417th Test and Evaluation Squadron | |
|---|---|
 AnF-117 Nighthawk engages its target and drops aGBU-27 guided bomb | |
| Active | 1943–1946; 1953–1977; 1978–1987; 1989–1993; 2003–2006; 2018–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Advanced Fighter Training |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Nickname | Bandits (1989-1993) |
| Engagements |  World War II (EAME Theater)  Vietnam War  [1]Gulf War |
| Decorations |  Distinguished Unit Citation  Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device  Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (2x)  Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Chuck Yeager[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 417th Test & Evaluation Squadron emblem[note 1][1] |  |
| 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron emblem[2] |  |
| 417th Night Fighter Squadron emblem |  |
The417th Test and Evaluation Squadron is an activeUnited States Air Force unit, assigned to the753rd Test and Evaluation Group and stationed atEdwards Air Force Base, California. Its previous assignment was with theUSAF Weapons School atHolloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where it was inactivated on 14 September 2006.
Thesquadron was originally activated as the417th Night Fighter Squadron in February 1943. After training in the United States and receiving additional operational training in the United Kingdom, the squadron saw action in theMediterranean Theater of Operations, flying both the BritishBristol Beaufighter andNorthrop P-61 Black Widow night fighters. It earned aDistinguished Unit Citation for operations in Southern France. FollowingV-E Day, the 417th served as part of theoccupation forces in Germany until inactivating in November 1946, and transferring its personnel to another squadron, which was simultaneously activated.
The squadron was activated as the417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in January 1953, when it replaced anAir National Guard squadron that had beenmobilized for theKorean War. It soon moved to Europe with itsNorth American F-86 Sabres, which it flew until upgrading toNorth American F-100 Super Sabres in 1958. In 1966 the unit transitioned to theMcDonnell F-4 Phantom II as the417th Tactical Fighter Squadron and was engaged in combat during theVietnam War, being part of two combat deployments. Although kept on the record as an active squadron until September 1987, all personnel were withdrawn from the unit in November 1978.
In 1989 as the417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron at theTonopah Test Range in Nevada, it was responsible for the replacement training of newLockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter pilots until inactivating in 1993.
Thesquadron was established in February 1943 as the417th Night Fighter Squadron[3] and trained with the481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group atOrlando Army Air Base, Florida. The 417th was the fourth USAAF dedicated night fighter squadron formed.[4] The unit trained in the Douglas P-70, a modifiedDouglas A-20 Havoc bomber using a U.S. version of the British Mk IVradar. At the time the P-70 was the only American night fighter available.[5] Besides routine transition training in the night fighter, the pilots also completed calibration, instrument, navigation flights, and numerous target missions in this period.[6]
The squadron moved to England and was reassigned toVIII Fighter Command in theEuropean Theater of Operations in May 1943.[3] Because the P-70 was not suitable for night combat in Europe, the squadron was equipped withRoyal Air Force (RAF)Bristol Beaufighters that were becoming available as RAF units equipped with theDe Havilland Mosquito[4] through a "reverse Lend-Lease" program until an American aircraft could be produced. The squadron received additional training with RAF night fighter units at several bases in early 1943 achieving the first victory on 24 July. Through the summer, they conducted daytime convoy escort and strike missions, but thereafter flew primarily at night.[5]
The squadron was reassigned toTwelfth Air Force and deployed to Algeria in August 1943. Most of the ex-RAF aircraft they had inherited were battle weary and no supplies of spares were available through the US supply chain. The squadron scrounged aNorth American B-25 Mitchell, which it named the "Strawberry Roan," and used it to ranged throughout the Mediterranean in search of Beaufighter parts.[4] The 417th carried out defensive night patrols over Allied held territory during theNorth African campaign, also conducted night interdiction raids on German positions in Algeria and Tunisia. In April 1944, the 417th transferred to Corsica and resumed patrol activities. In August 1944, the unit supported the Allied invasion of southern France before taking up duty to fly patrol, intruder, and interceptor missions.[5][6]
The 417th moved to Belgium, operating from bases in the Low Countries, and moving into northern Germany in early 1944.[5] During March and April 1945, the 417th converted from the Beaufighter to theNorthrop P-61 Black Widow aircraft. It last major combat operations in the first week of May consisted of nightly patrols and intruder missions against enemy aircraft attempting to harass Seventh Army troops and their bridgeheads across theDanube River atUlm,Donauwörth, andDillingen, Germany.[6]
The squadron remained in Germany after the war as part of theUnited States Air Forces in Europe. It performedoccupation duty for over a year, returning to the United States and inactivating in November 1946.[5]
In November 1952, the Air Force redesignated the unit as the417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated it on 1 January 1953 atClovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, for training inNorth American F-51D Mustang aircraft. Soon thereafter, the squadron converted to theNorth American F-86F Sabre jet, but the transition period extended over a long period due to an acute shortage of trained people. In the Summer, the 417th moved toHahn Air Base, West Germany, to become a unit in the United States Air Forces in Europe. The aircraft were deployed to Hahn during Operation Fox Able 20. This marked the first mass flight of an entire tactical wing from the U.S. to continental Europe.[7] At Hahn, the squadron trained in air-to-ground and air-to-air gunnery at places likeFürstenfeldbruck Air Base andGiebelstadt Air Base in West Germany andWheelus Air Base, Libya.[6]
During early 1958, the 417th turned in its F-86 Sabrejets, and then deployed to Wheelus, where it receivedNorth American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft. The unit remained in Libya for nearly 60 days where its completed transition training in the new aircraft. At Hahn, the unit's mission was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons againstWarsaw Pact forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe. Its secondary missions were tactical air defense and support forNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ground forces. Due to the vulnerability of West Germany to Soviet attack, Air Force planners did not want their tactical nuclear weapons in locations that could be quickly overrun by Warsaw Pact forces. When construction was completed atToul-Rosières Air Base France, the squadron was moved there in July 1956.[7]
On 8 July 1958, the Air Force redesignated the squadron as the417th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Disagreements arose concerning atomic storage and custody issues within NATO, resulting in a decision to remove United States Air Force atomic-capable units from French soil. The squadron was moved back to Hahn Air Base in December 1959.[7] It remained in West Germany as a tactical fighter squadron, equipped with the F-100 Super Sabre, until 1966, upgrading to theMcDonnell F-4D Phantom II until its inactivation on 30 April 1967.[6]
The 417th returned from Europe for reassignment atMountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, on 15 July 68 with the67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. From there, it deployed for training at Hahn 15 January to 3 April 1969 and 11 September to 9 October 1970.[6]
The return from West Germany, however, brought with it a move toHolloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where the 417th remained until 30 April 1977. This time included several deployments:Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand from 10 May to 30 September 1972; Hahn AB, West Germany, from 3 February to 14 March 1973, 6 March to 5 April 1974, 3 October to 5 November 1975, and 24 August to 26 September 1976; andNellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 29 November to 19 December 1975. The tours in Thailand led to two honors for Vietnam War service.[6]
The 417th resumed service when it activated on 1 October 1978 atZweibrücken Air Base, West Germany, as part of the26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. At that time, however, the squadron only received a few people and one F-4D Phantom II aircraft. The unit moved toRamstein Air Base, West Germany on 1 November 1978, but evidently lost its personnel and aircraft to become a paper organization. Moreover, the 417th also transferred from the26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing to the86th Tactical Fighter Wing on 15 November 1981, remaining a paper organization until it inactivated on 15 September 1987.[6]
The I-Unit was activated byTactical Air Command atTonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada as a classified unit on 1 October 1985.[clarification needed] It began receiving full-scale developmentLockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters from Lockheed for testing. It was replaced by the 4453d Test and Evaluation Squadron on 30 May 1989 as part of the4450th Tactical Group, performing training missions with the F-117A in a clandestine environment. All Tonopah training flights were conducted under the cover of darkness until late 1988. On 10 November 1988, the Air Force brought the F-117A from behind a "black veil" by publicly acknowledging its existence, but provided few details about it. The official confirmation of the F-117A's existence, however, had little impact on Tonopah operations. Pilots began occasionally flying the F-117A during the day, but personnel were still ferried to and from work each Monday and Friday from Nellis. Everyone associated with the project was still forbidden to talk about what they did for a living, and the program remained shrouded in secrecy.[8]
The 4453d was inactivated on 25 September 1989 and its personnel and equipment transferred to the417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 5 October 1989 when the 4450th was inactivated and replaced by the37th Tactical Fighter Wing. It became responsible for the replacement training of new F-117A stealth fighter pilots. In the realignment of F-117A squadrons, the 415th and 416th were assigned production F-117As; the 417th was assigned pre-production F-117As, along withNorthrop T-38 Talon trainers for pilot transition training to the F-117.[8]
In January 1991, the F-117As of the 417th were deployed toKing Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where they saw combat duringOperation Desert Storm. After combat ended, the squadron returned home to Tonopah in early April 1991.[9] After Desert Storm, the 417th was assigned to the37th Operations Group and redesignated the417th Fighter Squadron as part of the wing's adoption of the Air Force Objective Wing organization.[6]
In 1992, as part of the postCold War budget cutbacks in the Air Force, the F-117As were moved toHolloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 37th Fighter Wing and its subordinate organizations were inactivated and the aircraft, equipment, personnel and mission of the squadron were assigned to the49th Operations Group. In 1993, squadron transferred its F-117s to the7th Fighter Squadron and inactivated.[9]
The Air Force Chief of Staff directed the creation of the F-117 Division,USAF Weapons School in May 2002 at Holloman. The initialcadre class began in January 2003, and the validation class began their training in July 2003. On 13 August 2003, the F-117 Division was replaced by the417th Weapons Squadron. The 417th was a geographically separated unit of the57th Wing.
The squadron provided advanced training to F-117A instructor pilots. The course included 26 syllabus sorties, seven simulator missions, four mission planning exercises and more than 400 hours of academics. It was inactivated along with F-117A in September 2006.
On 24 April 2018, the 417th was reactivated as the417th Test and Evaluation Squadron atEdwards Air Force Base, California.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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