#1752 492 FS, F-15E Strike Eagle print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1752 - 97-0221 '492 FS', F-15E Strike Eagle, 492d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, UK.
The 492d Fighter Squadron’s distinguished history began in the late 1940s when constituted as the 55th Bombardment Squadron (Light) equipped with the A-18, A-20 and A-35 attack aircraft. In August 1943 the U.S. Army Air Forces redesignated the 55th and its parent unit, the 49th Bombardment Group, as the 492d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and the 48th Fighter-Bomber Group. After serving as a P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Tomahawk replacement training squadron, the 492d equipped with the P-47 Thunderbolt and relocated to Ibsley, England as a combat unit. In March 1944 the 492d began combat operations against German targets on the Normandy coastline and, following D-Day, moved across France, Belgium and Germany in support of the U.S. First and Third Armies. The 492d participated in such WWII combat operations as the St Lo Breakout, Battle of the Falaise Gap, and the Battle of the Bulge. The 492d was inactivated on 7 November 1945 as part of the post-war drawdown. Only seven years later, in response to the Soviet blockade of Berlin, President Truman ordered the activation of the 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing and the 492d Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 July 1952 at Chaumont Air Base, France. The unit, flying the F-84 Thunderstreak, F-86 Sabre and, eventually the F-100 Super Sabre, served as a front-line fighter squadron during the Cold War. The 492d Tactical Fighter Squadron relocated to RAF Lakenheath, England, on 15 January 1960, where it has been located ever since flying the F-100D, F-4 Phantom, F-111F Aardvark, and F-15E Strike Eagle. With the F-111’s long range and precision strike capability, the 492d struck Libyan terrorist facilities in April 1986 as part of Operation ELDORADO CANYON. In 1991 the 492d flew hundreds of combat missions from Taif, Saudi Arabia, over Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation DESERT STORM, and later as part of Operation PROVIDE COMFORT. The 492nd FS changed aircraft from F-111s to F-15 Strike Eagles in 1992. The squadron participated in numerous deployments to Southwest Asia supporting Air Expeditionary units as part of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in early 2000s. The Madhatters also played a crucial role in Operation ODYSSEY DAWN in Libya in March 2011. In November of 2015 the squadron participated in a short deployment to Incirlik Air Base in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Most recently the 492nd won the Raytheon Trophy in 2017 for a deployment to Southwest Asia by employing over 4,000 precision munitions, 11,000 combat flying hours, and two air to air kills. It was the first time the Trophy was won by a multi-role aircraft.From November 2022 to September 2023, the 492 FS supported Operation ATLAS GUARDIAN, flying 223 sorties for 611 hours, safeguarding NATO territories and forces from air and missile threats. The Madhatters directly enhanced NATO’s ability to deter and mitigate threats, clearly expressing the United States’ commitment to readiness and regional stability during NATO’s longest, continuous deployment in support of Air Shielding.