422d Test and Evaluation Squadron

The 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron (422 TES) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

The squadron's World War II predecessor unit, the 422d Night Fighter Squadron was assigned to Ninth Air Force in England, as a P-61 Black Widow interceptor unit. Its mission was to defend Allied-controlled airspace over England and the liberated areas of Western Europe against night Luftwaffe attacks.

Overview
The 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron is a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) of the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, home stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida. It is the most diverse-equipped aircraft squadron in the United States Air Force.

The 422d TES is a composite squadron that executes HQ ACC-directed operational test and evaluation for all aircraft assigned to the command. This currently includes A/OA-10, F-15C, F-15E, F-16CM, F-22 and the F-35. Testing and evaluation includes the aircraft hardware, engines, software, and weapons upgrades prior to release of the aircraft or modification to operational Air Combat Command operational units.

The squadron also conducts tactics development, foreign combat aircraft evaluation, and special access programs to optimize system combat capability. The Advanced Programs Branch conducted several important foreign materiel exploitation projects and provided support to the F-22 Raptor, B-2 Spirit, and F-117 Nighthawk programs.

The squadron also conducts field visits to instruct operational aircrews on new systems tactics.

Current Divisions

 * A-10 Division
 * Established 1977. Conducts a special evaluation of night vision modified cockpits to determine optimum compatibility with night combat operations. They also examined night medium altitude operations to determine the best suited tactics to expand the A-10's night Close Air Support capabilities. In 1997 the A-10 Division conducted an extensive evaluation of close air support tactics for use in urban war zones.


 * F-15 Division
 * Established 1977 as F-15A Division, F-16C in 1982.  Division was at the forefront of night air superiority as they evaluated night composite force tactics. They also developed and evaluated Night Vision Goggle tactics for the F-15C Eagle, a first for this aircraft in the active Air Force.


 * F-15E Division
 * Established 1989. Developed new methods of employing the LANTIRN system in a counter-offensive air-to-air role. The F-15E division aircrews also became the first in the Air Force to employ Night Vision Goggles, as they developed and evaluated new tactics in night combat search and rescue.


 * F-16 Division
 * Established 1980 as F-16A Division, F-16C in 1985. Evaluated Night Vision Goggle (NVG) employment in several missions, including night combat search and rescue, along with various NVG compatible cockpit configurations. In January 1997 422 TES F-16 pilots evaluated and dropped the first live Joint Direct Attack Munition.


 * F-22 Division
 * Established 2004 for testing and evaluation of the F-22A Raptor.


 * HH-60G Division
 * Established 1995. Evaluated HH-60 defensive system capabilities against current enemy threats in both day and night scenarios. They also evaluated the current HH-60G cabin configuration, and made important recommendations for improving the aircraft’s survivability and crew complement in combat scenarios.

The squadron is now in preparation to receive its first F-35A Lightning II. At Nellis, aircraft assigned to the 422d TES carry tail code "OT", with a green/black checkerboard tail flash.

World War II
Established in August 1943 as the 422d Night Fighter Squadron, assigned to the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, Orlando Air Base, Florida for training.

Reassigned to Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), March 1944, received additional training with Royal Air Force night fighter units at several bases in early 1944. Equipped with Radar-equipped P-61 Black Widow aircraft. Squadron operated over the United Kingdom and liberated areas of the continent after D-Day, attacking intruding Luftwaffe bombers and night fighters.

Moved to France in July 1944, also performed offensive interdictionary attacks on Axis forces in France and the Low Countries, 1944, moving eastward through a series of Advanced Landing Grounds until operating from captured Luftwaffe bases in Germany during the spring of 1945. Ended combat operations, May 1945 and became part of the Army of Occupation until August 1945. Demobilized in Europe, aircraft flown back to the United States for storage or use with postwar All Weather Air Defense Command interceptor squadrons.

Weapons testing
The unit was reactivated in 1969 as the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron when the 4539th Fighter Weapons Squadron became the 422d Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Its initial primary mission was the operational test and evaluation of F-111 aircraft. Took over F-111As of 4539th Combat Crew Training Squadron, aircraft tail coded "WF". In 1977, F-111 testing ended at Nellis AFB and was relocated to McClellan Air Force Base, California, as Detachment 3, 57th FWW. McClellan was the Air Force Logistics Command prime support depot for the F-111 and changes and modifications could be made there and tested by the detachment. The 431st TES was activated at McClellan in 1980, replacing the detachment and remained active until June 1992 when the F-111D was retired.

In 1971 the F-4 joined the squadron; A-7D's were added in 1972, and were flown until 1975. A-10 and F-15 aircraft were added in 1977, as were F-16A’s in 1980. In 1982 the 422 Fighter Weapons Squadron's name changed to the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), to better reflect its role.

In 1985, the F-4E was retired from the 422 TES. During this time, the F-16C began testing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as the 57 Fighter Weapons Wing, Det 1. In October, 1987, F-16C Det 1 was closed at Luke, and its aircraft were moved to Nellis AFB. This gave the 422 TES an aircraft complement of A-10s, F-15s, F-16As, and F-16Cs.

