47th Fighter Squadron

47th Fighter Squadron
47th Fighter Squadron A-10 Thunderbolt II at Hawgsmoke 2010 competition
Active	1940–1946; 1952–1960; 1962–1971; 1973–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Fighter
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Davis–Monthan Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Dogpatchers[1]
Engagements	World War II Pacific War Operation Deny Flight Operation Decisive Edge Operation Enduring Freedom
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
47th Fighter Squadron emblem (revised 27 November 2001)[2]
47th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 19 September 1944)[3]

The 47th Fighter Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it flies Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and is assigned to the 924 Fighter Group.

The squadron was first activated in 1940, as the United States expanded its military forces prior to World War II, as the 47th Pursuit Squadron. The squadron formed part of the air defenses of the Hawaiian Islands, and suffered heavy losses in the attack on Pearl Harbor. It served in Hawaii and the Pacific for the remainder of the war, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for long-range fighter missions over Japan in 1945. It returned to Hawaii in 1946 and was inactivated.

The squadron was activated again as the 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1952, when it replaced an Air National Guard unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War and was being returned to state control. It continued in the air defense role until inactivating in 1960. It was activated again in 1962 as the 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron and became one of the first McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fighter units, flying the Phantom until 1971, and deploying elements to Southeast Asia. It was activated again in the Reserve in 1973 and has served as an Air Force Reserve fighter squadron since then.