65th Aggressor Squadron The 65th Aggressor Squadron ( 65 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 65th AGRS is assigned 24 F - 15 aircraft , painted in camouflage schemes identical to those observed on Russian - manufactured Su - 27 Flanker fighters and operates in conjunction with the 64th Aggressor Squadron , which performs a similar task using F - 16 s . On 30 July 2008 , one pilot was killed and another injured when their F - 15 crashed into the ground during a training mission . 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 65th 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 . Squadron began training new P - 51 pilots at Ladd Field , Alaska . Later , it was equipped with F - 80Bs in March – April 1948 , F - 80Cs in October – December 1948 , F - 94Bs in the summer of 1951 , and F - 89Cs in September 1953 . With these aircraft , the squadron provided fighter aircraft defense in support of the Alaska Area until late in the 1950s . In October 1969 , the 65th Fighter Weapons Squadron took over the F - 100D / F Super Sabre aircraft , personnel , and facilities of the 4536th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB . F - 100s tail coded " WB " , only to become non - operational early in 1970 . On reactivation was equipped with A - 7D Corsair II ground attack aircraft , operating from Luke AFB , Arizona and Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona . Conducted fighter weapons training with the A - 7D until June 1975 when aircraft sent to Air National Guard units . Aggressor training . Reactivated in October 1975 equipped with F - 5E Tiger II s , aircraft 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 65th Aggressor Squadron . F - 5s carried no tail codes , although did carry Nellis black / yellow check tail stripe and TAC emblem on tail . The 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 . Deployed throughout US and overseas to teach adversarial tactics and provide dissimilar air combat training to US Air Force flying units . Re - designated 65th Tactical Fighter Aggressor Squadron on 30 December 1981 . Added subdued " WA " tail code in early 1987 . Re - designated again as 64th Aggressor Squadron on 4 January 1983 . Operated until 1989 when the F - 5s began having structural problems with the airframes . As the Cold War ended and military budgets adjusted , the unit flew their last aggressor flight on 7 April 1989 . Modern era . The squadron was reactivated in September 2005 . flying F - 15Cs as an Aggressor Squadron ( 65 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 .