The origins of 103 Squadron date back to 1953 with the beginning of the operational service of the Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star and later that same year with the delivery of the first jet fighters, the Republic F-84G Thunderjet, in service with the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF).

2, was created and equipped with the totality of the existing T-33 fleet and a small detachment of F-84G – resulting in the T-33A being finally assigned to an independent squadron of its own.

[5] The primary mission of this squadron was to provide the conversion and transition training for jet fighters to pilots who had experience with conventional aircraft, like the Republic F-47D Thunderbolt and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.

The training in T-33A also was changed from 40 to 80 hours of flight and trips of navigation instruction to other countries were added.

In January 1990, the Operational Introduction Course (Portuguese: Curso de Introdução Operacional, CIO) is implemented in the T-38 Flight, to provide operational introduction to the pilots trained in the United States, helping in their integration with the combat squadrons.

[3] With the beginning of the retirement of the T-33 in 1988, the T-38 started replacing it in the main course of complementary instruction of combat aircraft.

[2] In 1993, Germany transferred 50 Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets to Portugal as part payment for German use of Beja Air Base.

A two-aircraft Alpha Jet team, the Parelha da Cruz de Christo (the Cross of Christ Pair) was operated by the squadron in 2001 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese Air Force, and the Asas de Portugal was reformed as part of 103 Squadron in 2004, continuing to operate until 2010.