The 1st Test and Evaluation Squadron (1 TES) is a

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces, armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the Unite ...

test and evaluation unit, located at

Schriever Space Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs, Col ...

, Colorado. The squadron is tasked with testing and evaluation of command and control systems for

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space warfare, space operations, cyber warfare, cyber operations, and military intelligence, intelligence field command. Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado ...

. 1 TES was activated on 27 August 2021 and assigned to

Space Delta 12 Space Delta 12 (DEL 12) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for space Independent test organization, test and evaluation. It tests space systems and capabilities in support of weapon system acquisition, operational acceptance, and re ...

Space Training and Readiness Command Space Training and Readiness Command (STAR Command or STARCOM) is the United States Space Force's education, training, doctrine, and test field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Space Training and Readiness C ...

Mission

Evaluate relevant command and control systems and plans for

, integrating continuously improving joint-combat capability to space warfighters and commanders.

History

World War II

The squadron was established by Headquarters,

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

in early 1940 as the 1st Photographic Squadron. It performed aerial mapping primarily over the northeastern United States prior to the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the ti ...

, using obsolescent cargo and

Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 is a bomber aircraft designed by the Glenn L. Martin Company. It was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, having entered service in June 1934.Jackson 2003, p. 246. It wa ...

bombers. After the United States entry into World War II, equipped with Lockheed A-29 Hudsons, Beech C-45 Expeditors and

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

s, they performed aerial photography and mapping over uncharted areas of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

and

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

for development of the Northeast Transport Route for the movement of aircraft, personnel and supplies across the North Atlantic from the United States to Iceland and the United Kingdom. The squadron re-equipped with long-range

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

reconnaissance aircraft and deployed to Alaska in late 1943, assisting in the establishment of landing fields in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

; they also mapped uncharted areas of internal Alaska to establish

Lend Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),

aircraft emergency landing fields over the trans-Alaska route from

Ladd Field Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People * Ladd (surname) * Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator * Ladd McConkey (born 2001), American football player Places ;In the United States * Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Lad ...

and

Elmendorf Field Elmendorf may refer to: People with the surname * Dave Elmendorf, former NFL player *Douglas Elmendorf, former director of the Congressional Budget Office * Lucas Conrad Elmendorf, United States Representative from New York * Steven Elmendorf, lobb ...

Nome Nome may refer to: Country subdivision * Nome (Egypt), an administrative division within ancient Egypt * Nome (Greece), the administrative division immediately below the ''peripheries of Greece'' (, pl. ) Places United States * Nome, Alaska ...

After the squadron was relieved from assignment in Alaska and returned to the Continental United States it deployed to the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...

across the South Atlantic Transport Route to North Africa in early 1944. It performed aerial surveys and mapping over

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

; Italy and along the North African Coast and Middle East with B-24s and some

Boeing B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

Fs converted to F-9 reconnaissance configuration over non-combat areas. It then deployed to India and China; performing unarmed long-range mapping of remote areas of the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...

over combat areas in support of ground forces and strategic target identification over Indochina and the Malay Peninsula for follow-up raids by

XX Bomber Command The XX Bomber Command was a United States Army Air Forces bomber formation. Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 16 July 1945. History The idea of basing Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in ...

operating from India. The unit returned to the United States in late 1944. It was equipped with very long range

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

es converted to F-13A reconnaissance configuration. It deployed to the

Central Pacific Area Pacific Ocean Areas (POA) was a major Allied military command in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands during the Pacific War and one of three United States commands in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. ...

after the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

and was assigned to the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

. The squadron performed reconnaissance mapping flights over Japan, Korea and China. The B-29s returned to the United States in early 1946 for storage or reassignment; unit largely demobilized on Okinawa, flying some light liaison and courier aircraft. It was inactivated in early 1947 and disbanded on 8 October 1948.

Test Operations in the Pacific

The squadron replaced the 6400th Test Squadron, which had been organized in 1967, in 1969. It conducted weapons system evaluation, known as COMBAT SAGE, of F-4 aircraft, of F-15 aircraft from 1980, and of F-16 aircraft from 1982, until shortly before inactivation. It also trained visiting aircrews from other

Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...

units in weapons employment and tactics.

Space Launch Test

The 1st Air and Space Test Squadron was a unit of the

30th Space Wing 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, responsible for spacelift and test operations. The squadron's operations included launching of the Minotaur I and Minotaur IV and

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

rockets; as well as testing the Boeing Interceptor and Minotaur II target vehicles. The squadron's mission was to provide complete service launch and test operations for current and future space launch vehicles, targets, interceptors and experimental space systems.

