706th Aggressor Squadron
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The 706th Aggressor Squadron is part of the 926th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada where it oversees Air Force Reserve Command fighter pilots supporting the United States Air Force Warfare Center as an associate of the 57th Wing. Pilots assigned to the 706th fly General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
706th Aggressor Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1943–1945; 1948–1949; 1955–1957; 1959–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Fighter agressor training |
Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
Garrison/HQ | Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada |
Nickname(s) | Cajuns |
Engagements | European Theater of World War II Gulf War |
Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
Insignia | |
706th Fighter Squadron Emblem[lower-alpha 1][1] | |
706th Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)[2] | |
World War II fuselage code Squadron color[2] | RT |
The squadron was first activated as the 706th Bombardment Squadron in 1943. After training in the United States with Consolidated B-24 Liberators, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. After V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated.
The squadron was activated in the reserve in 1948, but was inactivated in budget reductions in 1949. The squadron again became a reserve unit in 1955 as the 706th Troop Carrier Squadron, but was inactivated two years later. It was activated again in 1959 and has served as an airlift unit until 1978, which included training Republic of Vietnam Air Force crews in South Vietnam. Since 1978 the squadron has been a fighter unit, deploying to Bosnia and Southwest Asia on numerous occasions through 2007 when it assumed its current role. In May 2023, the squadron became an aggressor squadron.