the F-111F Aardvark and and dropped 7.3 million pounds of precision-guided munitions. 48th TFW (P) executed the first combat drop of the GBU-28 “bunker buster” bomb on 27 February 1991 and is credited with destroying hundreds of Iraqi tanks. The Wing returned to RAF Lakenheath in May 1991 and soon began restructuring under the USAF Objective Wing Organization program.

On 1 October 1991 the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing was redesignated the 48th Fighter Wing, while the Tactical Fighter Squadrons became Fighter Squadrons. The 495th FS was inactivated in December 1991 followed by the 493rd FS in December 1992, marking the end of the famous F-111F era at RAF Lakenheath.

This original USAF 48th TFW F-111F Aardvark patch is highly collectible among RAF Lakenheath, USAFE Operation Desert Storm and Cold War aviation memorabilia collectors, preserving the heritage of one of the United States Air Force’s most important combat fighter wings.

 

Crash Recovery

Prior to and during the early years of World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces USAAF relied heavily on local emergency personnel and impromptu detachments to secure crash sites and recover service aircraft.  In 1942 USAAF established Crashed, Damaged, and Disabled Aircraft Recovery CDDAR teams to rapidly recover, repair, or remove immobilized aircraft transforming the chaotic aftermath of mishaps into organized recoveries. They were tasked with clearing runways to keep airfields operational recover valuable components and to deny enemy access to sensitive equipment and technology at crash sites. Specialist teams were set up for securing and recovering crashed enemy aircraft to enable enemy technology to be studied.

CDDAR responsibilities expanded globally as strategic bombing campaigns and global flight operations increased during and after WWII. The Air Rescue Service ARS was established in 1946 to undertake the life-saving role of tracking down and rescuing aircrews from aviation disasters, ditching, and crash landings. CDDAR teams remained responsible for aircraft recovery and the CDDAR system was incorporated into the maintenance and operational function at every USAF base. CDDAR Teams have developed and operate specialized heavy equipment and pneumatic rigging tools and their highly trained specialists: –

• secure and control crash sites
• assess aircraft physical damage and determine safe lift points
• prevent secondary damage to multi-million-dollar airframes
• protecting classified avionics, weaponry, and intelligence data from compromise
• Recover aircraft back to Air Base secure facilities
• assists crash investigation and environmental cleanup

The CDDAR team has been part of 48^th TFW aircraft intermediate and organizational level aircraft maintenance operations since its activation on 10 July 1952. Currently Crash and Recovery Flight is in 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron EMS.  Crash and Recovery Flight forms part of Maintenance Flight 48th EMS and is responsible for aircraft flight controls and landing gear wheels and tyres as well as the response to inflight and ground emergencies.

 

48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron EMS

Timeline

48th Fighter Bomber Wing 

48th Maintenance Squadron MS 1952–1954

• 48th MS activated at Chaumont Semoutiers Air Base France on 10 July 1952 assigned to 48th Maintenance and Supply Group of 48^th Fighter Bomber Wing.
• Initially with F-84G Thunderjet aircraft the Wing transitioned to F- 86F Sabre aircraft in November 1953.

• 48th Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Field Maintenance Squadron on 15 November 1954.

48th Field Maintenance Squadron FMS 1954-1958

• 48th Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Field Maintenance Squadron on 15 November 1954.
• The Wing reequipped with F-100D Super Sabre aircraft in late 1956
• Reassigned from 48th Maintenance and Supply Group to 48th Fighter Bomber Wing on 8 December 1957 with the inactivation of 48th Fighter Bomber Group tier
• 48th Fighter Bomber Wing was redesignated 48th Tactical Fighter Wing on 8 July 1958
• 48th Field Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on 15 November 1958

48th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron CAMS 1958-1964

• 48th Field Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on 15 November 1958
• 48th Tactical Fighter Wing and its components relocated to RAF Lakenheath UK January 1960.
• 48th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Field Maintenance Squadron on 1 July 1964

48th Field Maintenance Squadron FMS 1964-1981

• 48th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Field Maintenance Squadron on 1 July 1964
• The Wing reequipped with F-4D Phantom II in 1972
• The Wing reequipped with F-111F Aardvark fighter bombers in 1977

• 48th Field Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron on 31 August 1981

48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron EMS 1981-Present

• 48th Field Maintenance Squadron was redesignated 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron on 31 August 1981
• 48th EMS was Reassigned to 48 Logistics on 31 March 1992 on the reintroduction of the Group organisation tier

• The Wing reequipped with F 15E Strike Eagle aircraft in 1992
• 48th EMS was reassigned from 48th Logistics Group to 48th Maintenance Group on its activation on 25 September 2002.
• 48th EMS handed responsibility for munitions to 48 Munitions Squadron when it was activated on 24 January 2003

• The Wing began reequipping with F 35A Lightning aircraft in December 2021

 

This 48th TFW Crash Recovery Flight patch dates from 1984.