420 Flight Test Flight

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 420th Flight Test Flight


caption= 420th Flight Test Flight Emblem
dates= 1 Jun 1943 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role= Flight Testing
size= Flight
command_structure= Air Force Reserve Command
current_commander=
garrison= Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Arizona
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=The 420th Flight Test Flight is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron based at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Arizona, assigned to the 413th Flight Test Group at Robins AFB, Georgia.

The unit's mission is to perform testing and delivery of Northrup T-38C aircraft as part of an avionics upgrade program.

History

Lineage

* Constituted 420th Night Fighter Squadron on 25 May 1943. : Activated on 1 Jun 1943. : Disbanded on 31 Mar 1944.
* Reconstituted, and consolidated with the 420th Air Refueling Squadron, Fighter-Bomber, which was constituted on 8 Dec 1953. : Activated on 18 Mar 1954. : Redesignated 420th Air Refueling Squadron, Tactical on 8 Aug 1958. : Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Mar 1964.
* Consolidated with the 6520 Test Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on 10 Mar 1989. : Redesignated: 420th Test Squadron on 2 Oct 1992: Reesignated: 420th Flight Test Squadron on 1 Mar 1994. : Inactivated on 30 Dec 1997.
* Redesignated 420th Flight Test Flight on 24 Sep 2001. : Activated in the Reserve on 1 Oct 2001.

Assignments

* Air Defense Department, AAF School of Applied Tactics, 1 Jun - 26 July 1943 : (attached to 481 Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17-25 Jul 1943)
* 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 26 Jul 1943 - 31 Mar 1944.

* Ninth Air Force, 18 Mar 1954 - 9 Oct 1955: (attached to 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 18 Mar 1954-22 Sep 1955)
* Third Air Force, 9 Oct 1955 - 1 Jul 1961: (attached to 47th Bombardment Wing, 15 Mar 1960-1 Jul 1961)
* Seventeenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1961 - 22 Jun 1962: (remained attached to 47th Bombardment Wing, 8 Nov 1961
* Seventeenth Air Force, 22 Jun 1962 : (attached to 7375th Combat Support Group, 1 Oct 1962 - 30 Sep 1962)

* 6510th (later, 412th) Test Group, 10 Mar 1989 - 30 Dec 1997.
* 622d Flight Test Group, 1 Oct 2001 - 1 Oct 2003
* 413th Flight Test Group, 1 Oct 2003 - Present

tations

* Orlando AB, FL, 1 Jun 1943
* Kissimmee AAFld, FL, 1 Jun 1943
* Dunnellon AAFld, FL, 20 Aug 1943
* Hammer Field, CA, 18 Jan-31 Mar 1944

* Alexandria (later, England) AFB, LA, 18 Mar 1954-22 Sep 1955
* RAF Sculthorpe, England, 9 Oct 1955-25 Mar 1964

* Edwards AFB, CA, 10 Mar 1989-30 Dec 1997

* Mesa, AZ, 1 Oct 2001-Present.

Aircraft Assigned

* AT-11, A-20, P-70, BT-13, and C-78, 1943-1944
* P/YP-61, 1944.
* KB-29, 1954-1959
* KB-50, 1956-1964
* B-2, 1989-1997
* T-38, 2001-Present

Operational History

* Replacement training unit, Jun 1943-Mar 1944.

* Air refueling operations, 1954-1964. Was the first Tactical Air Commanded refueling squadron and the first to be deployed to refuel F-84's fighter aircraft based in Europe and North Africa. Initially equipped with KB-29s, the squadron was upgraded to the jet-assisted KB-50Js which were specially equipped with two General Electric J47 turbojet engines that enabled the tankers to match the speed of the faster jet fighters during refueling. By the early 1960s, the tankers were simply too slow to refuel the faster tactical jet aircraft of USAFE, along with the squadron having serious problems keeping the aircraft flyable. The 420th ARS was deactivated on 25 March 1964 when the KB-50Js were declared obsolete.

* Tested and evaluated B-2 aircraft, 1989-1997.

* From Oct 2001, performed testing and delivery of T-38C aircraft as part of an avionics upgrade program.

References

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0420fltf.asp Air Force Historical Research Agency]

External links