USAF Patch Fighter USAFE b 86 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing F 4 Phantom

USAF Patch USAFE 86 TFW Tactical Fighter Wing Crest 1970 Zweibrucken AFB West Germany 1969 to 1973 Recon Wild Weasel F 4 Phantom German full embroidered cut edge 98mm by 70mm three and seven eighth inches by two and three quarter inches.

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Wing History

86th Fighter Wing was activated at Neubiberg Air Base Germany on 1 July 1948 assigned to USAFE to provide air defence with its operational component 86 Fighter Group with 525 526 and 527 Fighter Squadrons equipped with P 47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft following tensions with the Soviet Union culminated in the Berlin Blockade. Initially the Wing provided air defence for the Berlin Airlift cargo flights then general air defense patrolling the American and British side of the Soviet occupation zone border as a deterrent to Soviet fighters intruding on western airspace.

The Wing was reassigned to 2 Air Division on 10 October 1949 and redesignated 86 Fighter Bomber Wing on 20 January 1950 with its Group and Squadrons also renamed to reflect its additional attack role and reequipped with F 84 Thunderjet fighter bombers. 86 FBW was reassigned to Twelfth Air Force on 7 May 1951. With the increase in jet aircraft and the capabilities of the newly introduced Soviet Mig 15 USAFE had decided to move its flying units west of the Rhine and 86 FBW relocated to the newly completed Ramstein Landstuhl AB West Germany on 21 August 1952. The USAFE Skyblazer acrobatic team was assigned to 86 FBW in the autumn of 1952 giving their last demonstration flight in July 1953. The Wings operational Squadrons reequipped with F 86F Sabre fighters in 1953 and 86 FBW was redesignated 86 Fighter Interceptor Wing on 9 August 1954 to provide air defense for the central European region and F 86F Sabres were gradually replaced with missile armed F 86D Sabre all weather interceptors.

525 526 and 527 FIS was detached from 86 FIG and attached direct to 86 FIW at various times from 1954 to 8 March 1958. 440 FIS and 496 FIS were attached to 86 FIG on 8 October 1955 becoming assigned to 86 FIG 3 January 1956. 527 FIS was inactivated on 8 February 1956 with 461 Fighter Day Squadron attached 8 February to 3 May 1956. 525 FIS relocated to Bitburg AB West Germany on 12 February 1957. 86 Fighter Bomber Group was inactivated on 8 March 1958 and its operational squadrons were assigned direct to the Wing. When 406 FIW at RAF Manston England was inactivated in May 1958 its three F 86D Squadrons were reassigned to 86 FIW and relocated with 513 FIS to Sembach Air Base Germany 513 FIS to Phalsbourg Bourscheid AB France  and 514 FIS to Ramstein AB.

Bitburg based 525 FIS received its first F 102 Delta Dagger interceptors in January 1959 to begin the upgrading of air defense capabilities over Western Europe. HQ USAFE decided to centralize command of all the European Air Defense squadrons into an upgraded 86 FIW to Air Division status redesignated it as 86 Air Division Defense on 18 November 1960. With the F 102 already being superseded by ADC for CONUS AD operations by F 101B Voodoo F 106 Delta Dart and later by F 4 Phantom II fighters 86 Air Division was inactivated on 14 November 1968.

The Wing was reactivated as 86 Tactical Fighter Wing at Zweibrucken AB on 1 November 1969 following Canadas decision to vacate the base. 86 TFW was assigned 17 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron as its first operational Squadron equipped with RF 4C Phantom IIs reassigned from the inactivating 66 TRW at RAF Upper Heyford.

81 Tactical Fighter Squadron with its Electronics Counter Measures ECM equipped F 4C Phantom II Wild Weasel fighters was attached to the 86 TFW on 12 June 1971 but remaining assigned to 50 TFW at Hahn AB when 50 TFW switched to a strike attack role. With these two operational Squadrons 86 TFW designation did not match its mission and during USAFEs command wide Creek Action realignment USAFE reassigned 81 TFS to Spangdahlem AB on 15 January 1973 and 26 TRW relocated from Ramstein to Zweibrucken AB with 86 TFW relocating from Zweibrucken to Ramstein on 31 January 1973. The base swap was made without the transfer of personnel or equipment except 38 TRS which moved to Zweibrucken and 7 SOS which transferred to Rhein Main AB. 526 TFS with its F 4Es remained at Ramstein AB reassigned to 86 TFW.

