61st Fighter Squadron The 61st Fighter Squadron ( 61 FS ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit , last assigned to the 56th Operations Group , at Luke Air Force Base , Arizona . It operated the F - 16 Fighting Falcon aircraft , conducting advanced fighter training until its inactivation on 27 August 2010 . Mission . Until its inactivation , the 61 FS known as the ' Top Dogs ' flew a mix of F - 16C / D Block 25 aircraft , to train pilots for Air Combat Command assignments . History . World War II . The 61st Fighter Squadron was constituted as the 61st Pursuit Squadron as part of the 56th Pursuit Group at Savannah , Georgia , on 15 January 1941 . The squadron immediately began training for its wartime missions under III Fighter Command , rapidly transitioning through the P - 35 , P - 36 , P - 39 , and P - 40 aircraft . On 7 December 1941 , the 61st stepped up to defend the Southeastern United States from anticipated enemy air attack while it converted to the P - 47 aircraft and prepared to deploy overseas . In November 1942 , P - 47 Thunderbolt dive test pilots achieved 725 mph , faster than the speed of sound . It was re - designated 61st Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 , and deployed to RAF Kings Cliffe ( AAF - 367 ) , England on 9 January 1943 . It was declared operationally ready two months later and flew its first combat missions 13 April . The squadron was given fuselage code " HV " and operated from several RAF stations during the war , flying the P - 47C Thunderbolt as an VIII Fighter Command bomber - escort unit initially for B - 17 Flying Fortress es and beginning in 1944 for B - 24 Liberator s attacking enemy targets in Occupied Europe . From 1943 to 1945 , the 61st produced 19 Aces , the highest of any squadron in Europe , destroying 248 aircraft in the air and 67 . 5 aircraft on the ground . In 1944 , it was recognized as the first fighter squadron in the European theater to score over 100 victories . After the end of the war in Europe , the squadron demobilized in England , and was inactivated as an administrative unit on 18 October 1945 . Cold War . The squadron was reactivated on 1 May 1946 as a Strategic Air Command escort fighter group , being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Selfridge Army Air Base , Michigan . Initially equipped with P - 47D Thunderbolt s , being replaced with long - range P - 51H Mustang s , originally developed for Twentieth Air Force bomber escort missions in the Pacific Theater . The mission of the squadron was to provide fighter escort of SAC ' s B - 29 Superfortress bombers on intercontinental strategic bombardment missions , deploying to Alaska and Europe in this role . In 1947 , the squadron was upgraded to Lockheed P - 80C Shooting Star s , as SAC introduced the B - 50 in the late 1940s . The squadron trained to maintain proficiency as a mobile strike force ; including bomber escort mission until transferred from Strategic Air Command to Continental Air Command on 1 Dec 1948 . With the reassignment to ConAC , the squadron began performing air defense missions and being re - equipped with the F - 86A Sabre . The squadron was re - designated as the 63d Fighter - Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950 . In April 1950 , the 61st transitioned to the F - 94 modified with radar , operated by a RO ( Radar Observer ) to serve as an All Weather fighter Interceptor . It was assigned to Air Defense Command 4708th Defense Wing in February 1952 . In 1953 the Squadron was relocate to Ernest Harmon AFB in Newfoundland where it became part of the DEW ( Defense Early Warning ) system . The F - 94 all weather fighter interceptors were later replaced with the F - 89 all weather fighter interceptors . In 1957 the squadron was relocated to Truax Field . The 61st transitioned to the F - 80 Shooting Star and later was the first squadron to fly the F - 86 Sabre . The 61st was inactivated on 25 July 1960 , at Truax Field , Wisconsin flying the F - 102 Delta Dagger . When the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing took over from the 1st TFW at MacDill AFB , Florida in June 1975 , the 61st was reactivated , assuming the assets of the 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying the F - 4E Phantom II . Its mission was to train pilots and weapons systems officers . Changed equipment to the F - 4D in 1978 , sending the " E " models to operational squadrons . In April 1980 , the flying mission changed to the F - 16 Fighting Falcon . During this conversion the squadron was redesignated the 61st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron which better reflected its training role even though that did not change even from the Phantom days . In April 1989 the squadron began a transition to the F - 16C / D bock 30 big inlet F - 16 . Modern era . On 1 November 1991 , the host 56th Tactical Training Wing at MacDill implemented the Objective organization plan , and the subsequent re - designation of units led to the 61st becoming simply the 61st Fighter Squadron , and being assigned to the new 56th Operations Group . The end of the Cold War led to the BRAC commissions , and the downsizing of the Air Force to a smaller organization . As a result , it was decided first to close MacDill AFB , although under political pressure later it was realigned to a new mission . Like its two sister squadrons , the 62d and 63d FS , the 61st Fighter Squadron was reassigned to Luke AFB , Arizona flying Block 25 F - 16C / Ds . When the squadron moved to Luke AFB , Arizona , the squadron continued in its duties in a training role as Luke AFB became the primary F - 16 training unit for the United States Air Force . In February 2008 , it was announced that due to BRAC 2005 , Luke AFB give up twenty - five block 25 F - 16s . It was decided that the 63d Fighter Squadron would inactivate and transfer its Block 42s to the 61st FS , and which , due to its seniority and historical heritage , would remain active . The first block 25 F - 16s left Luke AFB in November 2008 with oldest and highest airframe hour aircraft leaving first , although as the squadron received the Block 42s , some 61st FS block 25s did go to the other Luke AFB block 25 squadrons . Nevertheless , the 61st FS was eventually marked for inactivation in early 2010 . It was inactivated on 27 August 2010 in spite of converting to the block 42 . A four - ship fly - by marked the occasion and beach - themed party followed to mark the occasion . Its future is unknown , but might include another training mission involving the F - 35 Lightning II .