The 419th Flight Test Squadron  is a United States Air Force squadron.
It is assigned to the 412th Operations Group, Air Force Materiel Command, stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
During World War II, the 419th Bombardment Squadron was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress squadron, assigned to the 301st Bombardment Group, Fifteenth Air Force.
It earned Two Distinguished Unit Citations.
In 1958, the squadron was activated as a Boeing B-47 Stratojet squadron as part of Strategic Air Command's nuclear force, but was discontinued four years later.
In 1993, the squadron was consolidated with the 6519th Test Squadron, which had been conducting test operations at Edwards since 1989.
Overview
The 419th performs flight testing on B-2 Spirit, B-1 Lancer, and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers.
History
World War II
Established as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment squadron in early 1942; trained under Second Air Force.
Flew antisubmarine patrols off the California coast from, late May–early June 1942, then over the Mid-Atlantic coast during June–July 1942.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 514
Deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO) in August 1942, being assigned to VIII Bomber Command, one of the first B-17 heavy bomb squadrons assigned to England.
Engaged in strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe attacking enemy military and industrial targets.
Reassigned to Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) as part of Operation Torch invasion of North Africa.
Operated from desert airfields in Algeria and Tunisia during North African and Tunisian campaign.
Assigned to Northwest African Strategic Air Force during Invasion of Sicily and later Italy in 1943.
Allocated to Fifteenth Air Force for strategic bombing of Nazi Germany and occupied Europe.
Attacked enemy targets primarily in the Balkans; Southern France; Southern Germany and Austria from southern Italy; engaged in shuttle bombing missions to airfields in the Soviet Union during the summer of 1944.Millet, Freeman,
Personnel largely demobilized after German capitulation in May 1945; squadron reassigned to the United States and was programmed for conversion to B-29 Superfortess operations and deployment to Pacific Theater, plans canceled after Japanese capitulation in August 1945.
Aircraft sent to storage and unit inactivated largely as a paper unit in October 1945.Pimlott, Strategic Air Command
From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases.
The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert and rest to meet General Thomas S. Power's initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC’s planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.Schake, p. 220 (note 43) To implement this new system B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.Schake, p. 220 (note 43) The 419th was activated at Lockbourne Air Force Base as the fourth squadron of the 301st Bombardment Wing.
The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962 and the four squadron pattern no longer met the alert cycle commitment, so the squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1962.
Flight Test Squadron
Reactivated as a flight test squadron at Edwards AFB in 1989 taking over the Air Force Flight Test Center Strategic Systems Division (B-52G/H Stratofortress).
Also operated UAV test program (MQ-1 Predator) 1994–2000 when the UAV program was realigned.
Gained B-1 Lancer program from the 410th Flight Test Squadron in 1991 when the 410th was moved to Palmdale and took over the F-117 Program.
Gained B-2 Spirit program from the inactivating 420th Flight Test Squadron on 30 December 1997.
The squadron also hosts the C-12 Huron Formal Training Unit.
Lineage
; 419th Bombardment Squadron
Constituted as the 29th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 3 February 1942
Redesignated 419th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942
Redesignated 419th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 6 March 1944
Redesignated 419th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
Inactivated on 15 October 1945
Redesignated 419th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 20 August 1958
Activated on 1 December 1958
Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962
Consolidated with the 6519th Test Squadron as the 6519th Test Squadronon 1 October 1992
; 419th Flight Test Squadron
Designated as the 6519th Test Squadron and activated, on 10 March 1989
Consolidated with the 419th Bombardment Squadron on 1 October 1992
Redesignated 419th Test Squadron on 2 October 1992
Redesignated 419th Flight Test Squadron on 1 March 1994
Assignments
301st Bombardment Group, 3 Feb 1942 – 15 Oct 1945
301st Bombardment Wing, 1 Dec 1958 – 1 Jan 1962
6510th (later, 412th) Test Wing, 10 March 1989
412th Operations Group, 1 Oct 1993–Present
Stations
Geiger Field, Washington, 3 February 1942
Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 28 May 1942
Operated From: Muroc Army Air Base, California, c. 28 May-14 Jun 1942
Richard E. Byrd Field, Virginia, 21 Jun-19 Jul 1942
RAF Chelveston (AAF-105), England, 19 August 1942
Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 24 November 1942
Biskra Airfield, Algeria, 21 December 1942
Ain M'lila Airfield, Algeria, 16 January 1943
Saint-Donat Airfield, Algeria, 8 March 1943
Oudna Airfield, Tunisia, 6 August 1943
Cerignola Airfield, Italy, 10 December 1943
Lucera Airfield, Italy, 2 February 1944 – Jul 1945
Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 28 July 1945
Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, 17 August 1945
Pyote Army Air Base, Texas, 23 Aug-15 Oct 1945.
Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 Dec 1958 – 1 Jan 1962
Edwards Air Force Base, California, 10 Mar 1989–present
Aircraft
B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
B-47 Stratojet, 1959–1961
B-52 Stratofortress, 1989–Present
MQ-1 Predator (UAV), 1994–2000
B-1 Lancer, 1991–Present
B-2 Spirit, 1997–PresentRogers,
See also
List of United States Air Force test squadrons
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
References
; Notes Bibliography
Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now.
After the Battle
Millet, Jeffrey R.
The Fifteenth Air Force Story: A History 1943–1985.
Fifteenth Air Force Association, 1986.
John Pimlott, B-29 Superfortress, Gallery Books, 1980.
419 Category:Military units and formations in California Category:Military units and formations established in 1994
