195th Fighter Squadron The 195th Fighter Squadron ( 195 FS ) is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard 162d Fighter Wing located at Tucson Air National Guard Base , Arizona . The 195th is equipped with the F - 16 Fighting Falcon . History . World War II . Formed at Westover Field , Massachusetts in August 1943 . During World War II the 410th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) , Ninth Air Force in Western Europe . It was equipped with P - 47 Thunderbolt s . The 410th flew its first combat mission on 8 May 1944 , a fighter sweep over Normandy . It then took part in preinvasion activities , e . g . , escorting B - 26 Marauder s to attack airdromes , bridges and railroads in Occupied France . The squadron patrolled the air over the beachhead when the Allies launched the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 , and hit troops , tanks , roads , fuel depots and other targets in the assault area until the end of the month . The 410th moved to the Continent in July 1944 where it struck railroads , hangars , boxcars , warehouses and other objectives to prevent reinforcements from reaching the front at St . Lo , where the Allies broke though on 25 July 1944 . The squadron bombed such targets as troops in the Falaise - Argentan area in August 1944 . During the Battle of the Bulge , December 1944 - January 1945 , the 410th concentrated on the destruction of bridges , marshalling yards and highways . It flew reconnaissance missions to support ground operations in the Rhine Valley in March 1945 , hitting airfields , motor transports , etc . The squadron continued tactical air operations until 4 May 1945 . Returned to the United States and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Theater during the Summer of 1945 , the Japanese Capitulation in August led to the squadron ' s inactivation in November 1945 . California Air National Guard . The wartime 410th Fighter Squadron was re - activated and re - designated as the 195th Fighter Squadron . It was allotted to the California Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Van Nuys Airport , California on 16 September 1946 . The 195th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 410th . The squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was assigned to the 146th Fighter Group , also at Van Nuys Airport by the National Guard Bureau . As part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force , the squadron trained for tactical fighter missions and air to air combat . The unit was called to active federal service on 1 March 1951 for duty in the Korean War . Its parent 146th FG was transferred to Moody AFB , Georgia , where it trained pilots for Air Training Command . The 195th FS , however , remained at Van Nuys Airport as part of the Air Defense Command 28th Air Division . It was released from active duty and returned to California state control on 11 December 1952 . After the Korean War , the squadron was equipped with the long - range F - 51H Mustang and remained a part of Air Defense Command , in February 1954 , it was equipped with F - 86A Sabre jet interceptors . By July 1955 the transition from the F - 51H Mustang to the F - 86A Sabre was complete . The squadron was re - designated a Fighter Interceptor unit with an air defense mission for the Los Angeles area . During the 1950s , the squadron received newer F - 86F Sabres in 1957 and later F - 86H Sabre day interceptors in 1959 . In 1960 , the 146th FIG was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service , trading in its Sabre interceptors for 4 - engines C - 97 Stratofreighter transports . With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need , the 146th was re - designated the 146th Air Transport Wing ( Heavy ) . During the Berlin Crisis of 1961 , both the Wing and squadron were federalized on 1 October 1961 . From Van Nuys , the 195th augmented MATS airlift capability world - wide in support of the Air Force ’ s needs . It returned again to California state control on 31 August 1962 . Throughout the 1960s , the unit flew long - distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements , frequently sending aircraft to Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , and during the Vietnam War , to both South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . The C - 97s were retired in 1970 and the unit was transferred to Tactical Air Command . It transitioned to the C - 130A Hercules theater transport , flying missions in support of TAC throughout the United States and Alaska . In 1973 the C - 130A models were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force and they were replaced by the C - 130B . During this period , both the 195th and its sister squadron , the 115th Tactical Airlift Squadron shared the same pool of aircraft . With the end of the Vietnam War , the California National Guard bureau decided to downsize the 146th Tactical Airlift Wing . With C - 130s units being transferred to Military Airlift Command , the 195th TAS was inactivated on 30 September 1974 . Its personnel , equipment and aircraft of the 195th TFS were reassigned to the 115th TAS . Arizona Air National Guard . In late 1983 , the 195th designation was transferred from California to the Arizona Air National Guard . It was formed in January 1984 as the 195 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and was extended federal recognition on 1 February . The mission of the unit was to train combat - ready pilots for the Air National Guard ( Replacement Training Unit or RTU ) . The 195th TFTS was the second of eventually four squadrons assigned to the 162d Tactical Fighter Training Group at Tucson ANGB . It was equipped with the A - 7D / K Corsair II . The squadron was the last of the RTUs in the A - 7D aircraft . Conversion from the A - 7D / K started in 1991 when the 195th FS started to receive many older F - 16A Block 5 aircraft from other USAF units . This mission remained after the conversion , but the older airframes were not quite suited to fulfill this mission . However , this transition was quite short - lived since the squadron had to disperse its airframes already a year later . With the A - 7Ds being retired in 1992 , the squadron became a strictly ground academic squadron with no aircraft assigned at the time . During the same period the ANG started with training foreign non - NATO pilots . Six aircraft from the 148th FTS were designated to begin a school for those students . This group of aircraft and an initial cadre of instructors formed what would later become IMT ( International Military Training ) . The squadron had no official number or designation . In 1995 the ANG Staff decided to transfer this school into the 195th TFTS . Thus the squadron regained its aircraft and started flying again . This time these airframes were all F - 16A block 15 models , giving the squadron a better opportunity in its task . In 2006 the squadron started converting to F - 16C block 25 airframes . As one of the last F - 16A block 15 airframe squadrons within the ANG and the USAF all together , it was decided to mothball the latter completely . Therefore , the squadron started receiving newer block 25 airframes that were becoming available from other squadrons . The mission of the squadron stayed exactly the same , just being able to perform in a more modern manner with the added capabilities of the block 25 aircraft .