#1486 F-35A Lightning II
Purchased products will not feature the Squadron Prints watermark
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1486 - 15-5122 '466 FS', F-35A Lightning II, 466th Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The 466th Fighter Squadron was organized in October of 1944. The unit flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighters out of Mokuleia Field in defense of the Hawaiian Islands and provided preplacement training from January to August of 1945. After being deactivated at the end of World War II the unit was reactivated in June of 1952 as the 466th Fighter-Escort Squadron. In January of 1953 they were redesignated the 466th Strategic Fighter Squadron under the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Flying F-84G Thunderjet fighters out of Turner AFB, Georgia; their primary mission was the delivery of nuclear weapons in support of any planned strategic offensive. In August of 1953 the unit participated in Operation LONGSTRIDE, the non-stop Atlantic crossing from Turner AFB, to RAF Lakenheath, England, for with they were awarded the MacKay Trophy for that year. The unit was again deactivated in 1956. Reactivated in 1973 as part of the Air Force Reserve, the new 466th Tactical Fighter Squadron flew F-105 Thunderchief fighters out of Hill AFB, Utah. Their primary mission was to deploy and execute directed tactical fighter missions. In January of 1984, their fortieth anniversary, the unit was the last to fly the THUD and the first to fly the F-16A Fighting Falcon. The Following year the unit won first place in the annual Air Force Gunsmoke competition. In 1993 the unit came full circle and was once more designated the 466th Fighter Squadron. In 1994, their fiftieth anniversary, the unit converted to the F-16C. The unit deployed in support of real world conflicts and exercises nearly every year since 1994 to include: PROVIDE COMFORT II, December 1994 / February 1995, Incirlik, Turkey; Operation NORTHERN WATCH, June 1997, Incirlik, Turkey; COPE TIGER, January / February 1998, Korat RTAFB, Thailand (PACAF Exercise); Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, June 1998, Al Jaber, Kuwait; Operation NORTHERN WATCH, June 1999, Incirlik, Turkey where the squadron released its first live weapons in actual combat; Operation NORTHERN WATCH, June 2000, Incirlik, Turkey, which saw the first operational employment of the LITENING pod; COPE THUNDER, June 2001, Elemendorf, AK; Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, October 2001, Al Jaber, Kuwait; Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, 2003, Jordan. In 2007 the unit lost its jets and joined the Total Force Integration (TFI) with the 388th FW. The unit members deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM with the squadrons of the 388th FW every deployment since 2007. In 2015 the unit was the first reserve unit to fly the F-35 and had its final F-16 fly out in 2017. The F-35 Lightning II is the world’s premiere 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth, and fully fused sensor information from cutting-edge mission systems including the APG-81 AESA radar, Electro-Optical Targeting System, Distributed Aperture System, and Helmet Mounted Display. The 466th FS stands ready to provide the finest fighter support available to any commander that may be in need, anywhere, anytime.