86 TFW activated 7086 Operations Squadron in July 1973 taking over 26 TRWs HQ USAFE Liaison Flight equipped with two C 118 Liftmaster six T 39 Sabreliner two C 131 Samaritan transport aircraft and four UH 1 Huey helicopters. With Ramstein AFB operating as a main USAFE NATO Command base 7086 OS provided VIP transport for HQ USAFE staff and military command personnel to and from Berlin and to Air Force and NATO bases throughout Europe. The Squadron also provided VIP transport for German Government staff and military command personnel to and from Berlin as the German Air Force was not permitted to fly in the Berlin Corridor. 7086 OS was inactivated in 1977 with its mission undertaken by other specialist VIP transport Squadrons including 58 MAS.

512 TFS was activated at Ramstein AB on 22 September 1977 equipped with F 4 E Phantoms and with 526 TFS were designated 86 Tactical Fighter Group assigned to 86 TFW. 512 TFS began converting to F 16 Fighting Falcon fighters on 20 September 1985 with 526 TFS completing conversion to F 16s retiring their last F4 E in June 1986.

86 TFW did not deployed for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 to 1991 with Ramstein AB becoming an intermediate support base for US forces deployed to the Persian Gulf and with MAC stage crews arriving on 10 August 1990 Ramstein became an overflow airfield for Rhein Main AB supporting strategic airlift traffic to the Persian Gulf. Ramstein established an intermediate engine repair facility for deployed F 16s and a center for gulf bound munitions. 86 TFW activated a 150 bed hospital aeromedical staging facility and blood transshipment center on 15 January 1991 which triaged to its first patients from the Persian Gulf on the same day.

At the end of Operation Desert Storm 86 TFW deployed it F 16s to Turkey from 6 April 1991 for Operation Provide Comfort to ensure Iraq compliance with treaty terms. 86 TFW was redesignateded 86 Fighter Wing on 1 May 1991 and to test a new wing base structure Ramsteins 316 Air Division and 377 Combat Support Wing were inactivated with all their functions placed under the operational control of the 86 Fighter Wing.

86 Fighter Wing was assigned 58 Airlift Squadron and its fleet of small executive C 12 C 20 Gulfstream C 21 Lear Jet CT 43 Bobcat C 135 transport aircraft and UH 1 helicopters and was redesignated 86 Wing on 1 June 1992. The Wings fighter Squadrons continuing rotational deployments to Turkey for Operation Provide Comfort and Northern Watch until September 1993.

86 Wing began to assume the C 130 airlift mission of 435 Airlift Wing at Rhein Main AB and 55 Aeromedical Airlift Squadron moved to Ramstein AB with its C 9A Nightingale aircraft together with 2 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron with its flight medics technicians and support personnel on 1 July 1993. 86 AW was assigned 37 75 and 76 Airlift Squadrons which relocated to Ramstein AB and transferred out 58 Airlift Squadron on 1 October 1993 and became responsible for intra theater airlift in Europe Africa and the Middle East supporting operations and exercises throughout the European theater with C 130 Hercules aircraft. The Wing was also assigned 38 Airlift Squadron Provisional ASP also known as Delta Squadron formed with US based ANG and AFRES C 130 Hercules Squadron temporary duties TDY deployments to provide extra airlift capability undertaking intra theater airlift in support of US Air Forces in Europe European Command and NATO operations and exercises moving it from Rhein Main AB to Ramstein AB. The Wing inactivated 526 Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1994 and 2 AES was redesignated 86 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron on 16 August 1994. 86 Fighter Wing inactivated its last fighter Squadron 512 FS on 1 October 1994 when the Wing was redesignated 86th Airlift Wing.

 

This patch dates from 1970.