World War II bomber training The
476th Bombardment Squadron was activated on 17 July 1942 at
Barksdale Field, Louisiana as one of the original components of the
335th Bombardment Group, and was equipped with
Martin B-26 Marauders. The 476th acted as a
Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for the B-26.
Tactical fighter operations The
476th Fighter-Day Squadron was activated in October 1957 at
George Air Force Base, California and assigned to the
479th Fighter-Day Wing. It was equipped with
North American F-100 Super Sabres, however it was programmed to receive the new
Lockheed F-104C Starfighter tactical strike version of the Starfighter. Delays in development caused the squadron not to receive the F-104 until September 1958, when it was the first
Tactical Air Command squadron to be equipped with the new aircraft. It was primarily intended for nuclear strike, but it could also carry out ground attack missions with conventional weapons. After attaining operational readiness with the Starfighter, it deployed to Spain for
air defense missions over the
Strategic Air Command Boeing B-47 Stratojet Operation Reflex base at
Moron Air Base. It was also used by the USAF and Lockheed for demonstrations for NATO military sales to replace
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak combat aircraft. It deployed in this role to
Hahn Air Base, Germany in 1962. During the early days of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965, North Vietnamese fighter aircraft became a problem for attacking USAF and US Navy strike aircraft. In response, the 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing from George AFB, California began regular rotations to Da Nang in April 1965. Their job was to fly MiG combat air patrol (MiGCAP) missions to protect American fighter bombers against attack by North Vietnamese fighters. It flew these missions armed with the F-104's single
M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon and four
AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The effect of F-104 deployment upon North Vietnamese MiG operations was immediate and dramatic. MiGs soon learned to avoid contact with USAF strikes being covered by F-104s. During the entire deployment of the 476th only two fleeting encounters between F-104Cs and enemy fighters occurred. The squadron deployed to Taiwan in 1968 to reinforce the
Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) air defense mission. The squadron returned to the United States without aircraft in July 1968, the F-104Cs remaining in Taiwan and were sold to the ROCAF. The squadron planned to be re-equipped with
McDonnell F-4C Phantom IIs as part of the phaseout of the F-104 from TAC, however the squadron was placed in nonoperational status and its personnel were transferred to the new 4535th Combat Crew Training Squadron. The squadron moved without personnel or equipment to
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina in late September 1968 to operate the F-4 Phantom II with the
4th Tactical Fighter Wing but did not become operational before it was inactivated in March 1969.
Consolidation The two inactive squadrons were consolidated as the
476th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron on 19 September 1985. ==Lineage==