USAF Patch Fighter USAFE a b 52 TFW 35 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing F 4 Wild Weasel z 1991 Desert Storm b

USAF Patch USAFE 52 TFW 35 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing Wild Weasel Patch Desert Shield Desert Storm Deployed F 4 Phantom II 1990 Embroidered on twill cut edge 81mm three and three sixteenth inches diameter.

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Wing History

52 Fighter Wing All Weather was activated on 9 June 1948 at Mitchel Field NY equipped with F 82 Twin Mustang fighter aircraft to provide air defense over the northeastern United States. The Wing relocated to McGuire Air Force Base NJ on 4 October 1949 and was redesignated 52 Fighter All Weather Wing on 20 January 1950 and received F 94 Starfire fighters. The Wing was renamed 52 Fighter Interceptor Wing on 1 May 1951 and reequipped with F 47 Thunderbolt aircraft. 52 Fighter Interceptor Wing was inactivated on 6 February 1952.

The Wing reactivated on 11 April 1963 as 52 Fighter Wing Air Defense at Suffolk County Air Force Base NY equipped with F 101 Voodoo fighter aircraft and assigned to Air Defense Command for air defense of the northeastern United States. 52 Fighter Wing Air Defence was inactivated on 30 September 1968.

The Wing was reactivated on 31 December 1971 as 52 Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base Germany taking over the tactical Squadrons of Bitburg based 36 TFW equipped with B 66 Destroyer and F 4 Phantom II. The wing participated in tactical exercises operations and tests of USAFE and NATO and provided close air support interdiction base defense operations and hosted US based units on temporary duty in Europe. Wild Weasel defense suppression mission was added in January 1973 using F 4 Phantom IIs and air defense suppression became the Wings sole tactical mission in October 1985. In 1987 the Wing received F 16 Falcons and became the first Wing to integrate F 16Cs with F 4Gs to form hunter killer teams within its fighter Squadrons.

52 TFW deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia and Turkey in support of the liberation of Kuwait and subsequent operations from September 1990 to March 1991 carrying out Wild Weasel operations in conjunction with 35 TFWs F 4 Phantom IIs. The Wing was redesignated 52 Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991. In 1992 the wing added A 10 Thunderbolt II aircraft to its fleet and received F 15 Eagles in 1994 with F 16 Wild Weasels replacing the F 4 Phantom IIs. The wing supported Operations Northern Watch Allied Force and Decisive Forge and carried out numerous deployments to Italy and Turkey during the 1990s.

The wing deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in and around Afghanistan following the 9 11 2001 attacks with 22 Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flying deployed operations in support of the war on terrorism within 100 hours of tasking. In April 2010 the Wings strength was reduced by one third with 20 F 16Cs transferred to 148 Fighter Wing Minnesota Air National Guard and one F 16 transferred to Edwards Air Force Base California and 22 and 23 Fighter Squadrons were inactivated on 13 August 2010 with the remaining assets forming the newly reactivated 480 Fighter Squadron.

On 5 October 1989 35 Tactical Training Wing was redesignated 35 Tactical Fighter Wing at George AFB CA and took over all US Based Wild Weasel operations from 37 TFW with 561 and 562 Tactical Fighter Squadrons equipped with F 4 Phantom IIs.

In August 1990 35 Tactical Fighter Wing mobilized in support of Operation Desert Shield with 24 F 4G Phantom from 561 TFS deploying to Shaikh Isa Air Base Bahrain with further Wing assets deployed as 35 Tactical Fighter Wing Provisional with over 60 active duty and Air National Guard F 4 Phantom Recce and Wild Weasels and more than 2600 personnel. 35 Tactical Fighter Wing Provisional carried out 3072 combat missions with US Central Command relying heavily on its Wild Weasels to suppress enemy air defense systems with the F 4G aircrews credited with firing 905 missiles at Iraqi targets and the RF 4C aircrews shooting more than 300000 feet of vital reconnaissance film while suffering no casualties. The Wings aircraft and pilots returned to George AFB on 23 March 1991 and the Wing was inactivated on 15 December 1992.

This patch dates from 1990.