| 31st Combat Training Squadron Virtual Test and Training Center  | |
|---|---|
 Squadron activation ceremony in 2021 | |
| Active | 1939–1944; 1944–1946; 1953–1955; 1956–1958; 1969–1971; 1982–1988; 2021–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Training |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada |
| Insignia | |
| 31st Combat Training Squadron emblem |  |
| 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron patch |  |
| 31st Fighter Squadron emblem[note 1][1] |  |
The31st Combat Training Squadron is an activeUnited States Air Force unit. It is currently assigned to theNevada Test and Training Range atNellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The squadron was first activated as the31st Pursuit Squadron for the air defense of thePanama Canal shortly before the United States enteredWorld War II. It served in this role until 1944 when the reduced threat to the canal and the Caribbean permitted its transfer to the United States, where it was inactivated. The squadron was reactivated a few months later as an element of the412th Fighter Group, the firstArmy Air Forces unit equipped with jetfighters. It was inactivated in 1946 when the 412th group and its squadrons were replaced by elements of the1st Fighter Group.
In 1953, the squadron was activated as the31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, anair defense unit in the Pacific northwest. It was inactivated two years later in a major realignment ofAir Defense Command fighter unit designations. It was again active in the air defense role from 1956 to 1958 in Michigan and Alaska.
It became a training unit in 1969, first trainingtactical reconnaissance aircrews on theMcDonnell RF-4C Phantom II from 1969 to 1971 as the '31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron, then acting as the "schoolhouse" for F-4 aircrews from 1982 to 1988.
A ceremony activating the31st Combat Training Squadron (Virtual Test and Training Center) was held on 9 April 2021, at Nellis Air Force Base.
Thesquadron operates the Virtual Test and Training Center, a multi-domain, advanced training, tactics, and testing campus, supporting theUSAF Weapons School. It supports operational test, combatant commandexercises, and colored flag exercises. The mission of the 31st is to enhance, sustain, and operate a synthetic environment to optimize warfighting capabilities and readyaircrew.[2]
The squadron was constituted in 1939 as the31st Pursuit Squadron and activated on 1 February 1940 atAlbrook Field,Panama Canal Zone[1] as one of the original squadrons of the 37th Pursuit Group.[3] The unit was part of the build-up of the Canal Zone's defenses as war approached. It was initially equipped with a mixture of second-line pursuit aircraft, includingBoeing P-26A Peashooters, Northrup A-17 Nomads, and some North American BC-1s. The mission of the squadron was air defense of thePanama Canal. In July 1941, the Squadron started re-equipping with newCurtiss P-40 Warhawks. The Squadron was briefly moved toRio Hato Field on 5 October 1940 and, following a month there, returned to Albrook on 13 November, where it remained until 24 November 1941.[1]
After the JapaneseAttack on Pearl Harbor, the Squadron was moved toLa Chorrera Army Airfield where it shared the field with the30th Pursuit Squadron. The unit operated as an element of the Panama Interceptor Command. On 15 May 1942, the squadron's designation was changed to31st Fighter Squadron.[1] In September 1942, the unit moved from Albrook toHoward Field and started to convert toBell P-39 Airacobras. In December, "E" Flight was moved to San Jose Airport, Costa Rica where it was almost immediately reassigned to the53d Fighter Squadron.[citation needed]
The unit served out the remainder of its Panama tour at several airfields until April 1944, and was moved to the United States asSixth Air Force eliminated or transferred combat units in view of the reduced threat to the Panama Canal and Caribbean. The squadron was to become a single-engine fighter Replacement Training Unit forSecond Air Force atLincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, but it was inactivated seven weeks after it arrived at Lincoln.[1]
The squadron was activated once again as part of the412th Fighter Group, which was located atMuroc Army Air Field, California in August 1944.[1] It became a testing unit for theBell P-59 Airacomet andLockheed P-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft underFourth Air Force. The squadron served in a training role for transitioning pilots from piston-engine to jet engine fighters. The squadron providedArmy Air Forces pilots and ground crews with valuable data about the difficulties and pitfalls involved in converting to jet aircraft. This information proved quite useful when more advanced jet fighters finally became available in quantity. The squadron was inactivated in July 1946[1] and its mission, personnel, and equipment were transferred to the71st Fighter Squadron[4] as the AAF replaced the 412th with the1st Fighter Group.[citation needed]
The squadron was reactivated as the31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, an elementAir Defense Command atLarson Air Force Base, Washington in early 1953 and assigned to the4702d Defense Wing.[1] At Larson the squadron was equipped withMighty Mouse rocket armed and airborne interceptradar equippedNorth American F-86D Sabre interceptors.[5] The squadron was engaged in theair defense of thePacific Northwest. In the summer of 1955 ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list thefighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars and associate them with their traditional headquarters.[6] As a result, the mission, personnel and equipment of the 31st were transferred to the322d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron IAW ADC "Project Arrow".[1]
The squadron was again reactivated in 1956 atWurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan[1] and equipped with supersonicConvair F-102 Delta Daggers armed with theAIM-4 Falcon missile.[5] The following year it moved toElmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska Territory where it performed intercepts of intruding aircraft as part ofAlaskan Air Command, arriving in Alaska. The squadron was inactivated in October 1958[1] and its aircraft were reassigned to the317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.[citation needed]
The 31st was redesignated as the31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron and reactivated underTactical Air Command (TAC) atShaw Air Force Base, South Carolina in 1969, where it assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of 4414th Combat Crew Training Squadron, which was discontinued.[7] This was part of TAC's program to replace its Major Command controlled (MAJCON)units with USAF controlled (AFCON) units that were able to carry a permanent lineage and history.[note 5] The squadron conductedRF-4C Phantom II training fortactical reconnaissance aircrews. The squadron was inactivated in 1971 due to reduced training requirements, and its aircraft assigned to the33d Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron.[citation needed]
In 1982, the squadron became the31st Tactical Training Squadron and was activated atHomestead Air Force Base, Florida. In 1988, the31st Tactical Fighter Wing's mission switched from training to readiness as a fighter unit and the squadron was inactivated.[citation needed]
In April 2021, the squadron became the31st Combat Training Squadron and was activated atNellis Air Force Base, Nevada.[8]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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