USAF Patch Fighter PACAF 80 TFS Tactical Fighter Squadron Headhunters F 105

USAF Patch PAC 80 TFS Tactical Fighter Squadron Headhunters Small Patch F 105 Thunderchief 1965 Japanese Made fully embroidered cut edge 65mm by 45mm two and one half inches by one and thirteen sixteenth inches.

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Squadron History

80 Squadron Headhunters reactivated as 80 Fighter Squadron Single Engine on 20 February 1947 at Itazuke AB Japan with P-51 Mustangs and
was assigned to 8 Fighter Group. The Squadron reequipped with F-80 Shooting Star and were re-designated as 80 Fighter Squadron Jet on 1 January 1950 and 80 Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950. 80 FBS was attached to 49 Fighter-Bomber Group from 11 August to 25 September 1950 and 51 Fighter-Interceptor Group from 25 September to 27 October 1950 when deployed to Kimpo AB K-14 South Korea to provide air defence. The Squadron received F 86 Sabres in 1953 and was reassigned to Twentieth Air Force from 21 October 1954 and
added F-84 Thunderstreaks to the fleet. 80 FBS was reassigned to 49 Fighter-Bomber Group from 10 February 1955 to 18 October 1956 and reequipped with F 100 Super Sabres. The Squadron was assigned to 8 Fighter-Bomber Wing from 1 February to 30 September 1957. The Squadron was re-designated 80 Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958.

80 TFS reequipped with F-105 Thunderchief in 1963 and were attached to the 41 Air Division moving to the 6441 Tactical Fighter Wing of the 2nd Air Division in April 1965. The squadron conducted temporary duty TDY combat operations in Southeast Asia from December 1964 attacking targets such as the Hai Nguyen Steel Plant Haipong storage facilities rail lines and the Doumer Bridge. The Squadron conducted 7384 combat missions in Southeast Asia including 2657 combat missions directly over North Vietnam for a total of 17104 total hours of active operations.

Assigned to 347 Tactical Fighter Wing in January 1968 the Squadron reequipped with F-4C Phantom II and deployed to Korea in reaction to
the North Korean seizure of the USS Pueblo and during the summer of 1968 80 TFS became the first PACAF squadron to assign crews for Wild Weasel conversion with the first fully modified F-4C Wild Weasel arriving in April 1969. 80 TFS deployed on a rotating basis to Osan AB Korea providing a nuclear strike alert capability against targets in the Soviet Union North Korea and China maintaining several aircraft on fifteen-minute alert. In 1970 all PACAF F-4 Wild Weasel crews were transferred into 80 TFS.

On 15 February 1971 80 TFS deployed from Yokota to Kunsan AB Korea assigned to Detachment 1 475 Tactical Fighter Wing to begin the process
of inactivation but this was rescinded and the Squadron transferred to the 3 Tactical Fighter Wing at Kusan AFB and was re-staffed with personnel from the 391 Tactical Fighter Squadron which had been inactivated on 28 February 1971. The 391 TFSs insignia included the motto Audentes Fortuna Juvat which subsequently became the unofficial motto of 80 TFS Headhunters until approved on 9 October 1986.

The Squadron reequipped with F 16 Fighting Falcons in 1981 was re-designated 80 Fighter Squadron on 3 Feb 1992. 

This patch dates from 1965.