page_title: George Air Force Base
section_title: 35th Tactical Fighter Wing
hierarchical_section_title: George Air Force Base / Primary USAF Wings assigned / 35th Tactical Fighter Wing
caption_attribution_description: English: F-4G 69-7254, a recent arrival from AMARC, awaits its turn at Mojave for conversion to a 'Red Tail' target drone. The "WW" tailcode indicates that the aircraft last flew with the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, an F-4 training wing based at George AFB in California. The white fin cap indicates that this aircraft belonged to the 563rd TFS which deactivated in October 1989. I'd like to correct this information just a bit. First of all the tail number belongs to 69-0254 which was assigned to the 561st. Aircraft 69-7254 was assigned to Blue section 562nd TFTS in 1989 time frame and would have had a blue tail. It was my first jet right out of tech school and was the first G model built; the prototype. The 562nd TFTS and the 561st TFS joined as the 35th TFW "Provisional" to go fight in Desert Storm. By this time 7254 was someone elses jet and I was assigned 7233. All G models are 69- whatever number, and are all modified E models. The 561st didn't deactivate until the base closed in late 92 or 93 after I PCS'd. In 1990 we were in country for the Gulf War Operation Desert Storm, actually it wasn't even called Desert Storm yet as we were still Operation Desert Shield until the first shots were fired and official war was declared and the mission operational name changed to storm around new years time frame. We were deployed to Bahrain from August 90 to the end of March 91. For the time I was at George, 7254 belonged to Blue section and 0254 belonged to Yellow section. I was stationed at GAFB from 1985 to 1992 and served in the 562nd, 563rd (Red section), and 561/562/35TFW Provisional. The 563rd was deactvated years before by Col. Ernst. Also the 37th TFW was deactivated and we all became part of the 35th TFW while our old 37th designation went to the F117 Stealth Fighter wing in Nevada. I know these things not because I read them in a book with erroneous information; I lived it and worked on all those jets most of my career. As for the fate of 0254, I assume it was a target like the photo caption says. As for 7254 I called Tyndall and spoke with the folks that do the target drones and confirmed that my old jet 69-7254 had been shot down a month prior to my call by some fighter jock and sent it to the bottom of the Gulf Of Mexico. Whomever shot it down has the data plate off it as they remove them and the stick grips and file them so when they get shot own the shooter gets to keep those as a souvenir. That prototype should have been saved and put on a post somewhere. I still have the history papers on that jet, I guess they just didn't know. SGT. Tim Wells Crew Chief 69-7254 I was stationed at George AFB assigned to the 563rd, red section from 1986 to 1988. I remember 69 254 was in red section, the 563rd tactical fighter squadron. I was an armament specialist and remember loading munitions on this aircraft. I believe it was 69 0254 that was in the 563rd at the time I was stationed there. I can not be 100% sure but according to SGT. Wells it would make it 0254. The squadron emblem on the side of the intake is definitely the 561st Tac fighter squadron for the aircraft pictured, yellow section. The 563rd was right next door to the 561st and the 562nd training squadron was on the other side of us in the 563rd. The 35th TFW was training German pilots when I was there. There were also OV-10 Broncos at George.
context_page_description: George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California.
  Established by the United States Army Air Corps as an Advanced Flying School in June 1941, it was closed at the end of World War II. It was again activated as a training base by the United States Air Force with the outbreak of the Korean War in November 1950. It remained a training base throughout the Cold War and in the immediate post-Cold War period, primarily for the Tactical Air Command and later the Air Combat Command, training USAF, NATO and other Allied pilots and weapon systems officers in front-line fighter aircraft until being closed in 1993.
