301st Fighter Wing, 457th Fighter Squadron
The 301st Fighter Wing at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field in Fort Worth is the only Air Force Reserve fighter unit in the state of Texas. The mission of the unit is to maintain a state of readiness to deploy people and their assigned fighter aircraft (the F-16) wherever needed when notified of recall to active duty. 301st have been deployed to the Gulf war and also recently Afghanistan in support of Air Combat command. 457th Fighter Squadron flies the unique F-16C/D Blk 30 that runs on GE engine but with a small mouth intake. 457th FW use to have TF tail code flying than F-105D, F-4D and F-4E. Currently, these F-16 spot a Texas Flag fin flash and a TX tail code callsign ” Spads” or ” Mustang”.
Older TF tail code 457th FS and 301st FW
Newer TX tail
Unit History of 457th FS
Unit History
- 1944: Activation of the squadron
- 1944: P-51D ‘Mustang’ (Pacific Theatre)
- 1945: Disbanded
- 1953: Activation of the squadron in Dow, Maine
- 1953: F-84 ‘Thunderjet’
- 1955: F-84 ‘Thunderjet’ (Tinker AFB, Oklahoma)
- 1957: F-100 ‘Super Sabre’
- 1958: Disbanded
- 1972: Activation of the squadron in Carswell AFB, Texas
- 1972: F-105D ‘Thunderchief’ (part of 301 TFW)
- 1981: F-4D ‘Phantom II’
- 1987: F-4E ‘Phantom II’
- 1991: F-16C/D Blk 30 (part of 301 FW)
“Spads” F-16C flying actions pictorial illustrations
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457th FS on the ground and crew members in actions
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Special Moments with the Spads!
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Video of 457th FS