Space Command and Control Test

Upon its creation, the

was assigned the cornerstone responsibility of "preserving freedom of action" in space. This required the creation of new capabilities to protect and defend the domain. This included, for the first time, a need to laterally integrate diverse and disparate space and ground systems into combined arms teams. In response to this need, the Command and Control Enterprise Test Team (C2ETT) was established at

Peterson AFB Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home t ...

in December, 2020 to begin testing a new generation of command and control and space battle management systems for Guardians. In August 2021, following the activation of

and Delta 12, the 1st Test and Evaluation Squadron was activated. Initially, 1 TES absorbed the activities of the C2ETT and integrated two detachments of the former

17th Test Squadron The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Space Force test and evaluation unit, located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. The squadron is tasked with testing and evaluating space systems and associated support equipment. H ...

, aligning more than 10 space command and control systems under test under a single commander for the first time. 1 TES now conducts command and control and enterprise test activities from its main location at

Schriever SFB Schriever may refer to: * Schriever, Louisiana, census-designated place named for John G. Schriever (see below) ** Schriever (Amtrak station) * Schriever Township, South Dakota * Schriever Air Force Base, a US military base near Colorado Springs, C ...

, Colorado, Detachment 1 at

Vandenberg SFB Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the ...

, California, and Detachment 2, Cheyenne Mountain SFS, Colorado.

Lineage

; 1st Photographic Squadron * Constituted as the 1st Photographic Squadron on 22 December 1939 : Activated on 1 February 1940 : Redesignated 1st Mapping Squadron on 13 January 1942 : Redesignated 1st Photographic Mapping Squadron on 9 June 1942 : Redesignated 1st Photographic Charting Squadron on 11 August 1943 : Redesignated 1st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Heavy on 10 November 1944 : Redesignated 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Photographic-RCMRCM (Radio Countermeasures) would later be more commonly referred to as

electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to countermeasure, trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny ...

. on 4 October 1945 : Redesignated 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Photographic on 13 November 1945 : Inactivated on 10 March 1947 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 : Reconstituted and consolidated with the 1st Test Squadron on 19 September 1985 ; 1st Test Squadron * Constituted as the 1st Test Squadron on 12 September 1969 : Activated on 15 October 1969 : Consolidated with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Inactivated on 30 October 1991 * Redesignated 1st Air and Space Test Squadron on 28 October 2003 : Activated on 1 December 2003 :Inactivated on 15 Aug 2019 ;1st Test and Evaluation Squadron * Activated on 27 August 2021

Assignments

* Office of Chief of Air Corps, 1 February 1940 * 1st Photographic Group (later 1st Mapping Group, 1st Photographic Charting Group), 10 June 1941 * 11th Photographic Group, 1 December 1943 * 311th Photographic Wing, 5 October 1944 *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

, 10 November 1944 (attached to

, c. 9 September 1945) * 311th Reconnaissance Wing, 4 October 1945 (attached to United States Army Strategic Air Forces (Pacific) 4 October 1945,

Far East Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at the Hickam AFB portion of Join ...

21 November 1945,

VII Bomber Command The VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. It engaged in patrol operations from Hawaii from January 1942. On the n ...

10 December 1945, Eighth Air Force March 1946, 1st Air Division 7 June 1946 * Far East Air Forces, 3 February 1947 *

Thirteenth Air Force The Thirteenth Expeditionary Air Force (13 EAF) is a provisional numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam on the island of Oahu, ...

, 11 February 1947 - 10 March 1947 (attached to 5th Reconnaissance Group) * 6th Air Division, 15 October 1969 * Thirteenth Air Force 15 December 1969 *

405th Fighter Wing The 405th Air Expeditionary Wing (405 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time. Currently, it is believed that the 405 AEW is inactive. History : ''For ...

, 20 April 1970 *

3d Tactical Fighter Wing The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Wing is the largest and principal unit within 11th Air For ...

, 16 September 1974 * 6200d Tactical Fighter Training Group, 1 January 1980 - 30 October 1991 *

30th Launch Group The 30th Launch Group was a United States Air Force unit, and was assigned to the 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara Co ...

, 1 December 2003 – 15 Aug 2019 *

, 27 August 2021 – present

Stations

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English language, English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German ...

, District of Columbia, 1 February 1940 * Bradley Field, Connecticut, 5 December 1941 *

MacDill Field MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...

