3247th Test Squadron General Dynamics F-16A Block 15A Fighting Falcon 80-0573

The 3246th Test Wing was a flight test component of the

Air Proving Ground Center The Air Armament Center (AAC) was an Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, responsible for development, acquisition, testing, and deployment of all air-delivered weapons for the U.S. Air Force. Weapon systems ...

, later Armament Division, at

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Florida, and was activated 1 July 1970 to provide weapon and countermeasures test duties. It was replaced by the

46th Test Wing The 46th Test Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force last based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing's 46th Test Group was a tenant unit at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The wing's history dates from 1941, when the ...

in October 1992. This unit is notable for operating the last active-duty USAF

F-4D 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 originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...

(''68-8800''), relegated to the Eglin target range in July 1992. It carried the logo "Phantoms Phorever 1963–1992". ''68-8800'' has been sitting on the ramp at Pierce Field (Eglin Auxiliary Field #2) since retirement. It is there in 2012.Thornbororough, Anthony M., and Davies, Peter E., "The Phantom Story", Arms and Armour Press, A Cassell Imprint, London, UK, 1994, , page 278.

History

Assigned to the 3246th Test Wing was the 3247th Test Squadron, which inherited F-4C/D/E and

RF-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...

aircraft formerly assigned to the Air Proving Ground Center's 4533d Test Wing. The 3247th aircraft carried AD and ET tail codes, and a white tailband with red diamonds.

Components

* 6585th Test Group, 1 January 1984 – 1 October 1992 * 3247th Test Squadron, 1 July 1970 – 1 October 1992 (inactivated and consolidated with 40th Tactical Fighter Squadron)

Stations

, Florida, 1 July 1970 – 1 October 1992

Aircraft

A-10A Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...

* YA-10B Thunderbolt II * C-131B Samaritan *

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally des ...

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 originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bo ...

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

F-15E Strike Eagle The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without rely ...

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

F-100D Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

General Dynamics F-111A The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...

* General Dynamics F-111E *

T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the mos ...

* CT-39A Sabreliner * HH-1H, UH-1N Huey *

UH-60 Black Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift Utility helicopter, utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transpo ...

References

* Martin, Patrick. Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History, 1994. {{ISBN, 0-88740-513-4. Image source listed as United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1970