Black Sheep Raptors

Posted 21 December 2009

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Photo by SrA John D. Strong II

The 8th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, received its first of twenty F-22 Raptors on 21 December 2009. The arrival of 8th FS flagship starts the next chapter of the squadron history that began in 1941. The 8th FS has not had any aircraft assigned to it since the F-117 was retired in April 2008. The squadron nickname, the Black Sheep, dates back to 1943 when the 49th Fighter Group was transitioning to the P-38 Lightning. The 8th FS was the last of the three squadrons to receive the P-38, and pilots began calling them the Black Sheep. Pilots from 8th FS were credited with 207 aerial victories during World War II.

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