57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

57th Fighter Squadron
57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-15 Eagles over Iceland in 1986
Active1940–1944; 1947–1949; 1953–1995; 2024–Present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
TypeFighter-Interceptor
RoleAir Defense
Part ofAir Combat Command
Nickname(s)Black Knights
EquipmentF-35A Lightning II
EngagementsAsiatic-Pacific Theater
American Theater of World War II
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Current
commander
Lt. Col. Jonathan Hassell
Insignia
Patch with the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Emblem

The 57th Fighter Squadron (57 FS), also known as "The Black Knights", is an active United States Air Force unit that is assigned to the 85th Fighter Group. The squadron was reactivated at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, on 2 July 2024 as an F-35A Lightning II training unit focused on NATO and Allied pilots. Although located on an Arkansas Air National Guard installation at a joint civil-military airport, the 57 FS is an active duty USAF command that functions as a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the Air Education and Training Command's (AETC) 33rd Fighter Wing (33 FW) at Eglin AFB, Florida. The 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (57 FIS) was previously stationed at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, between 1954 and 1995, from where it policed the GIUK gap.