The United States Air Force 8th Maintenance Group is a part of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea and is assigned to Seventh Air Force. Seventh Air Force falls under Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).[1] The 8th Maintenance Group provides on- and off-equipment maintenance on F-16 Fighting Falcons. The group also provides munitions, aircraft maintenance and maintenance operations support. Squadrons assigned to the 8th MG are the 8th Maintenance Squadron, 8th Maintenance Operations Squadron and 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.[2]
This article incorporates http://www.af.mil/main/disclaimer.asp public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Air Force.
| 8th Maintenance Group | |
|---|---|
| United States Air Force | |
| Kunsan Air Base, Korea | |
 | |
| PACAF | |
| This article incorporates http://www.af.mil/main/disclaimer.asp public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Air Force. | |
| The 8th MXG falls under the PACAF within PACOM. Its mission is to support it's Fighter Wing's maintenance needs. Website: www.kunsan.af.mil | |
History edit
Ancestors of the 8th Maintenance Group have provided support to the lineage of the 80th Fighter Squadron since WWII. Without their maintenance support, fighter aircraft would not have been able to get off the ground to join the fight. From the F-105 Thunderchief, to F-4 Phantom, to the present day F-16 Viper, maintainers have been crucial to the fight.
"The 80th Fighter Squadron was born in the rapid buildup of forces as the United States entered World War II, the Army Air Force stood up the unit as the 80th Pursuit Squadron on Jan. 6, 1942, less than a month after the Pearl Harbor attack. The 80th was activated four days later at Mitchell Field, New York, where the squadron became part of the 8th Pursuit Group. After a cross-country rail trip, the squadron boarded the SS Maui and sailed to Australia.
Members of the 80th PS arrived at Brisbane, Australia on March 6, 1942, where the unit and the rest of the group were equipped with aircraft. The 80th began combat operations July 22, 1942, with its forward deployment to Port Moresby, New Guinea. Early missions involved escorting bombers and strafing enemy ground targets. The squadron's first aerial victories came on Aug. 26, 1942.
From February to March 1943, the squadron regrouped at Mareeba, Australia. After returning to Port Moresby in March, the 80th Fighter Squadron conducted the bulk of the group's combat operations, since the Airacobras of the other two squadrons were in poor mechanical condition. The 80th would continue to fly the Lightning for the remainder of the war. While re-equipping during the stay at Mareeba, the squadron commander, Major Cragg, dubbed the 80th "The Headhunters" after the local headhunter tribes of Papua, New Guinea.
By the end of WWII, the 80th downed over 225 enemy aircraft (the second highest squadron in the theater, and overall second highest twin engine allied fighter squadron in the war), receiving the Presidential Unit Citation, ten campaign credits, four distinguished Unit Citations, and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. There were 24 "Headhunter" pilots who became aces during World War II in the Pacific Theater. The unit was inactivated Dec. 26, 1945.
The squadron remained inactive until Feb. 20, 1947, when it was once again was activated and again assigned to the 8th Fighter Group, at Itazuke, Japan. In August 1948, the 8th Fighter Wing was formed and activated, and the 8th Fighter Group and its flying squadrons were assigned under the new wing. This conversion was completed in 1950, and the squadron designation changed to the 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron Jan. 20, 1950. Shortly before the Korean war ended, the squadron converted from the F-80 to the F-86 Sabre, but continued to fly air-to-ground missions in the Saber. Soon after, the squadron moved to the F-105 Thunderchief.
During the late 1960's, the Air Force assigned the squadron to the defense of the Republic of Korea. The squadron converted to the F-4 Phantom in late 1967 and early 1968. After heightened tensions following the USS Pueblo crisis in January 1968, the squadron began a series of periodic deployments to Osan Air Base, South Korea. The 8th Tactical Fighter Wing replaced the 3 TFW at Kunsan Sept. 16, 1974 reuniting the "Headhunters" with the "Wolf Pack." The squadron continued flying the F-4 at Kunsan until September 1981, when it received the F-16 Fighting Falcon. February 3, 1992, the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron was redesignated the 80th Fighter Squadron and reassigned to the new 8th Operations Group, a direct descendant of our original 8th Pursuit Group.
In late 2006 through 2007, the 80th traded its Block 30 C+ F-16s for Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) F-16s Block 40s from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The Headhunters are the first squadron in the Republic of Korea to field the new capability of the Modular Mission Computer, Advanced Targeting Pod, and Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System via the upgraded Block 40 aircraft. Their full conversion is expected to be complete in January 2008, shortly after the squadron's 66th birthday.
Whether flying the legendary P-38 Twin-Tailed Lightning or today's F-16 CCIP Viper, the Squadron aims to achieve tactical fighter excellence."[3] By Donald May , 8th Fighter Wing Historian / Published January 08, 2008
8th Maintenance Group Components edit
- 8th Maintenance Squadron (8 MXS)
- 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (8 AMXS)
- 8th Maintenance Operations Squadron (8 MOS)
Airfield information: edit
IATA: none - ICAO: RKJK
Elevation MSL: 29 ft / 9 m
Runways 18 / 36: 9,000 ft / 2,743 ft (both concrete)
Source: DAFIF[1][2]
References edit
- ^ "8th Fighter Wing". Wikipedia. 2017-07-27.
- ^ "Kunsan Air Base > Units > 8th Maintenance Group". www.kunsan.af.mil. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ "History of the 80th Fighter Squadron". Kunsan Air Base. Retrieved 2017-08-15.