USAF Patch Fighter USAFE c 480 TFS Tactical Fighter Squadron F 4D Phantom AD b

USAF Patch USAFE 480 TFS Tactical Fighter Squadron Hawk Facing Left F 4D Phantom Air Defence Late 1970s Spangdahlem AB West Germany German Made embroidered on twill merrowed edge fabric back 101mm four inches diameter.

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Squadron History

480 Fighter Bomber Squadron was activated on 25 September 1957 at England AFB Louisiana assigned to 366 Fighter Bomber Wing equipped with F 100 Super Sabre fighter bombers tasked with conventional and nuclear strike attack. 480 FBS was redesignated as 480 Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958 and was deactivated on 1 April 1959 due to budgetary reductions.

480 TFS was reactivated at Phalsbourg Bourscheid AB France on 8 May 1962 assigned to USAFE equipped with F 84F Thunderstreak fighter bombers to provide conventional and nuclear strike attack tasking for NATO and USAFE. The Squadron reequipped with F 100 Super Sabre aircraft in early 1963 before relocating to Hollomon AFB New Mexico reassigned to 366 TFW on 16 July 1963 following the French Government requirement to remove all NATO nuclear forces from French soil.

The Squadron reequipped with F 4C Phantom II fighters in 1965 and deployed to Da Nang Air Base South Vietnam on 1 February 1966 attached to 6252 Tactical Fighter Wing as part of USAF build up in Southeast Asia and engaged in combat fighter operations primarily over North Vietnam. The Squadron was reassigned to 35 Tactical Fighter Wing on 23 June 1966 then back to 366 TFW on 10 October 1966 and upgraded to F 4D Phantoms. During its combat operations from Da Nang AB the Squadron scored nine combat MiG kills including the first MiG 21.

In 1969 the Squadron relocated to Phu Cat Air Base South Vietnam reassigned to 37 TFW and. 37 TFW was inactivated at Phu Cat AB on 31 March 1970 on its redesignation as 12 Tactical Fighter Wing previously at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base. On 20 October 1971 480 TFS flew its last combat mission in Vietnam with its F 4D Phantoms as 12 TFW began transferring Phu Cat AB to the South Vietnamese AF. Although originally scheduled for redeployment to Holloman AFB the Squadron was inactivated in on 17 November 1971 and its aircraft transferred to other fighter units in Southeast Asia.

480 TFS was reactivated at Spangdahlem West Germany on 15 November 1976 assigned to 52 Tactical Fighter Wing equipped with with F 4D Phantom IIs tasked with NATO and USAFE air defence. The Squadron upgraded to F 4E Phantoms in 1980 and swapped a number of its F 4E Phantoms for F 4G Phantom Wild Weasels from 81 TFS in 1982 when 52 TFW rerolled 23 and 480 TFSs to join 81 TFS for suppression of enemy air defence.  Each Squadron operated mixed RF 4G and F 4E aircraft flights as hunter killer teams perfected during the Vietnam War with the F 4Gs hunting SAM sites pinpointing radar emitters and with its own weapons or those of buddy F 4Es destroying them using the AGM 88 HARM and AGM 45 Shrike munitions. 52 TFW became NATOs only air defense system suppression Wing.

In 1987 480 TFS Warhawks received F 16C Fighting Falcons taking over the killer role of the F 4E Phantoms while retaining the F 4G Phantoms to carry out the hunter role. 480 TFS deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Desert Shield in Autumn 1990 and undertook SEAD combat missions during Operation Desert Storm destroying Iraqi air defence systems from 17 January 1991 to 11 April 1991.

At the end of Desert Storm in 1991 the Squadrons remaining F 4Gs were transferred to 81 TFS with the Squadron becoming an all F 16 unit and was re designated 480 Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991. At the same time the Squadron lost its SEAD mission and rerolled for air defence and adding tactical nuclear strike attack tasking on the disbandment of Hahn ABs 50 TFW nuclear strike squadrons. In 1993 the 480 FS became the USAFs first squadron to be equipped with Block 50 F 16s and was again retasked with SEAD. The Squadron was inactivated on 1 October 1994 as part of the post Cold War force reductions.

As a result of the drawdown of F 16s from 52 Operations Group Spangdahlem the 22 and 23 Fighter Squadrons were deactivated on 13 August 2010 and reformed as 480 Fighter Squadron assigned to 52 OG equipped with F 16CJ fighters for NATO and USAFE SEAD operations. The Squadron deployed assets to Aviano AB Italy from 19 March to July 2011 to help enforce the no fly zone over Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Unified Protector and to Balad AB Iraq during April 2011 for Operation New Dawn which replaced Operation Iraqi Freedom on 1 September 2010 the campaign intended to be the withdrawal from Iraq. In March 2012 the Squadron deployed to Turkey to train the Turkish Air Force in Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. 

This patch dates from the late 1970s.