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The 421st Fighter Squadron (421 FS) is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the most decorated fighter squadrons in the United States Air Force, being awarded three Presidential Unit Citations and seven Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for Valor in Combat. The unit was originally formed as the 421at Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. After training, it was deployed to Fifth Air Force and ordered to New Guinea to provide air defense interceptor protection against Japanese night air raids on USAAF airfields. It later served in the Philippines Campaign where in addition to night interceptor missions it also flew day and night interdiction missions against enemy troop movements, bridges and other targets of opportunity. It later served on Okinawa and in Occupied Japan where it was inactivated in 1947. It was re-activated by Tactical Air Command in 1962 as the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron. Equipped with F-105 Thunderchiefs, it deployed to Southeast Asia and engaged in combat operations over North Vietnam. It returned to the United States and was re-equipped with the F-4D Phantom II and returned to Southeast Asia for a second and later third tour of duty in the Vietnam War. It was one of the first USAF Squadrons equipped with the F-16A Fighting Falcon in 1980; and went on to serve in the 1991 Gulf War. In recent years, the squadron has deployed to the United States Air Forces Central Command, engaging in combat during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. ==Overview== The 421st is one of the longest operating F-16 units together with its sister squadron assigned to the 388th, the 4th Fighter Squadron. It trains to deploy worldwide to conduct Day/Night air superiority and precision strike sorties employing laser-guided and inertially aided munitions during contingencies and combat.〔(421 FS Fact Sheet )〕 The squadron's nickname "Black Widows" is derived from its World War II combat heritage of flying the Northrup P-61 Black Widow night fighter, the only dedicated night fighter produced by the United States during the war. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「421st Fighter Squadron」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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