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The 514th Flight Test Squadron is a squadron of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
, which has been stationed at
Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent ...
, Utah since 1973, performing functional flight checks on aircraft undergoing major maintenance. The first predecessor of the squadron was formed as the 514th Bombardment Squadron in the Middle East in 1942 to reinforce the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
in North Africa with personnel and aircraft diverted from delivery to 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 off ...
. The squadron moved forward, eventually being stationed in Italy, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, and was awarded three
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed ene ...
s for its combat actions. Following
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
, the squadron returned to the United States, where it converted to
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an 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 B-17 F ...
bombers, but was inactivated in March 1946. The squadron was redesignated the 514th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated in 1947 as a weather reconnaissance unit. It continued the reconnaissance mission until February 1951, when it was inactivated and its assets transferred to another squadron. The squadron returned to the bombardment mission later that year, and upgraded to jet
Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraf ...
bombers in 1954. It continued to fly the Stratojet until they were phased out of the Air Force inventory, and the squadron was inactivated in 1965. The squadron's second predecessor was organized as the 6514th Test Squadron at
Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
in 1970 to test
unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...
s. It moved to Hill in 1973 and assumed its current mission. The two squadrons were consolidated in 1992 as the 514th Test Squadron


Mission

The 514th's current mission is to accomplish high-risk acceptance flights on
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 ...
,
A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force ...
and
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 ...
aircraft following depot level maintenance. its aircrews provide the final quality control checks to ensure aircraft are airworthy and capable of returning to combat units. As the OO-ALC Center Test Authority, the squadron is the focal point for managing and providing test process expertise and support for all test and evaluation at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.


History


World War II


Background

In early 1942, the
Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
was threatening British forces in Egypt. In response, two contingents of American heavy bombers were diverted to support them. A flight of
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 ...
s being ferried to India was halted from its travel in June and some
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theat ...
es from the
9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
and
436th Bombardment Squadron 436th may refer to: * 436th Airlift Wing, an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware * 436th Operations Group, an active United States Air Force unit, the ...
s were flown to the Middle East from India. On 20 July 1942, these elements were organized into the 1st Provisional Group at
RAF Lydda The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
, Palestine.


North African operations

On 31 October 1942, the 1st Group was dissolved and replaced by a formal
Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
unit, the
376th Bombardment Group 376th may refer to: * 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic * 376th Air Refueling Squadron, inactive United States Air Force ...
. The 514th Bombardment Squadron was activated as one of its four component squadrons.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 264–265 The squadron was originally equipped with a mix of Liberators and Flying Fortresses, but by the end of the year, the B-17s were transferred to
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...
and the squadron became an all B-24 unit. Moving forward to bases in Egypt and Libya, the squadron attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa. After the fall of Tunisia in May 1943, the squadron focused on attacks on
aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
s,
marshalling yard A classification yard ( American and Canadian English ( Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard ( British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English ( Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a ra ...
s, and other objectives in Sicily and Italy, moving forward to Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia in late September. Its actions during these attacks on enemy targets from its activation through August 1943 earned the squadron its first
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed ene ...
(DUC). On 1 August 1943, operating from Benina Airport, Libya, the squadron participated in Operation Tidal Wave, the low level attack on
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquef ...
near Ploesti, with the squadron's parent group leading the attack formation. As it approached its assigned targets, the lead aircraft realized that an order from the group commander, who had misidentified the initial point, put the group off course. The group attempted an attack on the Romana Americana refinery, its assigned objective from a different direction. By this time, enemy
air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...
s had been alerted and intense
flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
forced the unit to attack targets of opportunity. The squadron was awarded its second DUC for this operation.


Strategic bombing campaign

The squadron moved to San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy in November 1943, where it became part of
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
and would remain until April 1945. It primarily flew long range
strategic bombardment Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans to bomb factories, marshalling yards, oil refineries, oil storage facilities, airdromes, bridges, harbors, and other objectives. On 16 June 1944, it received a third DUC for an attack on oil industry targets in
Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...
. The squadron also provided
air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
for
Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...
, the landings at
Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and '' comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Is ...
and flew interdiction missions to support the Battle of Monte Cassino between February and March 1944. In the fall of 1944, it assisted the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
in its advance through the Balkans, and in early 1945, supported Operation Grapeshot, the spring offensive in Northern Italy. The squadron was withdrawn from combat in April 1945 and left Italy for the United States. The squadron arrived at Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska in May 1945 and began conversion to the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an 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 B-17 F ...
. However the war in the Pacific ended before the squadron was fully trained. After it moved to
March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
, California on 1 November, the squadron was not fully manned or equipped. It was inactivated on 7 March 1946, and most of its few resources at
MacDill Air Force Base 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), assig ...
, Florida were absorbed by other elements of the 498th Bombardment Group.


