The unit later converted back to the piston-engined F-51 Mustang, considered more suitable for operations in Korea. The 36th ended the war equipped with F-86 Sabres, flying bombing and strafing missions against enemy air fields. The 36th returned to Japan after the Korean War, operating out of Itazuke Air Base for the next 10 years. Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, the 36th flew combat missions into Southeast Asia from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. 36th pilots flew F-105 Thunderchiefs, escorting rescue aircraft and suppressing anti-aircraft fire. The squadron was re-equipped with F-4 Phantom II fighters in December 1967 and stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, with regular deployments to Kunsan Air Base beginning in March 1971. The 36th moved to Kunsan in May 1971, establishing a forward operating location at Osan Air Base. The squadron permanently moved to Osan and was assigned to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) in September 1974. Post Cold War The 36th ushered in the era of the "Fighting Falcon" on 10 August 1988, when squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Al Spitzer landed the first F-16 Fighting Falcon at Osan. The squadron's combat capabilities were transformed in 1990 when the squadron converted to the Block 40 Low Altitude Navigational and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) F-16C/D. The addition of LANTIRN gave the Fiends the current ability to fly at low levels and deliver precision guided munitions during nighttime conditions. Upgrades to the Block 40 in recent years have included GBU-31 JDAM capability for all weather precision engagement. The 36th FS, more recently, have begun training with the AIM-9X Sidewinder and the AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod. Additionally, in the Spring of 2012 the Fiends acquired the AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System, becoming the first Block 40 SEAD squadron in the United States Air Force. Lineage Organized as the 36th Aero Squadron on 12 June 1917 Redesignated 36th Aero Squadron (Construction) c. 1918 Demobilized on 7 April 1919 Reconstituted and redesignated 36th Pursuit Squadron on 24 March 1923 Activated on 2 October 1930 Redesignated 36th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 6 December 1939 Redesignated 36th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 12 March 1941 Redesignated 36th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 Redesignated 36th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 19 February 1944 Redesignated 36th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 1 April 1946 Redesignated 36th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 1 January 1950 Redesignated 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950