The 413th Flight Test Group (413 FTG) is a

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 ...

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

unit. It is stationed at

Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, Warner Robins, south-southea ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

as a tenant unit. The 413 FTG conducts flight tests on aircraft after the programmed depot maintenance is completed. Its history goes back to 1944 when the 413th Fighter Group flew very long range (VLR) escort missions of

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), 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 ...

bombardment groups against Japan. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the unit was a

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

fighter-escort wing and later

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

tactical fighter group in the 1950s. Today, the group's units are stationed throughout the United States to help conduct functional flight tests. The group is a partnership between the

Air Force Materiel Command The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force System ...

and the

and is the operational supervisor of all the depot flight test units. The group manages five squadrons and two flights is made up of 140 full-time Airmen, 78 traditional reservist and nine civil servants. Once PDM is completed, members of the flight crew begin a variety of ground checks to make sure the aircraft is ready for a functional test flight. Once the aircraft is deemed airworthy, then the airplane is delivered to the home station and is configured to fly whatever mission it is assigned to fly.

Assigned units and aircraft flown

10th Flight Test Squadron (Tinker AFB, OK) B-1, B-52, E-3, KC-135, RC-135, KC-46
313th Flight Test Flight (Lackland AFB, TX) KC-135, C-17 (2001–2013)

339th Flight Test Squadron The 339th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit based at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is part of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, with a mission to certify aircraft as worthy to return to service. The squadron ...

(Robins AFB, GA) C-5, C-130, F-15
370th Flight Test Squadron (Edwards AFB, CA) C-12, KC-10, KC-135
415th Flight Test Flight (Randolph AFB, TX) T-38, T-6
514th Flight Test Squadron (Hill AFB, UT) A-10, F-16, F-22, F-35, C-130
413th Force Support Flight (Robins AFB, GA)
413th Aeromedical Staging Squadron (Robins AFB, GA)

History

World War II

The unit served primarily in the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It included the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas (command). which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its isl ...

as part of

. The 413th Fighter Group's aircraft flew very long range (VLR) escort missions of

bombardment groups against Japan. Constituted as 413th Fighter Group on 5 October 1944 and activated on 15 October. Trained for very-long-range operations with P-47N Thunderbolts. Moved to the

South West Pacific Area South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the ...

, April–June 1945. The group was assigned to the

VII Fighter Command, 301st Fighter Wing. Was reassigned to the

Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

early in August 1945. Flew a few strafing missions from

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

to the Truk Islands in May before beginning operations from Ie Shima in June. Engaged in dive-bombing and strafing attacks on factories, radar stations, airfields, small ships, and other targets in Japan. Made several attacks on shipping and airfields in China during July. Flew its only escort mission on 8 August 1945 when it covered B-29's during a raid against

Yawata, Kyoto 270px, Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū 270px, Confluence of Kizu and Yodo Rivers is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 69,306 in 33972 households and a population density of 2800 persons per km2. The to ...

, Japan.

Cold War

Served as a part of the air defense and occupation force for the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

after the war. Inactivated on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

on 15 October 1946. Activated as part of

in 1954. Trained to achieve and maintain combat readiness by participation in tactical exercises, firepower demonstrations, joint training with US Army and US Marine Corps units, and tactical evaluations. Provided augmentation of

Sixteenth Air Force The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...

in Spain, through deployment of assigned squadrons on a rotational basis, 1958–1959.

Lineage

* Established as 413th Fighter Group, Single Engine on 5 October 1944 : Activated on 15 October 1944 : Inactivated on 15 October 1946 * Redesignated 413th Fighter-Day Group on 27 October 1954 : Activated on 11 November 1954 : Inactivated on 8 October 1957 * Consolidated (31 January 1984) with the 413th Strategic Fighter Wing, which was established on 23 March 1953. : Redesignated 413th Fighter-Day Wing on 26 September 1957 : Activated on 8 October 1957 : Redesignated 413th Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 July 1958 : Inactivated on 15 March 1959 * Redesignated 413th Flight Test Group on 18 July 2003 : Activated in the Reserve on 1 October 2003.

Assignments

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission i ...

, 15 October 1944 * 301st Fighter Wing, 2 November 1944 – 15 October 1946 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, 11 November 1954 : Attached to 479th Fighter-Day Wing, 11 November 1954 – 7 October 1957 *

Eighteenth Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. Eighteenth Air Force was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and ...

, 1 October 1957 * 831st Air Division, 8 October 1957 – 15 March 1959 * Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 October 2003–present

Components

* 1st Fighter (later, 1st Fighter-Day; 1st Tactical Fighter) Squadron: 15 October 1944 – 15 October 1946; 11 November 1954 – 15 March 1959 (detached 27 June – c. 12 November 1958) * 10th Flight Test Squadron: 1 October 2003–present * 21st Fighter (later, 21st Fighter-Day; 21st Tactical Fighter) Squadron: 15 October 1944 – 15 October 1946; 11 November 1954 – 15 March 1959 (detached 14–15 March 1959) * 34th Fighter (later 34th Fighter-Day; 34th Tactical Fighter) Squadron: 15 October 1944 – 15 October 1946; 11 November 1954 – 15 March 1959 *

: 1 October 2003–present * 370th Flight Test Squadron: 1 October 2003–present * 474th Fighter-Day Squadron (later, 474th Tactical Fighter Squadron): 8 October 1957 – 15 March 1959 (detached 11 November 1958 – 15 March 1959) * 514th Flight Test Squadron: 1 October 2003–present * 413th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Flights * 313th Flight Test Flight: 1 October 2003 – 2013 * 415th Flight Test Flight: 1 October 2003–present * 420th Flight Test Flight: 1 October 2003 – 1 September 2007 * 413th Force Support Flight:

Stations

* Seymour-Johnson Field, NC 15 October 1944 * Bluethenthal Field, NC November 1944 – 6 April 1945 * Ie Shima Airfield,

, 19 May 1945 * Kadena Field, Okinawa 10 November 1945 * Yontan Airfield,

, 29 January – October 1946 *

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

, California, 11 November 1954 – 15 March 1959 *

, 1 October 2003–present

Aircraft Assigned

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

1944–1946 *

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, 1954–1956 * F-100 Super Sabre, 1955–1959

References

* * * *
Robins AFB press release about 413th Flight Test Group

External links

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