The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe. It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle wing based in Europe which hosts two F-15E Strike Eagle squadrons. The wing also hosts two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II squadrons. The 48 FW was given the name "Statue of Liberty Wing" on 4 July 1954 and remains the only U.S. Air Force unit with both a name and a numerical designation.
The 48 FW operates in support of United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, United States European Command and NATO.
Units The Liberty Wing has nearly 5,700 active-duty military members, 2,000 British and U.S. civilians, and includes a geographically separated accommodation unit at nearby RAF Feltwell. In total they support two squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and two squadrons of F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft.
48th Operations Group Formerly the 48th Fighter-Bomber Group. Provides four squadrons of F-35A & F-15E aircraft & personnel in support of USAFE, U.S. European Command and NATO operations.
48th Maintenance Group includes 48th Aircraft Maintenance sqdn, 748th Aircraft Maintenance sqdn, 48th Component Maintenance sqdn, 48th Equipment Maintenance sqdn, 48th Maintenance Operations sqdn and 48th Munitions sqdn. These units manage and maintain all aspects of the F-15 and F-35 fighter aircraft, including the airframe, Pratt & Whitney F100 and Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, precision avionics, and weapons. However, between October 2022 and June 2023, at least two of these units (48th AMS & 748th AMS) were inactivated and replaced by individual squadron-based maintenance units identified as Fighter Generation Squadrons, namely 492nd, 493rd, 494th and 495th FGS.
48th Mission Support Group (48 MSG) The 48th Civil Engineer Squadron maintains over 600 buildings, 1300 housing units, regional hospital, five DoD schools, and other infrastructure. 48th Force Support Squadron; responsible for dining, lodging, fitness, honor guard, leisure activities, family programs, and mortuary affairs. 48th Security Forces Squadron; protects & defends USAF facilities, coordinates law enforcement operations with host nation police agencies, operates US Forces Correctional Facility, maintains combat arms training range, provides small arms training, etc. 48th Communications Squadron; provide & maintain computer, data and voice communication, and United States Postal Service facility.
48th Medical Group (48 MDG) The 48 MDG provides healthcare services to over 35,000 eligible beneficiaries at six operating locations across the UK, and in Norway, covering personnel & dependants from 48th Fighter Wing, 100th Air Refueling Wing, 501st Combat Support Wing, and 352nd Special Operations Wing. This includes 67,000 dental visits, 1550 surgeries, and 450 infant deliveries per year. The unit also maintains an Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS) capability.
History
On 10 July 1952, the Oklahoma Air National Guard 137th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France was redesignated the 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing. The fighter squadrons being redesignated the 492d, 493d, and 494th respectively, the 58 F-84Gs and support aircraft of the ANG were assigned to the 48th Fighter-Bomber Group under the Hobson Plan. The 48th FBW commanded the functions of both the support groups as well as the flying combat 48th FBG. The few National Guardsmen still with the wing departed and the last were released from active duty on 9 July, although a few reserve officers remained on active duty for an additional six to twelve months.
With the F-84, the 48 FBW took part in North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) activities, participating in exercises with the U.S. Seventh Army. In addition, the 48th conducted operational readiness exercises and tactical evaluations. Honing bombing and gunnery skills. The 48th frequently deployed to Wheelus Air Base, Libya for training.
The 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing remained at Chaumont-Semoutiers for seven and a half years, from 10 July 1952 to 15 January 1960. Its three flying squadrons, the 492d, 493d and 494th, remained unchanged throughout, while the wing converted from the F-84G Thunderjet to the F-86F Sabre in 1953 and, in late 1956, became the first USAFE unit to re-equip with the F-100D Super Sabre.
An open house was held once a year, with great numbers of French civilians in attendance. In 1954, over 15,000 attended the Armed Forces Day event to see static aircraft displays, watch flight demonstrations, listen to a French army band and other activities. In just over three years since construction began, Chaumont Air Base became an important part of the Haute-Marne region.
On 4 July 1954 the wing received the honorary title Statue de la Liberté (Statue of Liberty) Wing, in recognition of its contributions to the local area, at a ceremony presided over by the USAFE commander, Lieutenant General William H. Tunner, together with the mayor of Chaumont and the French secretary of state, Jean Masson. The title made the 48th the only U.S. Air Force unit to hold both a numerical designation and an official name. The wing subsequently adopted an emblem incorporating the Statue of Liberty, formally approved on 5 July 1962.
The wing's comptroller subsequently found that a foundry about from Chaumont still held one of the molds used to cast reductions of the Statue of Liberty from models by its sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The foundry agreed to produce a replica for $1,700, which the wing funded by raffling a Ford Versailles sedan. The statue was dedicated at Chaumont Air Base on 4 July 1956 and remains there as a memorial to the wing's service in France, and another replica stands at RAF Lakenheath.
