64th Aggressor Squadron The 64th Aggressor Squadron ( 64 AGRS ) is a United States Air Force unit . It is assigned to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada . Overview . The 64th AGRS is assigned 24 F - 16C Fighting Falcon aircraft , painted in camouflage schemes identical to those observed on Russian - manufactured aircraft providing Air Combat Maneuvering training to USAF and other aviation forces in conjunction with Red Flag exercises . It operates in conjunction with the 65th Aggressor Squadron , which performs a similar task using F - 15C Eagles . History . World War II . Formed as a P - 40 Warhawk pursuit squadron in January 1941 as part of the Army Air Corps Northeast Defense Sector ( later I Fighter Command ) at Mitchel Field , New York . Trained in New England and provided air defense of the northeast after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . Was reassigned to the U . S . Army Middle East Force in Egypt , July 1942 , becoming part of IX Fighter Command . Took part in the British Western Desert Campaign , engaged in combat during the Battle of El Alamein and , as part of Ninth Air Force , supported the Commonwealth Eighth Army ' s drive across Egypt and Libya , escorting bomber s and flying strafing and dive - bombing missions against airfields , communications , and troop concentrations until Axis defeat in Tunisia in May 1943 . The unit participated in the reduction of Pantelleria ( May – June 1943 ) and the conquest of Sicily ( July – August 1943 ) . The squadron supported the British Eighth Army ' s landing at Termoli and subsequent operations in Italy , being reassigned to Twelfth Air Force in August 1943 . It flew dive - bombing , strafing , patrol , and escort missions . In 1944 , converted to P - 47 Thunderbolt aircraft and flew interdiction operations in Italy . The moved to Corsica on 30 March 1944 to operate as a separate task force . It flew interdiction missions against railroads , communication targets , and motor vehicle s behind enemy lines , providing a minimum of 48 fighter - bomber sorties per day . Participated in the French campaign against Elba in June 1944 and in the invasion of Southern France in August . It engaged in interdiction and support operations in northern Italy from September 1944 to May 1945 . The 64th flew its last combat mission on 2 May 1945 . Remained in northern Italy after the end of the European War , demobilizing throughout the summer of 1945 . It was reassigned to the United States in August 1945 without personnel or equipment and was inactivated at the end of August . Cold War . Reactivated in August 1946 as part of Eleventh Air Force ( Later Alaskan Air Command ) as part of the air defense forces in the northwest Pacific . It provided air defense initially in the Aleutian Islands , then moved to Nome in early 1947 and to Elmendorf Air Force Base in the fall of 1947 . Initially flew P - 51 Mustangs , then became equipped with F - 80 Shooting Star jet aircraft in 1948 . Reassigned to Alaskan Air Command 10th Air Division and became a permanent part of the Alaskan Defense Forces throughout the 1950s , upgrading to the F - 94 and F - 89 dedicated interceptors . Was reassigned to McChord AFB , Washington in 1957 , upgraded to F - 102A Delta Dagger as part of the 25th Air Division , 325th Fighter Group . Provided air defense of the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest until 1966 . Vietnam war . Was deployed by Air Defense Command to Clark AB , Philippines in 1966 as part of Pacific Air Forces to provide air defense of Luzon and northern Philippines . Flew F - 102s from Clark , and rotated flights to bases in South Vietnam and Thailand to provide air defense against the unlikely event that North Vietnamese aircraft would attack , July 1966 – December 1969 . Deployed temporarily to South Korea during the Pueblo crisis in January – June 1968 . Inactivated in 1969 as part of the retirement of the F - 102 . Aggressor training . Activated within th 57th Fighter Weapons Wing on 15 October 1972 . Initially equipped with T - 38A Talons , upgraded in April 1976 with Northrop F - 5E Tiger II export fighters having been originally destined for delivery to South Vietnam and became available when the South collapsed . Since the F - 5E had approximately the size and performance characteristics of a Soviet MiG - 21 , it was used throughout US and overseas to teach adversarial tactics and provide dissimilar air combat training to US Air Force flying units , eventually becoming the 64th Aggressor Squadron . F - 5s carried no tail codes , although they did carry Nellis black / yellow check tail stripe and TAC emblem on tail . Aircraft were painted in Soviet Air Forces motif , with subdued USAF markings . Last two digits of the F - 5 ' s tail number painted in red on front fuselage , highlighted in white . From October 1972 to June 1990 , deployed throughout US and overseas to teach adversarial tactics and provide dissimilar air combat training to US Air Force flying units . Re - designated 64th Tactical Fighter Aggressor Squadron on 30 December 1981 ; re - designated again as 65th Aggressor Squadron on 4 January 1983 . Added subdued " WA " tail code in early 1987 . Transitioned to the F - 16A Fighting Falcon on 1 April 1988 when the F - 5Es began having structural problems with the airframes . F - 16As initially borrowed from the 474th TFW at Nellis , tail coded " NA " before receiving production F - 16C / Ds from General Dynamics in July 1989 . F - 16s tail coded " WA " , painted in similar motif as the F - 5Es with black / yellow check tail stripe . Squadron replaced by the 4440th Tactical Fighter Training Group , ( Advisory Tactics Division ) and assigned to the USAF Weapons School . The squadron was subsequently inactivated on 5 October 1990 . Modern era . The squadron was reactivated on 3 October 2003 , again flying the F - 16 as an Aggressor Squadron ( 64 AGRS ) . Participates in USAF Red Flag and Canadian Forces Maple Flag exercises , provides USAF Weapons School syllabus support , priority test mission support and road shows that visit various units throughout the CONUS to ACC units for training .