| 425th Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 425th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon[note 1] | |
| Active | 1943–1947; 1969–1989; 1992–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Advanced weapons and tactics continuation training for Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 pilots |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Luke Air Force Base, Arizona |
| Nickname(s) | Black Widows[1] |
| Motto(s) | Freedom Fighters |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
|
| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the 425th Fighter Squadron (approved 1 December 1992)[2][note 2] |  |
| Patch with 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron emblem (approved 11 June 1970)[3] |  |
| 425th Night Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 4 May 1945)[4] |  |
The 425th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training for Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 pilots.
The unit was originally formed as the 425th Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. After training in the United States, it was deployed to Ninth Air Force in England in the spring of 1944, prior to the D-Day landings in France. During the run-up to D-Day, the squadron trained with Royal Air Force night fighter units against Luftwaffe raiders who intruded the night skies over England. After the landings in France, the mission of the squadron became the air defense of Allied liberated territory. During the Battle of the Bulge, it also flew day and night interdiction missions against enemy troop movements, bridges and other targets of opportunity. It was inactivated in 1947.
The squadron was re-activated in 1969 as a Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter training squadron for Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots for transition training. After the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War, it continued performed training of pilots from friendly nations who purchased the Northrop F-5E Tiger II as part of the United States Foreign Military Sales program. It was inactivated in 1989 when sales of the F-5 were ended.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Valinski, Steven (13 September 2015). "Red Flag 15-4: Live & Virtual over the NTTR". Aviation Photography Digest. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ a b Robertson, Patsy (9 May 2009). "Factsheet 425 Fighter Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Endicott, p. 803
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 522