346th Test Squadron

The 346th Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 318th Cyberspace Operations Group at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, Texas. The squadron tests military cyberspace operation systems.

The squadron was first activated as the 346th Bombardment Squadron in 1942. After training in the United States, it moved to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations in operations against the Axis Powers. After V-E Day, the squadron remained in Italy until November 1945, when it was inactivated. The squadron was activated in the reserves from 1947 to 1949, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped.

In 1953, the squadron was activated as the 346th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron as part of Strategic Air Command. It returned to the bombardment mission two years later, and served in this role until inactivating in 1974. Although the squadron remained in the United States except for one deployment in the 1950s, during the Vietnam War it deployed its aircrews and Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses to Southeast Asia. For extended periods, all squadron personnel and equipment were deployed.

The squadron was activated in 1993 as the 346th Test and Evaluation Squadron and performed operational testing and evaluation until inactivating in 1995. It was activated in its current role in 2000.

Mission

The squadron mission is to conduct independent operational tests and evaluations, emissions security tests, and other specialized tests of cyberspace capabilities. It operates Air Force Space Command’s cyber test & training range. The 346th's 120 personnel include 50 active duty airmen, 30 Department of Defense civilian employees and 40 contractors.

The 346th conducts operational tests for components of weapons systems, equipment, or software to determine its operational effectiveness and suitability. It identifies unexpected critical system performance issues that might affect system combat effectiveness before system fielding.

History

World War II

The squadron was activated in June 1942 as the 346th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the 99th Bombardment Group, at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, moving on paper the same day to MacDill Field, Florida. However, the Army Air Forces had decided to concentrate all heavy bomber training under Second Air Force, and before the end of the month, the squadron moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon to begin its training in Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. It continued training with the B-17 until January 1943, when it began deploying to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.

The squadron's ground echelon went by ship from New York City to Marrakech, Morocco; the air echelon flew to Morrison Field, Florida, then along the South Atlantic Route. The ground and air echelons of the squadron were reunited at Navarin Airfield, Algeria in March 1943. It moved forward to Oudna Airfield, Tunisia after the Allies drove Axis forces from North Africa in May 1943. The squadron concentrated on targets such as airfields, harbor facilities, shipping, viaducts and bridges in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 170-171 In early June 1943, the squadron participated in Operation Corkscrew, the reduction of Pantelleria Island in preparation for the invasion of Sicily.

The squadron helped neutralize enemy fighter aircraft opposition to Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, penetrating enemy air defenses by bombing airplanes, hangars and fuel and ammunition storage sites at Gerbini Airfield. For these actions, it was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).

In November 1943, the 346th became part of Fifteenth Air Force, which focused on the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The following month it moved to Tortorella Airfield, Italy. From this base, it engaged in the bombardment of enemy targets in Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Yugoslavia; attacking oil refineries, marshaling yards, aircraft factories, and other strategic objectives. On 23 April 1944, the squadron participated in an attack on aircraft factories in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, despite heavy enemy interceptor opposition. For this action, it was awarded a second DUC.

Following V-E Day, the squadron became part of the occupation forces in Italy, until inactivating in November 1945.

Air Force reserve

The squadron was again activated under Air Defense Command (ADC) in the reserve at Birmingham Municipal Airport, Alabama, on 19 May 1947 and again assigned to the 99th Group. Its training was supervised by ADC's 477th AAF Base Unit (later the 2587th Air Force Reserve Training Center).Ravenstein, pp. 281-283 Although it was nominally a very heavy bomber unit, it is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped with combat aircraft. In 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget, however, required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, ConAC also reorganized its reserve units under the Wing Base Organization, and the 19th Air Division and other reserve units at Birmingham Municipal Airport, including the squadron, were inactivated and replaced by the 514th Troop Carrier Wing in June 1949.

Strategic Air Command

The squadron was reactivated in January 1953 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington when the 111th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, an Air National Guard unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War, was returned to state control. The squadron assumed the mission, personnel, and Convair RB-36 Peacemaker strategic reconnaissance aircraft of the 111th Wing's 103d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, which returned to the Maryland Air National Guard. Engaged in worldwide strategic bombardment training and stood nuclear alert until 1956 when the B-36 was retired.

Re-equipped with B-52 Stratofortresses and continued training and nuclear alert status. Deployed personnel and aircraft to Pacific during Vietnam War, engaging in Operation Arc Light combat missions over North Vietnam; also deployed personnel and aircraft to Thailand flying out of U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield for combat missions over Cambodia and Laos. Inactivated in 1974 with the inactivation of parent 99th Bombardment Wing and transfer of Westover Air Force Base to the Air Force Reserve.

Test operations

The 346th's mission changed when it became the 346th Test and Evaluation Squadron in June 1993 and was activated under the 99th Test Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. For the next two years, it performed operational test and evaluation for Air Combat Command systems. The squadron and 99th Group were inactivated at Ellsworth in 1995 as ACC centralized its operational test and evaluation under the 53d Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The squadron was again activated at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas in August 2000 as the 346th Test Squadron and assigned to the 318th Information Operations Group. As part of the unit's focus on cyber defense, in 2014 it began participating in a joint project of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and Twenty-Fourth Air Force to protect Air Force industrial control systems against attacks from external sources. This project recognized that industrial control systems (systems commonly used to automate physical industrial processes such as electrical and transportation operations) have become increasingly automated, rendering them vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 346th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
: Activated on 1 Jun 1942
: Redesignated 346th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 29 September 1944
: Inactivated on 8 November 1945
* Redesignated 346th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 13 May 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 29 May 1947
: Inactivated on 27 June 1949
* Redesignated 346th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Heavy and activated on 1 January 1953
: Redesignated 346th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 1 October 1955
: Inactivated on 31 March 1974
* Redesignated 346th Test and Evaluation Squadron on 1 June 1993
: Activated on 15 June 1993
: Inactivated on 21 September 1995
* Redesignated 346 Test Squadron on 17 July 2000
: Activated on 1 August 2000

Assignments

* 99th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1942 – 8 November 1945
* 99th Bombardment Group, 29 May 1947 – 27 June 1949
* 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (later 99th Bombardment Wing), 1 January 1953 – 31 March 1974
* 99th Test Group, 15 June 1993 – 21 September 1995
* 318th Information Operations Group (later 318th Cyberspace Operations Group), 1 Aug 2000 – present

Stations

* Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 1 June 1942
* MacDill Field, Florida, 1 June 1942
* Pendleton Field, Oregon, 29 June 1942
* Gowen Field, Idaho, 28 August 1942
* Walla Walla Army Air Field, Washington, 25 September 1942
* Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 18 November 1942 – 3 January 1943
* Navarin Airfield, Algeria, 16 March 1943

* Oudna Airfield, Tunisia, 5 August 1943
* Tortorella Airfield, Italy, c. 13 December 1943
* Marcianise Airfield, Italy, c. 27 October – 8 November 1945
* Birmingham Municipal Airport, Alabama, 29 May 1947 – 27 June 1949
* Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 1 January 1953
* Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 4 September 1956 – 31 March 1974
* Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, 15 June 199 – 21 September 1995
* Kelly Air Force Base (later Kelly Field Annex, Lackland Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland), Texas 1 Aug 2000 – present

Aircraft

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
* Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1953–1956
* Convair RB-36 Peacemaker, 1953–1956
* Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1956–1974Aircraft through 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 429-430

Awards and campaigns

See also

* List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force
* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes

; Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Strategic Air Command

Test squadrons of the United States Air Force
Military units and formations in Texas