80th Fighter Squadron F-16 Model Fly with the 80th Fighter Squadron with this wooden F-16 model. Each piece is carefully carved from wood and hand painted to provide a unique piece you'll love. Length - 18 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran-Owned Business Officially Licensed by ...80th Fighter Squadron F-16 Model Fly with the 80th Fighter Squadron with this wooden F-16 model.
Each piece is carefully carved from wood and hand painted to provide a unique piece you'll love. Length - 18 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran-Owned Business Officially Licensed by Lockheed Martin The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger. LOCKHEED MARTIN, F-16 Fighting Falcon, associated emblems and logos, and body designs of vehicles are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the USA and/or other jurisdictions, used under license by Squadron Nostalgia LLC.
The 80th Fighter Squadron (traditionally nicknamed the "Headhunters", and since 1971 also the "Juvats") is an F-16 fighter squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 8th Operations Group of the 8th Fighter Wing, and stationed at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. The 80th has served in combat operations in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Squadron was first activated on 10 January 1942 at Mitchel Field in New York.
Originally designated as a pursuit squadron, they were redesignated in May 1942 as a fighter squadron. Attached to the 8th Fighter Group. One of the early squadron commanders, Edward "Porky" Cragg named the Squadron "The Headhunters" after the local New Guinean Headhunter tribes who hated the Japanese and helped to rescue downed pilots.
He also commissioned a crew chief, M/Sgt. Yale Saffro, who was once offered a job to work for Walt Disney as a cartoonist but turned it down, to design the 80th's patch. (This original patch design can be seen "here"., and has been officially sanctioned by the Office of Air Force Heraldry for current uniform wear.) The squadron saw action against the Japanese in the Pacific including deployments in Australia, New Guinea, the Schouten Islands, Morotai, Leyte, Mindoro, and Japan.
It was later redesignated as the 80th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 14 January 1947, the squadron reactivated on 20 February 1947 at Itazuke AB, Japan, and was assigned to the 8th Fighter (later, 8th Fighter-Bomber) Group. It would undergo a number of different attachments over the next few years. It was attached to 49th Fighter-Bomber Group from 11 August to 25 September 1950; the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group from 25 September to 27 October 1950; the Twentieth Air Force from 21 October 1954 to 10 February 1955; the 49th Fighter-Bomber Group from 10 February 1955 to 18 October 1956; and the 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing from 1 February to 30 September 1957).
An 80th FBS F-80C in the Korean War. From 1947 to 1950, the squadron would operate the P-51, before switching to the F-80 Shooting Star in 1950. With their conversion to jet engines, the headhunters were redesignated as the 80th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 1 January 1950.
Later that month, they would become the 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. The outfit served in the Korean war in June and July 1953 while mostly flying the F-86. In 1956, the Headhunters would begin flying the F-100.
Following the squadron's engagement in the Korean War, the 80th was tasked with providing air defense in Japan and Korea (19531954), in Okinawa (19541956), and in Japan and Korea (19561971). In 1963, the Headhunters began flying the F-105 Thunderchief. In June 1964, they were attached to the 41st Air Division.
They remained with the 41st for less than a year, moving to the 6441st Tactical Fighter Wing of the 2nd Air Division in April 1965. The squadron conducted temporary duty (TDY) combat operations in Southeast Asia from December 1964 to June 1965. During the conflict, headhunters were charged with attacking targets such as the Hai Nguyen Steel Plant, Haipong storage facilities, rail lines, and the Doumer Bridge.
During their time serving in the Vietnam War, the 80th conducted 7,384 com