94th Fighter Squadron The 94th Fighter Squadron ( 94 FS ) is a unit of the United States Air Force 1st Operations Group located at Joint Base Langley – Eustis , Virginia . The 94th is equipped with the F - 22 Raptor . The 94 FS is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force , first being organized on 20 August 1917 as the 94th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field , Texas . The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a pursuit squadron . It took part in the Champagne - Marne defensive ; Aisne - Marne offensive ; St . Mihiel offensive , and Meuse - Argonne offensive . In 1924 , it was consolidated with the 103d Aero Squadron ( Pursuit ) . The 103d was largely composed of former members of the French Air Service Lafayette Escadrille ( from the French " Escadrille de Lafayette " ) . This was a squadron of American volunteer pilots who had joined the French Air Service prior to the United States entry into the war on 6 April 1917 . During World War II the unit served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations ( MTO ) as part of Twelfth Air Force as a P - 38 Lightning fighter squadron , participating in the North African and Italian campaigns . During the Cold War it was both an Air Defense Command fighter - interceptor squadron as later as part of Tactical Air Command . It was one of the first USAF operational squadrons equipped with the F - 15A Eagle in January 1976 . Overview . The 94 Fighter Squadron is tasked to provide air superiority for the United States and allied forces by engaging and destroying enemy forces , equipment , defenses or installations for global deployment as part of the 1st Fighter Wing . The squadron flies one of today ' s most advanced air dominance fighters , the F - 22A Raptor , being the USAF ' s second operational F - 22 squadron in 2006 . 94 FS aircraft , like other aircraft from the 1st Fighter Wing , have the tail code " FF " . History . The 94th Fighter Squadron has a long history and traditions that date back to World War I . The squadron was officially activated at Kelly Field , Texas , on 20 August 1917 , as the 94th Aero Squadron . On 8 April 1924 , the unit was officially consolidated with the 103d Aero Squadron which was organized on 31 August 1917 . World War I . On 30 September 1917 , two officers and 150 enlisted men left Texas for France and were sent to seven different aircraft factories for maintenance and repair training . In April 1918 , the 94th was reunited and stationed at the Gengault Aerodrome near Toul , France , where it began operations as the first American squadron at the front . It was placed under the command of Major Raoul Lufbery , an ace pilot and veteran of the Lafayette Escadrille . As the first American squadron in operation , its aviators were allowed to create their squadron insignia . They used the opportunity to commemorate the United States ' entry into World War I by taking the phrase of tossing one ' s " hat in the ring " ( a boxing phrase to signify one ' s willingness to become a challenger ) and symbolizing it with the literal image of Uncle Sam ' s red , white and blue top hat going through a ring . On 14 April , Lt . Douglas Campbell and Lt . Alan Winslow downed two German aircraft . These were the first victories ever scored by an American unit . No 94th pilot achieved more aerial victories than 1st Lt . Edward V . " Eddie " Rickenbacker , who was named America ' s " Ace of Aces " during the war . In his Nieuport 28 and later his SPAD S . XIII , Rickenbacker was credited with 26 of the squadron ' s 70 kills during World War I . By the end of hostilities , the 94th had won battle honors for participation in 11 major engagements and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm . The squadron was assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group based at Toul ( 5 May 1918 ) , and subsequently at Touquin ( 28 June 1918 ) , Saints ( 9 July 1918 ) and Rembercourt ( 1 September 1918 ) . Rickenbacker took command of the squadron on 25 September , at the start of the Meuse Argonne Offensive , and retained it through the end of the war . Another flying ace of this squadron was Harvey Weir Cook . The 103d Aero Squadron constructed facilities , December 1917 - 1 February 1918 ; with flight echelon originally composed of former members of the Lafayette Escadrille , participated in combat as a pursuit unit with the French Fourth Army , French Sixth Army , Detachment of the Armies of the North ( French ) , French Eighth Army , and the American First Army , 18 February – 10 November 1918 . On 8 April 1924 , the 103rd ' s history , honors and lineage were consolidated by the Air Service into that of the 94th Pursuit Squadron . Between the wars : 1920s and 1930s . The squadron returned home in the spring of 1919 , and after several moves , the 94th settled with the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field , Michigan , in July 1922 . In 1923 , the unit was re - designated the 94th Pursuit Squadron . The squadron stayed