Weather reconnaissance

The squadron was redesignated the 514th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at
North Field, Guam Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, where it assumed the personnel and equipment of the
54th Reconnaissance Squadron 54 may refer to: * 54 (number) * one of the years 54 BC, AD 54, 1954, 2054 * ''54'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Wu Ming * Studio 54, a New York City nightclub from 1977 until 1981 * ''54'' (film), a 1998 American drama film about the club * '' ...
, which was simultaneously inactivated.Markus, ''et al''., pp. 143, 152 The squadron performed weather reconnaissance missions in the Pacific. After the onset of the
Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...
these missions included combat support. In September 1950, a squadron crew, flying a WB-29 continued a typhoon reconnaissance mission despite the loss of one engine. The information concerning this typhoon was vital for operations in Japan preparing for the
Inchon Landing The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved so ...
. In February 1951, the squadron inactivated and transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron.


Strategic Air Command

The squadron was redesignated the 514th Bombardment Squadron and reactivated at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas in June 1951. The squadron was again equipped with Superfortress bombers and assigned to the 376th Group. It began training in strategic bombardment in August. However, SAC's mobilization for the Korean War highlighted that SAC wing commanders focused too much on running the base organization and did not spend enough time on overseeing actual combat preparations. To allow wing commanders the ability to focus on combat operations, SAC air base group commanders became responsible for managing the base housekeeping functions. Under the plan implemented in February 1951 and finalized in June 1952, the wing commander focused primarily on the combat units and the maintenance necessary to support combat aircraft by having the combat and maintenance squadrons report directly to the wing and eliminating the intermediate group structures. As a result of this "dual deputy" reorganization, the 376th Group was inactivated and the squadron was assigned directly to the 376th Bombardment Wing in June 1952. The squadron moved to
Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale A ...
, Louisiana in October. By November 1952, electronic countermeasures (ECM) training began to predominate over bombardment, and by September 1953, ECM had become the unit's primary mission.Ravenstein, pp. 200–202 In 1954, the squadron converted to Boeing B-47 Stratojet Stratojet jet
medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized bombloads over medium range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. Mediums generally carried ...
s. It moved again in 1957, this time to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. After 1958,
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both 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 c ...
(SAC) B-47 units began to assume an alert posture at their home base.Schake, p. 220 (note 43) During the 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the Unite ...
, SAC dispersed its B-47s on 22 October. Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with Reserve or Air National Guard units. B-47s were configured for execution of the Emergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersal. On 24 October SAC went to DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert. On 15 November 1/6 of the dispersed B-47s were recalled to their home bases. The remaining dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture. The squadron continued to train in electronic warfare techniques until beginning to phase down for inactivation in March 1965 with the retirement of the Stratojet from SAC's inventory.


Flight testing

The 6514th Test Squadron was activated in May 1970 at
Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
, California, where it was assigned to the 6512th Test Group. Its mission was to support flight testing and modifications of the Ryan AQM-34 Firebee reconnaissance drone, being used in the Vietnam War by the 556th Reconnaissance Squadron to gather intelligence over strongly defended areas over North Vietnam. The squadron moved to
Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent ...
, Utah in 1973 and became a component of the Air Force Flight Test Center.Rogers, At Hill, the squadron continued conducting and supporting the Firebee as well as other remotely piloted vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missile test missions, and supported various test operations at the
Utah Test and Training Range The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) is a Department of Defense military testing and training area located in Utah's West Desert, approximately west of Salt Lake City, Utah. UTTR is currently the largest contiguous block of over-land superso ...
. From the late 1970s, the 6514th operated a Lockheed DC-130H Hercules (later NC-130H) drone launch control airplane along with an HC-130H. It added two C-130B (later, NC-130B) and a DC-130A in the 1980s. The squadron also used a few
Sikorsky HH-53C The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea S ...
and
Sikorsky CH-3E Sikorsky or Sikorski may refer to: * Sikorsky (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Sikorsky (crater), a lunar crater * Sikorsky Aircraft, an American aircraft manufacturer People with the surname * Brian Sikorski (born 1974), Major League Baseb ...
helicopters to retrieve drones and missiles and transport people to and from remote sites on the range. By the mid-1980s, the heavy helicopters gave way to
Bell HH-1H Huey A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...
helicopters. The 6514th was consolidated with the 514th as the 514th Test Squadron in October 1992. It absorbed the
15th Test Squadron The 15th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and assigned to the 753rd Test and Evaluation Group. It was first activated in the expansion of the United States military forc ...
mission in 1993 and began depot flight testing C-130,
Fairchild Republic A-10 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 ...
and
General Dynamics 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 success ...
aircraft. It ended its drone and range mission and realigned under Ogden Air Logistics Center on 30 September 1995. Currently, the 514th quality-control checks involve performing flight checks, which means flying planes that have usually been stripped to the bone and put back together again. The standard check flight for an F-16 can take up to an hour, while the A-10 and C-130 flights can last for an hour and a half. In addition, the 514th provides delivery of foreign military sales aircraft all over the world, from Thailand to Italy. Many of those aircraft come from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, or "bone yard," at
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) ass ...
, Arizona, and the 514th sends pilots there to test them once they have been reassembled and put back into flying condition. In 2003, the military reserve force assumed the flight check mission, and the squadron was reassigned to
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a 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 commi ...
's
413th Flight Test Group The 413th Flight Test Group (413 FTG) is a United States Air Force Air Force Reserve Command unit. It is stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia as a tenant unit. The 413 FTG conducts flight tests on aircraft after the programmed depot ma ...
.