1989 saw the rapid expansion of squadron capability with the addition of the F-15E and F-16C Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared Night (LANTIRN) aircraft. With these two systems, the 422 TES greatly expanded its ability to fly night tactical missions.

1991 began with Operation DESERT STORM. Although the 422 TES did not deploy for direct participation, it was involved in several quick look evaluations of equipment and employment tactics which directly enhanced the effectiveness of the air war. The outstanding efforts of the 422 TES over the past ten years to improve weapons, avionics, and tactics provided the ultimate reward: a quick and decisive victory.

The 422 TES began 1993 with the return of a veteran aircraft to the line-up. The F-4G Wild Weasel officially became part of the testing program at Nellis AFB on 1 February 1993. The HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter came aboard on 1 July 1995 as the newest member of the 422 TES team. Later that year the F-4 was retired again, as the last test F-4G was flown to the Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Center in Arizona.

On October 1, 1996, the 422 TES was re-aligned under the 53d Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida, as the Air Warfare Center assigned all testing to this wing. The squadron grew to its largest size since World War II when the squadron inherited all test management, advanced programs, and test support from the 57th Test Group.

The mission of the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron continues to grow in scope and complexity as new aircraft and systems are developed for use in the combat air forces. Recent testing by the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron has been focused on enhancing mission employment capabilities at night

Lineage

 * Constituted as 422d Night Fighter Squadron on 14 July 1943
 * Activated on 1 August 1943
 * (Not manned after 26 May 1945)
 * Inactivated on 30 September 1945


 * Redesignated as 422d Fighter Weapons Squadron on 22 August 1969
 * Activated on 15 October 1969.
 * Redesignated 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron on 30 December 1981

Assignments

 * Air Defense Department, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, 1 August 1943
 * 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 29 October 1943
 * AAF Tactical Center, 6 January 1944
 * IX Fighter Command, 7 March 1944
 * IX Tactical Air Command, 12 March 1944
 * 71st Fighter Wing, 4 May 1944
 * IX Air Defense Command, 6 August 1944
 * IX Tactical Air Command, 7 October 1944 – 30 September 1945
 * 57th Fighter Weapons (later, 57th Tactical Training; 57th Fighter Weapons; 57th Fighter) Wing, 15 October 1969
 * 57th Test Group, 1 November 1991
 * 79th Test and Evaluation Group, 1 August 1997
 * 53d Test and Evaluation Group, 20 November 1998 – Present

Components

 * A-7D Division, 1972–1975
 * A-10A Division, 1977–Present
 * F-4E Division, 1971–1985
 * F-4G Division, 1993–1995
 * F-15 Division, 1977–Present
 * F-15E Division, 1989–Present


 * F-16 Division 1980–Present
 * F-22 Division, 2004–Present
 * F-111 Division, 1969–1977
 * HH-60 Division, 1995–Present
 * F-35A Division, 2013–Present

Note: Aircraft tail code initially was "WF" upon formation in 1969. Recoded to "WA" in October 1971 with yellow/black checkerboard tail stripe. Recoded 1 October 1996 to "OT" tail code, with a green/black checkerboard tail flash.

Stations

 * Orlando AB, Florida, 1 August 1943
 * Kissimmee AAF, Florida, 3 November 1943
 * Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 6 January – 13 February 1944
 * RAF Charmy Down (AAF-487), England, 7 March – 6 May 1944
 * RAF Scorton (AAF-425), England, 6 May – 25 July 1944
 * Detachment: RAF Hurn (AAF-492), England, 28 June – 11 July 1944
 * Detachment: RAF Ford (AAF-362), England, 16 July–26, 1944


 * Maupertu Airfield (A-15) France, 25 July – 28 August 1944


 * Chateaudun Airfield (A-39), France, 28 August – 16 September 1944
 * Florennes/Juzaine Airfield (A-78), Belgium, 16 September 1944 – 6 April 1945
 * Strassfeld Airfield (Y-59), Germany, 6 April–24, 1945
 * Langansala Airfield (R-2), Germany, 24 April – 26 May 1945
 * AAF Station Kassel/Rothwesten, Germany, 26 May – August 1945
 * France (unknown locations), August – 20 September 1945
 * Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, 29 September–30, 1945
 * Nellis AFB, Nevada, 15 October 1969 – Present

References for lineage, assignments and stations assigned:

World War II

 * DB-7 Boston, 1943
 * P-70 Havoc, 1943
 * YP-61 Black Widow (Prototype), 1943
 * P-61 Black Widow, 1944–1945


 * L-6 Grasshopper, 1944
 * Airspeed Oxford, 1944
 * C-78 Bobcat, 1944
 * A-20 Havoc, 1944–1945

United States Air Force

 * F-111 Aardvark, 1969–1977
 * F-4 Phantom II, 1971–1985
 * A-7D Corsair II, 1972–1975
 * A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1977–Present
 * F-15 Eagle, 1977–Present


 * F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1980–Present
 * F-15E Strike Eagle, 1989–Present
 * F-4G Wild Weasel, 1993–1995
 * HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter, 1995–Present