in Michigan for the remainder of the inter - war years , training in its pursuit role . The squadron flew 17 different aircraft during this period , culminating with the P - 38 Lightning . One week after Pearl Harbor , the 94th moved to San Diego Naval Air Station . Expecting to see action in the Pacific , the squadron instead received orders for Europe . In the summer of 1942 , the 94th and its parent group deployed under its own power to England , the U . K . , via Canada , Labrador , Greenland , and Iceland as part of Operation Bolero . This marked the first time that a fighter squadron flew its own aircraft from the United States to Europe . World War II . In May 1942 , all pursuit groups and squadrons were re - designated " fighter " . In November the 94th Fighter Squadron entered combat in North Africa during Operation Torch . Based in Algeria , Tunisia , and Italy , the 94th again distinguished itself in combat by winning two Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations as part of the 1st Group . In addition , the squadron earned 14 Campaign honors , participating in almost every campaign in North Africa and Europe . 64 pilots of the 94th Fighter Squadron were credited with 124 Axis aircraft destroyed . The 94th produced a total of six aces in World War II . In April 1945 the 1st Fighter Group received two YP - 80 jets for operational testing . The 94th Squadron ' s Major Edward LaClare flew two operational sorties in the YP - 80 although without encountering combat . Cold War . After the war , the 94th trained in the Lockheed P - 80 Shooting Star , America ' s first operational jet fighter , and was stationed at March AFB , California . In July 1950 , the group became the 94th Fighter Intercept Squadron ( FIS ) and was eventually assigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) . After the P - 80 , the squadron flew several aircraft in the interceptor role , including the F - 86 , F - 102 and F - 106 . In 1956 , the 94th won the Worldwide Rocket Firing Meet held at Vincent AFB , Arizona . In the 1960s , the unit was among the first ready units sent to Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 . The squadron carried out combat patrol missions off the coast of Florida , setting a record for F - 106 hours and sortie s . During the 1960s , the 94th , along with other ADC units , maintained an alert force in Alaska . With its supersonic F - 106s , the squadron intercepted Russian bombers on missions over the Bering Sea . Then , in June 1969 , with tensions mounting following the Pueblo Incident and the downing of an EC - 121 electronic observation plane by North Korea , the squadron deployed to Osan AB , South Korea , for six months . On 1 July 1971 , the 94th moved back to the USA , to MacDill AFB , Florida , as part of a realignment of the original First Pursuit Group . The squadron was designated the 94th Tactical Fighter Squadron , reassigned to Tactical Air Command , and reunited with the 27th and 71st Squadrons under the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing ( TFW ) , flying the F - 4E . The 94th assumed the duties of a Replacement Training Unit ( RTU ) , providing F - 4 aircrews for operational combat squadrons . In 1975 , the 1st TFW moved to Langley AFB , Virginia , and began flying the F - 15 Eagle . The squadron became combat - ready in early 1977 . In September 1992 , the squadron was renamed the 94th Fighter Squadron . The 94th Fighter Squadron did not deploy to Southwest Asia for the first Persian Gulf War , although many of its pilots and maintenance personnel did as augmenters to both the 71st and 27th Fighter Squadrons from the 1st Fighter Wing . The 94th successfully supported the UN - sanctioned Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch in Iraq with many deployments to Saudi Arabia and Turkey in the period leading up to the Iraq War . The 94th Fighter Squadron pilots repeatedly defeated Iraqi surface - to - air missiles ( SAMs ) and anti - aircraft artillery ( AAA ) attacks while enforcing UN sanctions , without loss or damage to a single aircraft . Since the September 11 attacks on the United States , the aircraft of the 94th have patrolled the skies of the East Coast of the United States . Modern era . In 2006 , the 94th became only the second operational squadron to fly the F - 22 Raptor , receiving its first F - 22 in June 2006 , and receiving its full complement of F - 22s , with tail number 05 - 094 , in June 2007 . This was due to the 94th FS trading tail number 086 for 094 with the 90th Fighter Squadron , which is part of the 3rd Wing based at Elmendorf AFB , Alaska . Additionally , the 1st FW traded tail 05 - 084 to the 90th Fighter Squadron for tail 05 - 101 . Tail 05 - 101 is the current 1st Fighter Wing flagship and flies as part of the 94th 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 94th Fighter Squadron with a stand - down grounding from 9 April - 30 September 2013 . Aircraft . 103d Aero Squadron 94th Aero ( later , 94th Pursuit ) Squadron Consolidated Squadron