World War II The squadron was activated in early 1942 at
Harding Field, Louisiana as the
95th Pursuit Squadron, It soon moved to California where it equipped with
Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and began training with
Fourth Air Force as the
95th Fighter Squadron. It left California in the fall and sailed for Northern Ireland, where it received additional combat training under
Eighth Air Force. A month after the initial
Operation Torch landings in North Africa the squadron deployed to Algeria, where it entered combat as an element of
Twelfth Air Force. In North Africa, the squadron flew
antisubmarine patrols, bomber escort missions and attacked enemy shipping and airfields, moving its base east through Algeria and Tunisia. As the North African campaign drew to a close, the unit began attacking targets in Italy, earning a
Distinguished Unit Citation In May 1943, the 95th was tasked with bombing
Pantellaria, supporting the
Allied invasion of Sicily. In part due to the squadron's efforts the garrison surrender just prior to the Allies landing on the island. In September, the squadron participated in
Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, during which it was awarded a second Distinguished Unit Citation for a bomber escort mission against
marshalling yards near
Naples. and had seven
aces. Between April and June 1948 the squadron deployed to
Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, where it practiced rendezvousing with and escorting bombers, intercepting simulated enemy bombers and aerial gunnery. The 95th took over the personnel, mission, and
Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft of the inactivating 121st. In 1956, as ADC prepared to upgrade its system to the
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), the 4710th wing was discontinued and the squadron was reassigned to the
85th Air Division. The squadron's F-86L period lasted only a few months, however, for it converted to
AIM-4 Falcon armed
Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in February 1958. These planes returned to Andrews after the crisis. In July 1963 the squadron moved to
Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, where its F-106s replaced the
McDonnell F-101 Voodoos of the
98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. which moved from Dover to
Suffolk County Air Force Base the preceding month.
Fighter training The squadron was activated at
Tyndall Air Force Base on 15 August 1974, as the
95th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron. Upon arrival at Tyndall, the 95th transitioned from the F-106 to the
T-33 Shooting Star, where they flew in support of Tyndall's Weapons Controller (now known as Air Battle Manager) training program. They also provided training to pilots newly assigned to the T-33 as well as drone chase support for the Air Force's Weapons System Evaluation Program at Tyndall. The 95th FITS was the last active USAF unit to operate the T-33, affectionately known by its crews as the "T-Bird". In 1988, the 95th retired its last T-Birds and gained the mission of providing combat crew training for pilots flying the McDonnell Douglas
F-15 Eagle. At this time, the 95th was redesignated the
95th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron. In October 2018, large parts of Tyndall Air Force Base were damaged by
Hurricane Michael. Subsequently, Tyndall's flying units were relocated to other bases, with the
2nd Fighter Training Squadron and
43rd Fighter Squadron being relocated to
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, while the aircraft and personnel of the 95th Fighter Squadron were split up and relocated to
Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska,
Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia, and
Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii. The squadron was disbanded in 2019.
F-35A Lightning II (2023–present) The 95th Fighter Squadron reactivated at Tyndall AFB in June 2023 as the first of three units to be stationed at the base with the
Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. The first three F-35As (
18-5416,
20-5626 and
20-5627) were delivered to the 95th FS on 1 August 2023. ==Lineage==