85th Fighter Group

The group trains pilots from other nations on Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program. ==History==

World War II The earliest predecessor of the 85th Group was formed during World War II as the 85th Bombardment Group, a dive bomber unit equipped with Vultee V-72 Vengeance single-engine attack aircraft. 306th, 307th, and 308th Bombardment Squadrons. It moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky to train for close air support and received its first aircraft there. It converted to Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers in August 1942 and was reassigned to Fourth Air Force in California, taking part in training maneuvers at the Desert Training Center with Army ground units programmed for the Operation Torch landings in North Africa. It continued to participate in maneuvers in California during fall and winter of 1942–1943. In late 1943, it assumed a split operation as its 500th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS) moved to Harris Neck Army Air Field, Georgia and its 502d FBS moved to Punta Gorda Army Air Field, Florida, while the group and remaining squadrons remained at Waycross Army Air Field. It received a few Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1944. It served as a RTU until it disbanded in early in 1944, Those at Punta Gorda became the duty of the 344th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter) and at Harris Neck of the 346th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter). This reorganization occurred because the AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. Cold War The second predecessor of the 85th Group was the Iceland Air Defence Force, which replaced the Iceland Base Command, which had been the headquarters for Army (and later Air Force) units stationed in Iceland since 1942 and was assigned to Military Air Transport Service (MATS). Between 1952 and 1961, provided air defense for Iceland, operated Keflavik Airport, and furnished base support for all Department of Defense activities in Iceland. Fighters assigned to the unit routinely intercepted Soviet Naval Aviation aircraft flying in the Iceland area. Operationally, the group was assigned to the Iceland Defense Force as part of Island Command Iceland. As the "Guardians of the North," the 85th Group was responsible for deterring aggression in the North Atlantic, protecting Iceland's airspace. This was accomplished through surveillance, air superiority and the use of rescue assets. The 85th Group was responsible for deterring aggression in the North Atlantic and protecting Iceland's airspace. It also supported contingency operations through surveillance, air superiority and rescue forces. Air Force reductions and a new agreement with the Government of Iceland continued to affect Keflavik organizations. On 1 March 1995, the 57th Fighter Squadron was inactivated and the interceptor force was replaced by Regular Air Force and Air National Guard F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft rotating every 90 days to Iceland. The 85th Wing was reduced to a Group level in 1995 and supported rotational deployments. In 2002 jurisdiction of Air Force units in Iceland was transferred to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 85th Group continued to support rotational deployments until it was inactivated on 28 June 2006, as a result of the Air Force reduction in forces in Iceland. All rotational fighters left and the 56th Rescue Squadron ceased operation at the end of the fiscal year. Foreign pilot training The group was redesignated the 85th Fighter Group and activated at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas on 2 July 2024, drawing its resources from Detachment 1, 33rd Fighter Wing, which was discontinued. Detachment 1 had been established in 2023, when Ebbing was selected as the site for Foreign Military Sales associated training on the F-35 Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Its initial mission was to establish the tasks required to prepare for flight operations. ==Lineage==

; 85th Fighter-Bomber Group • Constituted as the 85th Bombardment Group (Light) on 13 January 1942 : Activated on 10 February 1942 : Redesignated 85th Bombardment Group (Dive) on 27 July 1942 : Redesignated 85th Fighter-Bomber Group on 10 August 1943 : Disbanded on 1 May 1944 : Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated 85th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (not active) : Consolidated with Air Forces Iceland on 29 September 1994 as the 85th Wing • 667th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 30 September 1988 • 932d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 932d Air Defense Squadron, 932d Air Control Squadron), 8 March 1954 – 18 December 1955; 1 July 1960 – 31 May 1993; 1 July 1995 – 28 July 2006 • 933d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 18 April 1955 – 18 December 1955; 1 July 1960 – 8 October 1960 • 934th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 8 October 1960 Support Components Groups • 85th Support Group, 1 October 1994 – 1 July 1995 • 1400th Air Base Group, 1 April 1952 – 1 July 1960 • 1400th Maintenance & Supply Group, 1 May 1959 – 1 July 1960 • 1400th USAF Hospital, 1 July 1960 – 1 October 1961 Squadrons • 85th Civil Engineering Squadron (later 85th Civil Engineer Squadron), 1 July 1985 – 28 June 2006 • 85th Logistics Squadron, 1 July 1985 – c. 30 September 2002 • 85th Mission Support Squadron, 1 July 1985 – 28 June 2006 • 85th Security Police Squadron (later 85th Security Forces Squadron), 1 July 1985 – 28 June 2006 • 1400th Air Base Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 October 1961 • 1400th Civil Engineering Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 October 1961 • 1400th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 July 1961 • 1400th Supply Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 October 1961 • 1400th Support Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 July 1962 • 1400th Transportation Squadron, 1 July 1960 – 1 October 1961 • 4557th Security Police Squadron, c. 1985 – 31 May 1993 • 4557th Supply Squadron, 1 March 1987 – 31 May 1993 Stations • Army Air Base, Savannah, Georgia, 10 February 1942 • Bowman Field, Kentucky, c. 16 February 1942 • Hunter Field, Georgia, 9 June 1942 • Waycross Army Air Field, Georgia, 15 August 1942 • Gillespie Field, Tennessee, 3 October 1942 • Blythe Army Air Base, California, 2 November 1942 • Rice Army Air Field, California, c. 11 December 1942 • Camp Young, California, 21 January 1943 • Harding Field, Louisiana, 8 April 1943 • Waycross Army Air Field, Georgia, c. 27 August 1943 – 1 May 1944 • Keflavik Airport (later NAS Keflavik), Iceland, 1 April 1952 – 31 May 1993 • NAS Keflavik, Iceland, 1 October 1994 – 28 June 2006 • Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, 2 July 2024 – present Aircraft • Vultee V-72 Vengeance, 1942 • Douglas A-24 Banshee, 1942–1943 • North American A-36 Apache, 1943–1944 • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1944 • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944 • North American F-51 Mustang (rotational aircraft), 1952–1953 • Northrop F-89 Scorpion, 1954–1962 • Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, 1962–1973 • McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, 1973–1985 • F-15 Eagle, 1985–1993, 1994–1995; (rotational aircraft), 1995–2006 • HH-60 Pave Hawk, 1994–2006 • KC-135 Stratotanker (rotational aircraft), 1994–2006 • HC-130P/N (rotational aircraft), 1994–2006 • F-16 Fighting Falcon (rotational aircraft), 1997 and 1999, 2024-present Awards • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award • : 1 June 1967 – 31 December 1968 : 1 January 1969 – 31 December 1969 : 1 January 1970 – 31 August 1970 : 1 July 1973 – 30 June 1975 : 1 July 1975 – 30 June 1976 : 1 July 1976 – 30 June 1978 : 1 July 1981 – 30 June 1982 : 1 October 1994 – 31 May 1996 : 1 June 1996 – 31 May 1997 : 1 June 1997 – 31 May 1998 : 1 June 1999 – 31 May 1999 : 1 June 2000 – 31 May 2001 : 1 June 2001 – 31 May 2002 : 1 June 2002 – 30 September 2003 : 1 October 2003 – 30 September 2004 : 1 October 2004 – 31 October 2005 : 1 October 2005 – 28 June 2006 • Air Force Organizational Excellence Award • : 1 July 1985 – 30 June 1987 : 1 July 1987 – 30 June 1988 : 1 July 1990 – 31 May 1992 • American Theater of World War II • ==See also==