555th Fighter Squadron The 555th Fighter Squadron ( 555 FS ) is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base , Italy . It operates General Dynamics F - 16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting an air superiority mission . Mission . The 555th Fighter Squadron provides combat airpower on demand to U . S . and NATO Combatant Commanders as well as the National Command Authority in order to meet National Security objectives . It also performs air and space control and force application roles of counterair , strategic attack and counterland , including interdiction and close - air support , with 21 F - 16CMs employing state of the art munitions in support of the joint , NATO , and combined operations . History . World War II . The squadron ' s heritage began on 25 November 1942 when the 555th Bombardment Squadron , Medium , was constituted flying the Martin B - 26 Marauder . During World War II , the 555th led offensive actions against Axis forces from bases in England , France , and Belgium . For gallantry in action , the squadron was awarded the first of its four Presidential Unit Citations . The squadron was inactivated shortly after the war ended . Vietnam Era . On 8 January 1964 , the 555th re - emerged at MacDill Air Force Base , Florida , operating the McDonnell Douglas F - 4 Phantom II . The squadron was organized from elements of the 557th , 558th and 559th TFS at MacDill , when the parent 12th Tactical Fighter Wing reduced the number of aircraft from three squadrons of 25 aircraft each to four squadrons of 18 aircraft each . The conflict in Southeast Asia was escalating and throughout 1965 the wing supported Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) Contingency Operations by rotating combat squadrons quarterly to Naha AB in the Ryuku Islands . The 555th TFS began its permanent deployment to the first Air Force expeditionary airfield at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base , South Vietnam on 6 November 1965 . Ultimately , the 559th TFS took the place of the 555th when the squadron was diverted to a second TDY in February 1966 with the 51st Fighter - Interceptor Wing at Naha Air Base , Okinawa , followed by a re - assignment to the 8th TFW at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand . At Ubon , the squadron scored their first two MiG victories on 23 April 1966 , and became the first " Ace " Squadron in Southeast Asia with six kills one week later . In June 1966 , the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron moved to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base and joined the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing " Wolfpack " . There , the squadron led the first strike against MiG airfields in North Vietnam . The 555 TFS launched the first night bombing attacks against North Vietnam on 29 September 1967 . While at Ubon , the 555th downed an additional 14 aircraft , including four Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 21 s on 2 January 1967 . The unit thus became the only " Quad Ace " Fighter Squadron to that point , with 20 MiGs to its credit . In 1968 , the Nickel participated in the campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Linebacker campaigns against the North Vietnam heartland in 1972 . During Linebacker I and Linebacker II , the 555th returned to its air superiority role and brought its MiG tally to 39 confirmed victories — 10 MiG - 17 s , 3 MiG - 19 s , and 26 MiG - 21s , producing the first and second USAF aces , and earning the motto , " World ' s Largest Distributor of MiG Parts " . From 1966 to 1973 , the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron earned three more Presidential Unit Citations , five Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s with combat " V " device , the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm , and the 1973 Hughes achievement award . After nine years of combat operations , the 555th returned to the United States . In 1974 , the squadron moved to Luke Air Force Base , Arizona , where it transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F - 15 Eagle and became part of the 405th Tactical Training Wing , training pilots transitioning to the F - 15 Eagle . Modern era . On 1 April 1994 , the unit was reassigned to NATO and stationed at Aviano Air Base , Italy , absorbing the General Dynamics F - 16 Fighting Falcon and equipment of the inactivated 526th Fighter Squadron , which had been inactivated at Ramstein AB , Germany when the 86th FW became an airlift wing ( 86th AW ) . At Aviano , the squadron returned to its previous mission as an operational combat fighter squadron . 2013 Sequestration . Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts . The across - the board spending cuts , called sequestration , took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit - reduction plan . Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called “ basic mission capable ” for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013 . This affected the 555th Fighter Squadron with a stand - down grounding from 9 April - 30 September 2013 .