, Florida, 15 January 1944 (deployed to

Accra Airfield Kotoka International Airport is an international airport in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The airport is operated by Ghana Airports Company Limited, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which has its offices on the airport property. Until the ...

, Gold Coast, British West Africa, 11 March 1944 - 13 October 1944) *

Smoky Hill Army Air Field Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is located in Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, and has service by one passenger airline, SkyWest ...

, Kansas, 26 October 1944 - 31 July 1945 * Kadena Field, Okinawa, 9 September 1945 *

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

, Philippines, 11 February 1947 - 10 March 1947 * Clark Air Base, Philippines, 15 October 1969 - 30 October 1991 *

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg S ...

, California, 1 December 2003 – 15 Aug 2019 *

, Colorado, 27 August 2021 – present

Aircraft

* Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1942 * Lockheed A-29 Hudson, 1941-1942 * Martin B-10, 1940 * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943-1944 * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942-1945 *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...

, 1943 *

, 1944-1947 * Lockheed B-34, 1942-1945 * Fairchild C-8, 1940 * Beech C-45 Expeditor, 1940, 1946-1947 * Beech F-2 (see C-45) * Douglas F-3 (see A-20) * Consolidated F-7 (see B-24) * Boeing F-9 (see B-17) * Boeing F-13 (see B-29) * Piper L-4, 1946 *

Stinson L-5 Sentinel The Stinson L-5 Sentinel is a World War II-era liaison aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), U.S. Army Ground Forces, U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Division of the Vulte ...

1946-1947 *

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

, 1969-unkn (at least until 1989) *

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's desi ...

, 1980-unkn (at least until 1989) *

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

, 1982-unkn (at least until 1989) * Ryan BQM-34A Firebee, 1969-1989 * Raytheon MQM-107 Streaker, 1989-unkn.

Space Systems Tested

Minotaur IV Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the retired LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Northrop Grumman Space Systems, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010 car ...

, 2017 * Space C2 Open-architecture Operational Prototype (SCOOP), 2020–present * ATLAS, 2021–present * Combatant Commanders Integrated Command and Control System (CCIC2S), 2021–present

Decorations

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Streamer

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force ...

* 3 April 1975 – 31 May 31, 1975 * 1 July 1976 – 30 June 30, 1977 * 1 April 1980 – 31 March 1982 * 1 July 1985 – 30 June 30, 1987 * 1 June 1988 – 1 June 1990 * *

Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States ...

* 21 July 1972 – 15 August 1972 * * American Theater of World War II * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer

European Theater of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allies of World War II, Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the ...

* *

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

List of commanders

* Maj Donald G. Stitt, 1 Feb 1940 * Maj Minton W. Kaye, 15 Nov 1940 * Capt Charles P. Hollstein, 10 Jun 1941 * Maj Richard W. Philbrick, May 1942 * Maj Albert M. Welsh, Dec 1942 * Maj Foster S. Randle Jr., Apr 1944 * Lt Col Albert M. Welsh, 16 Nov 1944 * Maj Foster S. Randle Jr., 10 Oct 1945 * Maj Howard E. Brown, 17 Dec 1945 * Unkn, Jan-Mar 1947 * Lt Col William E. Powers, 15 Oct 1969 * Lt Col William R. Martin, 21 Aug 1970 * Lt Col William J. Watson, 27 Jun 1972 * Lt Col Don O. Quane, 30 Jun 1973 * Lt Col Jerry N. Hoblit, 17 Jan 1975 * Lt Col James R. Alley, 25 Feb 1977 * Lt Col Charles N. Nielsen, 20 Nov 1978 * Lt Col Charles H. Holden, 30 Jun 1980 * Lt Col Roger L. Prather, 21 Jun 1982 * Lt Col Michael F. Tedesco, 1 Jun 1984 * Lt Col Willard H. Whitley, Jan 1986 * Lt Col Robert F. Fischer, Feb 1987 * Unkn, Jan 1988-30 Oct 1991 * Lt Col Kris E. Barcomb, June 2014 – July 2016 * Lt Col Jarrod Martin, July 2016 – June 2018 * Lt Col Brian Chatman, June 2018 - 25 June 2019 * Lt Col Ross Conrad, 27 August 2021 – 14 June 2024 * Lt Col Kathryn Johnson, 14 June 2024 – present

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* *
AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits, Vol II
Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC, 30 Sep 76 {{DEFAULTSORT:1st Air and Space Test Squadron Squadrons of the United States Space Force Military units and formations established in 1969 Military units and formations in Colorado