The 514th Flight Test Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force, which has been stationed at Hill Air Force Base, 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 in North Africa with personnel and aircraft diverted from delivery to the China Burma India Theater. 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 Citations for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it converted to Boeing B-29 Superfortress 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 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 in 1970 to test unmanned aerial vehicles. 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, A-10 Thunderbolt II and C-130 Hercules 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.[citation needed]
History
World War II
Background
In early 1942, the Afrika Korps 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 Liberators being ferried to India was halted from its travel in June and some Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 9th and 436th Bombardment Squadrons were flown to the Middle East from India. On 20 July 1942, these elements were organized into the 1st Provisional Group at RAF Lydda, Palestine.[4]
North African operations
Wreckage of squadron Consolidated B-24D-25-CO Lady be Good in the Libyan desert
On 31 October 1942, the 1st Group was dissolved and replaced by a formal Army Air Forces unit, the 376th Bombardment Group.[5] The 514th Bombardment Squadron was activated as one of its four component squadrons.[1][6] 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 and the squadron became an all B-24 unit.[7]
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 aerodromes, marshalling yards, 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 (DUC).[1][6]
On 1 August 1943, operating from Benina Airport, Libya, the squadron participated in Operation Tidal Wave, the low level attack on oil refineries near Ploesti, with the squadron's parent group leading the attack formation.[8] 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.[9] The group attempted an attack on the Romana Americana[10] refinery, its assigned objective from a different direction. By this time, enemy air defenses had been alerted and intense flak forced the unit to attack targets of opportunity. The squadron was awarded its second DUC for this operation.[1][6]
Strategic bombing campaign
The squadron moved to San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy in November 1943, where it became part of Fifteenth Air Force and would remain until April 1945. It primarily flew long range strategic bombardment 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. The squadron also provided air support for Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio 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 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.[1][6]
The squadron arrived at Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska in May 1945 and began conversion to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. However the war in the Pacific ended before the squadron was fully trained. After it moved to March Field, California on 1 November, the squadron was not fully manned or equipped. It was inactivated on 7 March 1946,[1] and most of its few resources at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida were absorbed by other elements of the 498th Bombardment Group.
Weather reconnaissance
The 514th Reconnaissance Squadron (VLR) Weather taken in May 1949
The squadron was redesignated the 514th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at North Field, Guam, where it assumed the personnel and equipment of the 54th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated.[11] The squadron performed weather reconnaissance missions in the Pacific. After the onset of the Korean War 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.[12] In February 1951, the squadron inactivated and transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron.[1][11]
Strategic Air Command
EB-47E Stratojet in 376th Wing markings
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.[13] As a result of this "dual deputy" reorganization, the 376th Group was inactivated[6] and the squadron was assigned directly to the 376th Bombardment Wing in June 1952.[1]
The squadron moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, 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.[1][14] In 1954, the squadron converted to Boeing B-47 Stratojet jet medium bombers. It moved again in 1957, this time to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. After 1958, Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 units began to assume an alert posture at their home base.[15]
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, 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.[16] On 24 October SAC went to DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert.[17] 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.[18] 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.[1][14]
Flight testing
DC-130 launching AQM-34 Firebee drone
The 6514th Test Squadron was activated in May 1970 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it was assigned to the 6512th Test Group.[1] 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, Utah in 1973 and became a component of the Air Force Flight Test Center.[19]
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. 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 and Sikorsky CH-3E 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 helicopters.[19]
A groundcrew member guides an A-10C to the Hill AFB runway
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.[citation needed] 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, Arizona, and the 514th sends pilots there to test them once they have been reassembled and put back into flying condition.[citation needed] In 2003, the military reserve force assumed the flight check mission, and the squadron was reassigned to Air Force Reserve Command's 413th Flight Test Group.[20]
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[1]
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[1]
Assignments
376th Bombardment Group, 31 October 1942
498th Bombardment Group, 10 November 1945 – 7 March 1946
^Approved 26 March 1957. Description: On a disc sky blue, bordered black, over a white cloud formation issuing from base, a white winged mailed gauntlet, steel gray with dark gray outlines and shadows throughout; the hand pointing the way skyward and speeding upward across the sky blue disc, leaving speed lines in its wake, supported by two golden yellow bolts of lightning, shaded red, pointing the way
^This 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.
^Although prepared in 2008, the factsheet omits the reassignment to the 413th Group in 2003.
Lloyd, Alwyn T. (2000), A Cold War Legacy: A Tribute to Strategic Air Command, 1946–1992, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.; 1st edition, ISBN1575100525
Markus, Rita M.; Halbersen, MSG Nicholas F.; Fuller, John F. (1987). Matthews, James K.; Gustin, Joylyn I. (eds.). Air Weather Service: Our Heritage 1937–1987(PDF). Scott AFB, IL: Air Weather Service. OCLC18406969. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
Watkins, Robert A. (2009). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Vol. IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN978-0-7643-3401-6.
Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. ISBN1-85780-197-0.
United States
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