In November 1953, the wing exchanged its F-84Cs for newer North American F-86 Sabre (F models), receiving 75 aircraft, 25 per squadron. Then word came in late 1956 that the Air Force would exchange the wing's Sabres for a newer aircraft: the North American F-100 Super Sabre. The larger-bodied F-100 was capable of carrying more ordnance than the F-86 and was one of the first fighters designed to operate at supersonic speeds. 90 single-seat F-100D aircraft were received, along with 13 F-100F dual-seaters.
The wing began realigning its units 15 March 1957, as part of an Air Force worldwide reorganization. The 48th Fighter-Bomber Group was inactivated on 8 December 1957 when its component squadrons were assigned directly to the 48th FBW.
As part of yet another organization change, the 48th dropped the "Fighter Bomber" designation 8 July 1958, becoming the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. The three flying units also changed designation, becoming tactical fighter squadrons.
Despite the close relationship between the wing and the people of Chaumont, international relationships between France and the US deteriorated in the late 1950s, resulting in French president Charles de Gaulle demanding the removal of NATO forces from the country. Under a project known as "Red Richard", USAFE relocated its units from France to other locations around Europe. Simultaneously, the advent of the inter-continental ballistic missile had reduced the United States' dependence on European-based airborne medium-and long ranged bombers.
On 15 January 1960, the 48 TFW redeployed to an empty Strategic Air Command heavy bomber base, RAF Lakenheath, England. In the early the wing's three fighter squadrons lifted off Chaumont's runway and, after making farewell passes over the outlying village, headed toward the English Channel.
RAF Lakenheath
On 15 January 1960, the F-100s of the 48TFW arrived at RAF Lakenheath. The tactical components of the 48th TFW upon arrival at Lakenheath were 492d, 493d and 494th Fighter Squadrons.
The F-100s arrived from France still finished in bare metal with bright individual squadron markings, subsequently changed to a common tri-colour chevron (blue, yellow, red) flash on the tail (and nose), over bare metal. Around 1966-67 this was replaced with dull green-based S.E. Asia camouflage and no squadron markings. However, by 1970 individual squadron markings were re-introduced, firstly with large squadron tail-codes ('LR', 'LS' or 'LT') and shortly after colored fin tips were added.
492d Tactical Fighter Squadron (assigned tailcode 'LR', blue fin tip added later) 493d Tactical Fighter Squadron (assigned tailcode 'LS', yellow fin tip added later) 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron (assigned tailcode 'LT', red fin tip added later)
The wing and its fighters brought a new mission and the first permanent American presence to RAF Lakenheath. The base required a myriad of construction projects to support the mission. Maintenance and flying operations areas required conversions to support fighter operations, and the base needed the creation of a support structure for a permanent host unit.
East Germany's 1961 decision to build the Berlin Wall and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis increased Cold War tensions to an all-time high. In response, RAF Lakenheath was earmarked as a possible rotational base for SAC B-47 and B-52 aircraft throughout the Berlin Crisis, although no aircraft were actually deployed. Also in 1962, the 48th TFW came under the operational command of Third Air Force.
Between 1963 and 1972 the wing's F-100 fleet maintained its readiness by participating in a number of USAFE and NATO exercises training to react to possible aggression from the Soviet Union. They underwent a series of NATO tactical evaluations, for which they earned the wing their first Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, for the period from 1 July 1961 to 29 February 1964. The wing conducted several deployments to Turkey, Italy, Spain, and across the United Kingdom
On 1 October 1971, the 492d Tactical Fighter Squadron stood down from its NATO commitments, followed by the 493d on 1 December and the 494th on 1 February 1972. The period between 1972 and 1977 can be described as a five-year aircraft conversion. Beginning in late 1971 the 48th TFW started its conversion to the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, with some aircraft being transferred from the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters. The conversion to the F-4D took several years, with the last F-100 departing in August 1974. The first F-4 Phantoms to arrive adopted a common tail code of "LK" with a tri-color fin tip, however this tail code lasted only a few months as in July / August 1972 the 48th TFW further recoded to "LN". As the numbers of F-4s increased, they were allocated to individual squadrons and gradually adopted individual squadron identifying fin cap colors of blue, yellow and red (492d, 493d, 494th respectively). The squadron conversion dates were:
492d TFS 1 October 1971 and 31 January 1972 493d TFS 1 December 1971 and April 1972 494th TFS 1 February 1972 and 25 July 1974
The F-4's service with the 48th TFW was relatively short as operation "Ready Switch" transferred the F-4D assets to the 474th TFW at Nellis AFB Nevada. The 474th sent their General Dynamics F-111A Aardvarks to the 366th TFW at Mountain Home AFB Idaho, and the 366th sent their F-111Fs to Lakenheath in early 1977. Unlike the previous F-4 transition, the F-111 change took place fairly quickly and without any significant problems. In fact, the wing received its third Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for such a smooth transition. Almost immediately after changing aircraft, the wing began a series of monthly exercises and deployments that took the Liberty Wing to Italy, Iran, Greece, and Pakistan.