User:FightWithHonor/918th Tactical Fighter Squadron

"Warheads on foreheads, baby!"

- 1LT Tom "Scorch" O'Reilly

Introduction
The 918th Tactical Fighter Squadron, better known as the "Scowling Llamas,"is a fighter squadron of the UNSC Air Force, attached to the 233rd Tactical Fighter Wing. Established in the early 2100s, the unit had a long and rich history prior and during the events of the Human-Covenant War.

History
Initially a USAF UAV/RPV jet unit founded in 2104 as the 918th Armed Reconnaissance Squadron, the 918th served with disticntion in a variety of brushfire wars across the globe, playing a major role in defeating several major insurgencies in South America, the Middle East, and Africa. It was during this period that the 918th received the "Scowling Llama" mascot, a souvenir of one too many deployment to Peru.

Force restructuring in the late 2100s resulted in the 918th changing its mission, platform, and name for the first time in its brief history. Recommissioned as the 918th Aerospace Superiority Squadron, the 918th's aircrews began operating a variety of orbital and sub-orbital unmanned fighter platforms, protecting the CONUS and a select group of US allies from ballistic and/or orbitally-launched strikes.

With the growth of internationalism and the formation of the UNSC, the 918th was consolidated into the fledgling UNSC Defence Force. It was at this point that the 918th began to fly manned air/spacecraft for the first time, routinely operating from UNSC orbital stations and lunar outposts.

Notable Commanding Officers

 * LTCOL Jefferey "Zippo" Collins
 * MAJ Marvin "Viper" Donahue
 * LTCOL Patricia "Patty" Wells
 * LTCOL Miguel "Tom" Cruz
 * MAJ Steve "Dingo" Welsh
 * COL Ira "Dilbert" Roland
 * LTCOL Kevin "Warbird" Nielsen

Behind the Scenes

 * The 918th is an effort to create a semi-realistic depiction of a UNSC Air Force unit, a branch of the UNSCDF which is seldom explored within the Halo Universe. Enough with the naval aviators!