Lineage

; 514th Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 514th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 October 1942 : Activated on 31 October 1942 : Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 3 May 1944 : Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945 : Inactivated on 7 March 1946 * Redesignated 514th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather on 16 September 1947 : Activated on 15 October 1947 : Inactivated on 20 February 1951 * Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 25 May 1951 : Activated on 1 June 1951 : Inactivated on 15 March 1965 * Consolidated with the 6514th Test Squadron on 1 October 1992 ; 514th Flight Test Squadron : Designated as the 6514th Test Squadron and activated on 15 May 1970 * Consolidated with the 514th Bombardment Squadron on 1 October 1992 : Redesignated 514th Test Squadron on 2 October 1992 : Redesignated 514th Flight Test Squadron on 1 March 1994


Assignments

* 376th Bombardment Group, 31 October 1942 * 498th Bombardment Group, 10 November 1945 – 7 March 1946 * 43d Weather Wing, 15 October 1947This was a table of organization unit, organized in September 1945 and inactivated on 3 June 1948. It was replaced by a table of distribution wing organized on 1 June 1948. In October 1948 the table of distribution wing was renumbered to conform with Air Force policy that such units (later called MAJCON units) be numbered in 4-digit series allotted to the Major Commands. * 43d Weather Wing (later 2143d Air Weather Wing), 1 June 1948 – 20 February 1951 * 376th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1951 (attached to 376th Bombardment Wing) * 376th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 15 March 1965 * 6512th Test Group (later
6510th Test Wing) Year 651 (DCLI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 651 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became t ...
, 15 May 1970 * Air Force Flight Test Center, 1 January 1973 * 6510th Test Wing, 1 March 1978 * 6545th Test Group (later 545th Test Group), 1 January 1979 * Ogden Air Logistics Center, 30 September 1995Factshet, 514th Flight Test Squadron. Although prepared in 2008, the factsheet omits the reassignment to the 413th Group in 2003. * 413th Flight Test Group, 1 October 2003 – present


Stations

* RAF Lydda, Palestine, 31 October 1942 * RAF Abu Sueir, Egypt, 8 November 1942 * RAF Gambut, Libya, 10 February 1943 * Soluch Airfield, Libya, 25 February 1943 * Benina Airport, Libya, 16 April 1943 * Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia, c. 26 September 1943 (detachment operated from Benina Airport, Libya, 3–11 October 1943) * San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy, 19 November 1943 – 19 April 1945 * Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, 8 May 1945 *
Grand Island Army Air Field Grand Island Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces airfield which operated from 1942 to 1946. After its closure, the base was reopened as Central Nebraska Regional Airport. History Grand Island Army Airfield was opened in 1942, a ...
, Nebraska, 25 June 1945 * March Field, California, 10 November 1945 * MacDill Field, Florida, 22 December 1945 – 7 March 1946 * North Field, Guam (by 1949, Andersen Air Force Base), 15 October 1947 – 20 February 1951 * Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 1 June 1951 * Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 10 October 1951 * Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 December 1957 – 15 March 1965 * Edwards Air Force Base, California, 15 May 1970 * Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 18 September 1973 – present


Aircraft

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942 * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945 * B-29 Superfortress, 1945, 1947–1951, 1951–1954 * TB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 * RB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 * WB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 *
Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian ...
, 1948–1951 *
Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remain ...
, 1949–1950 *
Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraf ...
, 1954–1961 * E-47 (later EB-47 Stratojet), 1961–1965 * Ryan AQM-34Q Firebee, 1970–1995 * Lockheed DC-130 Hercules, 1970–1995 * Lockheed NC-130H Hercules, 1970–1995 * BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile, 1979–1990 * HH-53C MARS (Mid-Air Retrieval System), ? until 1988 * HH-1H, 1987 until ? * Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1993–present * Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 1993–present * General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1993–present


Awards and campaigns


See also

* B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations *
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators The United States Air Force (USAF), four of its NATO partners, and Pakistan, a major non-NATO US ally, are the primary operators of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. With the evolution of sales under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts, ...
* ''Lady Be Good'' (aircraft) * List of B-29 Superfortress operators *
List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force The Boeing B-47 Stratojet was operational with the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command beginning in May 1951 with the first operational B-47Bs to the 306th Bombardment Wing, Medium, based at MacDill AFB, Florida. In March 1961, Preside ...
* List of Douglas C-47 Skytrain operators * List of Lockheed C-130 Hercules operators *
List of United States Air Force test squadrons This is a list of United States Air Force test squadrons. It covers units considered to be part of the Air Force and serves as a break out of the comprehensive List of United States Air Force squadrons. Most units in this list are assigned to Air ...


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * Lloyd, Alwyn T. (2000), A Cold War Legacy: A Tribute to Strategic Air Command, 1946–1992, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.; 1st edition, * * * * * * * * Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. . {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II 0514 Military units and formations in Utah Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves