416th Flight Test Squadron

The first predecessor of the squadron was established as the 26th Reconnaissance Squadron in January 1942, shortly after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. However, before it was activated in June, it was redesignated the 416th Bombardment Squadron, becoming one of the four original squadrons of the 99th Bombardment Group at 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.[1]

The squadron arrived in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in late March 1943, beginning operations from Navarin Airfield, Algeria, moving 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.[5] In early June 1943, the squadron participated in Operation Corkscrew, the reduction of Pantelleria Island in preparation for the invasion of Sicily.[6]

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).[5]

In November 1943, the 416th 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.[5]

Following V-E Day, the squadron became part of the occupation forces in Italy, until inactivating in November 1945.[1][5]

The squadron was again activated under Air Defense Command (ADC) in the reserve at Robins Field, Georgia, on 17 July 1947 and again assigned to the 99th Group, which was located at Birmingham Municipal Airport, Alabama. 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.[7] In 1948 Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.[8] President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget, however, required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[9] and the 416th was inactivated and not replaced as reserve flying operations at Robins ceased.[10]

A squadron F-16 flies over the Mojave desert

The second predecessor of the squadron, the 6516th Test Squadron, was activated at Edwards Air Force Base, California in March 1989 for testing weapons systems and specialized equipment for the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Because of this mission, the squadron is equipped with a variety of F-16 models. Weapons testing is typically conducted together with operational testing squadrons stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. Squadron F-16s involved in these tests are usually painted in a regular gray USAF scheme, while squadron aircraft used as chase planes for other aircraft test programs had red tails and ventral fins.[lower-alpha 5] These chase planes are used to chase Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs, at Eglin and at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. Other squadron planes used to test radar sets or to conduct anechoic testing are completely white.[4]

A squadron F-16 participates in a Red Flag Exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in February 2009.

In the 1990s the squadron helped in the development of the Mid Life Upgrade (MLU) package for older F-16A and F-16B models. This program updated planes that were primarily flown by North Atlantic Treaty Organization air forces. Although this program did not affect USAF F-16s, the squadron provided a test aircraft for this program. This plane has been used to test other enhancement packages, including the USAF Common Configuration Implementation Program program.[4]

In the 1990s the 416th led the flight test effort in the development of the AN/ASQ-213 HARM targeting system. The performance of this interim solution was instrumental in the retirement of the F-4G Wild Weasel aircraft in the mid 1990s. The Air Force planned to replace the McDonnell F-4G Phantom II but the program was cancelled and the AN/ASQ-213 remains the primary F-16 Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission sensor for the HARM missile more than 25 years later.

The 416th and 6516th Squadrons were consolidated on 1 October 1992 and designated the 416th Test Squadron the following day. The consolidated unit became the 416th Flight Test Squadron on 1 March 1994[1]

The unit briefly gained the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle test mission in 2004. Starting in 2005, the F-15 fleet was sent to Eglin Air Force Base when the F-35 Lightning IIs arrived in 2006.[11]

During early 2009, the squadron deployed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and participated in Red Flag exercise 09-2 to perform operational testing for the F-16's operating system M5.1+ software. This was the first of this type of deployment for any Air Force Materiel Command unit. The squadron deployed to Nellis again in 2012 to test software for the 6.1+ operating system. Although primary deployed to test this system, the 416th was also a participant in the exercise with one of its pilots taking the top SEAD pilot award.[1]

In addition to its F-16 testing role, the squadron also trains qualified test pilots for other testing programs. In addition, F-16s being transferred to the air arms of other countries sometimes need more testing even after the first aircraft are delivered and the squadron continues these tests after the planes' delivery to the foreign military.[4]

A squadron T-38C flies over the Mojave desert

In the spring of 2015, the 445th Flight Test Squadron, which had been conducting "Test Operations" at Edwards was inactivated and its mission transferred to other test squadrons. A large portion of this mission was absorbed by the 416th, along with the 445th's F-16s and Northrop T-38 Talons.[12]

Former members of the 416th who have been NASA astronauts include Michael J. Bloomfield,[13] Duane Carey,[14] Rex J. Walheim,[15] James Dutton[16] and Nick Hague.[17][lower-alpha 6]

• 99th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1942 – 8 November 1945
• 99th Bombardment Group, 17 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
• 6510th Test Wing (later 412th Test Wing), 10 March 1989
• 412th Operations Group, 1 October 1993 – present[1]

• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945[3]
• General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1989–present
• McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle/Strike Eagle, 2004–2005
• Northrop T-38 Talon, 2015–present

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Endicott, Judy G. (1998). Active Air Force Wings as of 1 October 1995 and USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ASIN B000113MB2. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
• Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems (PDF). Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-59-5. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Rodgers, Edith C. (May 1947). "The Reduction of Pantelleria and Adjacent Islands, USAF Historical Study No. 52 8 May – 14 June 1943" (PDF). Air Historica Offic, Headquarters, Army Air Forces. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
• Rogers, Brian. (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.