  George AFB was closed pursuant to a decision by the 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission at the end of the Cold War. It is now the site of the Southern California Logistics Airport. Since 2009, the California Air National Guard's 196th Reconnaissance Squadron has operated an MQ-1 Predator Remotely Piloted Aircraft training facility at the site.
context_section_description: The 35th Tactical Fighter Wing reactivated at George Air Force Base, California, on 1 October 1971, where it replaced the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing.  The wing's mission at George was to take over the mission of training F-4 flight crews. Its operational squadrons (Tail Code: GA) were:
  434th Tactical Fighter Squadron (October 1971 – October 1975) (F-4D)
  434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (October 1975 – January 1977) (F-4E)
  4435th Combat Crew Training Squadron (October 1971 – December 1972) F-4C, Red/White Tail stripe.
  4435th Tactical Fighter Replacement Squadron  (December 1972 – January 1976) (F-4E, 1972) (F-4C, 1972–1976)
  4452nd Combat Crew Training Squadron (October 1971 – October 1973) (F-4D, 1972) (F-4E, 1972–1973)
  20th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (December 1972 – 1981) (F-4C) (1972–1975) (F-4F) (1981 – June 1992) (F-4E)
  21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (December 1972 – October 1980) (F-4C)
  21st Tactical Fighter Squadron (October 1980 – October 1989) (F-4E)
  21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (October 1989 – June 1991) (F-4E)
  431st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (December 1972 – October 1978) (F-4D, 1972)  (F-4E, January 1976 – October 1978)
  4535th Combat Crew Training Squadron (December 1972) (F-4C)
  With the arrival of F-105F/G aircraft from the 388th TFW at Korat RTAFB, Thailand in July 1973, the wing began training aircrews for radar detection and suppression or "Wild Weasel" missions in addition to other F-4 training. By 1975, with the arrival of new F-4G aircraft, the wing was training aircrews exclusively in Wild Weasel operations for deployment to operational units in Okinawa and Germany.
  561st Tactical Fighter Squadron (July 1973 – July 1980) (F-105F/G), (F-4G, Tail Code: WW July 1980 – October 1989)
  562nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (October 1974 – July 1980) (F-105F/G), (F-4G, Tail Code: WW July 1980 – October 1989)
  563rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (July 1975 – July 1977) (F-105F/G)
  563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-4G, Tail Code: WW July 1977 – October 1989)
  39th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (January 1977 – May 1984) (F-4C Tail Code: WW) (January 1976 – October 1980) (F-4E, January 1982 – May 1984)
  In 1980, the wing received the new F-4G and its advanced Wild Weasel system. By July 1980, the last F-105G left George Air Force Base, leaving the 37th TFW with F-4Gs in its inventory for Wild Weasel training and operational missions.
  Operations at George Air Force Base were reorganized by mission requirements 30 March 1981. The 35th Tactical Fighter Wing retained control of the 20th and 21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadrons and gained the 39th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
  With the inactivation of the 39th Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1985, the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing was redesignated the 35th Tactical Training Wing. However, the wing kept its air defense augmentation responsibility. It provided operations and maintenance support for the close air support portion of Army training exercises conducted at the U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., from 1981 to 1990. Also, the wing advised specific Air National Guard units on F-4 operations from 1981 to 1991.
  The new 37th Tactical Fighter Wing assumed the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), 562nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (TFTS), and 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS)for active Wild Weasel missions in 1981.  This training ended in 1989 when the 37th TFW was reassigned to Tonopah Test Range Nevada assuming F-117A operational development.
  Operations at George Air Force Base were reorganized again 5 October 1989. The 37th Tactical Fighter Wing and the 35th Tactical Training Wing consolidated all operations under the newly redesignated 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. Under the reorganization the 35th regained control of the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 562nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron.
  In August 1990, the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing mobilized in support of Operation Desert Shield. On 16 August 1990, 24 F-4Gs of the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron left George Air Force Base en route to Shaikh I
caption: McDonnell Douglas F-4E-43-MC Phantom II AF Serial No. 69-7254/WW in F-4G configuration awaits its turn at Mojave for conversion to a 'Red Tail' Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) drone. White fin cap indicates aircraft was assigned to the 563 TFS, inactivated October 1989. Converted to QF-4G AF-209. Expended as target 4 June 2002.
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