concise 23 Squadron history
By order AO46/51 of 9 July 1951, instructions are given to form the 10th Fighter Wing with its three squadrons. The formation date of 1 September 1951 is determined and the different initial locations for the squadrons are established: the 23rd Sqn will be stationed at Chièvres Airbase, the 27th Sqn at Florennes and the 31st Sqn at Beauvechain.
The 23rd Sqn is to be equipped with Spitfires XIV.
The order states furthermore that all will be equipped with F-84E Thunderjets in 1952 and from then on will operate from a still to be determined location.
3 months later, on 20 December, the Squadron relocated to Chièvres AB, to form, together with 27rd Squadron and 31st Squadron, the 10th Wing, starting off with a dozen Spitfire XIV, a single T-6 Harvard and some Airspeed AS.40 Oxford's.
In the second part of 1952 a group of pilots is send to Florennes to convert to F-84G Thunderjet. Operational life in the 10th Wing is mainly centered around the 27th Sqn, 23rd Sqn, like 31st Sqn, basically exist on paper only.
The Spitfires were soon being replaced by the Republic F-84G "Thunderjet", who, in turn were replaced in 1955 by the more powerful F-84E "Thunderjet".
The official move of the three squadrons to the assigned new airbase Kleine-Brogel starts on 23 February 1953. The 23rd and 27th Sqn set off on 27 February, the 31st Sqn on 20 March (23 and 31 without airplanes). Although these are the official dates, three formations of jets, ten in total, already leave Chièvres for Kleine-Brogel one day earlier.
During the summer of 1952 the Spitfire gradually disappears from the Belgian skies. The pilots of the 23rd Squadron start converting to F-84G Thunderjet, the first jet aircraft of the 10th Wing.
But the brand new taxi tracks at Kleine-Brogel soon were showing cracks and started to crumble. This is a very dangerous situation for the jet engines of the brand new aircraft.
Due to this hazard, the 10th Wing moves on 28 May 1953 to RAF Geilenkirchen, Germany. The 27th and the 23rd Sqn acquire their own dispersal on this crowded RAF Airbase.
A nomadic period starts and will last until the construction works in Kleine-Brogel are finished. Only command and maintenance personnel remain on the home base.
The 23rd Sqn moves to its own dispersal on 23 March 1953 and becomes an autonomous unit.
As of 8 Januari 1954, No.234 Sqn RAF joins Geilenkirchen. Due to lack of dispersals the 23rd Sqn has to move to nearby RAF Brüggen.
The 23rd Sqn deploys to Weelde (B), an auxiliary airfield, on 15 September 1954.
After a two year nomadic existence the squadron returns to Kleine-Brogel near the end of 1954.
In 1955 the Thunderjets are replaced by F-84F Thunderstreaks. The squadron becomes operational on this new jet medio 1956. The Thunderstreak is used in the air-to-ground role until 1966. The ‘Devils’ turn into real bombers.
In 1964 the F-104G Starfighter takes over at Kleine-Brogel.
The 23th Sqn starts its conversion to F-104G on 1 January 1965 and is put on ‘Training Status’.
23rd Squadron organizes a '23-Weekend' on 22 June 1979. Participants are 23 Gruppo, Italian Air Force; No.23 Squadron, Royal Air Force and the 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, United States Air Forces in Europe.
On 31 December 1981 at 24.00 hours the operational qualification of the 23rd Sqn on F-104 ends.
The 23rd squadron received their F-16s as last squadron to be converted onto the type in 1982. Initially this is done with jets from Beauvechain (they finished their conversion), later new build Block 15 (big tail) aircraft are issued. After every initial basic conversion (group wise in the OCU), the pilots first have to complete the required operational training flights in their own squadron (day and night navigation flights, attacks with training ammo). Additionally they get theoretical courses, in order to obtain their operational NATO ‘Strike’ qualification.
A notable point is that the conversion took them less then one years time. In 1987 the squadron was also the first in the history of the Belgian Air Force to come back from the live fire exercise in Solanzara (Corsica) with a triple role qualification : attack, strike and air-to-air
With the first major restructuring after the end of the Cold War, the squadron escaped the axe although it lost 6 aircraft of its operational strength. Keeping 12 aircraft operational for NATO duty from 1996 onwards, just as all the other Belgian Air Force F-16 squadrons.
The squadron was also responsible for the strike role together with its sister squadron, the 31st. Although a public secret, it is generally believed that Kleine Brogel AB hosts tactical nuclear devices of the B-61 type. This is a part of NATO deterrence, which is still a key cornerstone of the alliances strategy until this day.
The most drastic change in the squadron's role since the introduction of the Fighting Falcon came in 1999 when the unit converted to the updated MLU type. This update provided some state-of-the-art technology with the introduction of BVR missiles and precision-guided air-to-ground weapons like the AGM-65 missile and GBU-type weapons.
In 2001 however another reorganization took place called 'Falcon 2000'. As all squadrons had a multi-role task at that time, it proved more efficient to have 18 aircraft in every squadron. What was feared for some months became reality and 23 squadron faced deactivation. It was finally disbanded on 8 March 2002, transferring all its assets (including pilots) to the 31st squadron, hereby ending 51 years of operations from Kleine Brogel AB.
1951: Activation of the squadron in Beauvechain
1951: 'Spitfire' Mk. XIV
1951: 'Spitfire' Mk. XIV (Chièvres, part of 10 Wing)
1952: F-84G 'Thunderjet'
1953: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Kleine Brogel)
1953: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Geilenkirchen [Germ.])
1954: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Brüggen [Germ.])
1954: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Weelde)
1954: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Kleine Brogel)
1955: F-84E 'Thunderjet'
1956: F-84F 'Thunderstreak'
1965: F-104G 'Starfighter'
1982: F-16A 'Fighting Falcon'
1999: F-16AM 'Fighting Falcon'
2002: DisbandedDeployments:
'Allied Force'
'Decisive Endeavour'
'Deliberate Forge'
'Deliberate Guard'
'Determined Falcon'