Valiant Squadron

The IJSF Air Defense Force, Special Operations Wing, 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron "Valiant" is an air force fighter unit featured in the Eagle Legion series of books. The unit was formed by then-Major Raven Rickenbacker after their successful participation in the Balikatan 2002 exercises. Since then, the unit has become a mainstay of the IJSF's Air Defense Force until it's dissolution in 2014.The Valiants were the precursor to the Avatar Squadron, which was the Joint Coalition Task Force's primary fighter unit during the Second Global War on Terror.

Unit Origins
Valiant Squadron was never intended to exist. However, during Balikatan 2002, a group of pilots, consisting of Rickenbacker, USAF Captain Reginald Aleksandersson, USAF First Lieutenant Stanley Jefferson, TNI-AU Major Sulaiman Arvian, and RAAF Major William Heap, found themselves unit-less in the exercise, and joined forces to participate in Balikatan. IJSF Commander, Lt. Gen. Hermann Austerlitz, approved of the multinational formation, and pressed the Squadron into a qualifying test to enter the IJSF. The five Valiants eventually became top-scoring pilots in the exam. It was during their first flight that they decided on the name of their unit, as Raven had a hard time identifying their newly formed flight. Hence, Stan Jefferson dreamt of the name "Valiant", and Raven approved with a unanimous approval from his members.

However, when the final night exam went bad after three of the training aircraft fired back on them, the situation got really worse. Without hesitation, Rickenbacker ordered his pilots to engage the oncoming unknown forces, but soon found himself and the Valiants in more trouble when communist insurgents from the New People's Army attacked Clark where the 25-nation Balikatan exercises were being held.