40th Flight Test Squadron

40th Flight Test Squadron
Emblem of the 40th Flight Test Squadron
Active	1940--present
Country	United States
Branch	Air Force
Role	Flight Testing

USAF F-16A block 15 #80-0573 from the 3247th TS armed with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile and a cluster weapon in flight on May 12th, 1986. Aircraft now on display at USAF Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, FL.

40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Convair TF-102A-45-CO Delta Dagger 56-2360, Johnson AB, Japan, 1963

The 40th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 46th Operations Group, based at Eglin AFB, Florida.

Lineage

40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - Emblem

• Constituted 40th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on December 22, 1939

Activated on February 1, 1940

Redesignated: 40th Fighter Squadron on May 15, 1942

Redesignated: 40th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on August 20, 1943

Redesignated: 40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on January 20, 1950

Redesignated: 40th Tactical Fighter Squadron on June 20, 1965

Inactivated on October 15, 1970

• Activated on October 1, 1971

Inactivated on April 30, 1982

• Consolidated (October 1, 1992) with the 3247th Test Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on June 25, 1982.

Redesignated: 40th Test Squadron on October 1, 1992

Redesignated: 40th Flight Test Squadron on March 15, 1994.

Assignments

• 31st Pursuit Group, February 1, 1940
• 35th Pursuit (later, 35th Fighter; 35th Fighter-Interceptor) Group, January 15, 1942

Attached to 35th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, January 15 – July 14, 1954 and October 8, 1956 – July 1, 1957

• 41st Air Division, October 1, 1957

Attached to 3d Bombardment Wing, December 1, 1961 – May 31, 1962

• Tactical Air Command, c. June 17, 1965
• 33d Tactical Fighter Wing, June 20, 1965 – October 15, 1970
• 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, October 1, 1971
• 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, June 1, 1972 – April 30, 1982
• 3246th Test Wing, June 25, 1982
• 46th Test Wing, October 1, 1992
• 46th Operations Group, September 8, 1993 – present

Stations

Selfridge Field, Michigan, February 1, 1940 Baer Field, Indiana, December 6, 1941 Port Angeles, Washington, December 16, 1941 – c. January 22, 1942 Archerfield Airport (Brisbane), Australia, February 25, 1942 Ballarat Airport, Australia, March 9, 1942 Mount Gambier Airport, Australia, March 16, 1942 RAAF Base Townsville, