USAF Air Demonstration Squadron
USAF AIR DEMONSTRATION SQUADRON
History: Organized as 30 Aero Squadron on 13 June 1917. Demobilized on 14 April 1919. Reconstituted, and redesignated as 30 Bombardment Squadron, on 24 March 1923. Activated on 24 June 1932. Redesignated as: 30 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 December 1939; 30 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 28 March 1944. Inactivated on 1 April 1944. Activated on 1 April 1944. Redesignated as: 30 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 10 August 1948; 30 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 1 July 1961. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 February 1963. Consolidated (19 September 1985) with unit constituted as USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, and activated, on 13 February 1967. Organized on 25 February 1967. Repaired and overhauled aircraft engines in France, September 1917-November 1918. Combat in Southwest Pacific, 7 December 1941-c. 16 November 1942; ground echelon fought with infantry units, in the Philippines Islands, c. 20 December 1941-May 1942. Replacement training in the US, 1943-1944. Combat in Western Pacific c. 12 February-15 August 1945. Combat in Korea, 28 June 1950-25 July 1953.
Gained the mission of precision aerobatic demonstrations in 1967. Designated as the USAF Aerial Demonstration Squadron, the new squadron carried on the popularly known name "Thunderbirds", coined by various provisional units which had performed the aerial demonstration function prior to 1967. The first such organization, the 3600 Air Demonstration Flight (Acro-Jet), later 3600 Air Demonstration Flight (Thunder Birds) activated at Luke AFB, AZ on 25 May 1953 and performed the function until inactivation on 23 June 1956. At that time, a second provisional organization designated as 3595 Air Demonstration Flight (Thunderbirds) activated at Nellis AFB, NV. Following two redesignations of this unit, first to 4520th Air Demonstration Flight (Thunderbirds) and then to 4520th Air Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds), the Air Force decided to activate a permanent unit to perform precision aerobatics and the 4520th Air Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds) was discontinued on 25 February 1967. Since February 1967, when the permanent organization was organized as the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, it has traveled the US and the world performing precision aerobatics as premier USAF ambassadors.
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Origin/meaning
The Emblem was originally approved on 14 June 1977; newest rendition approved on 1 February 2008.
Literature: Image and Information from https://www.afhra.af.mil/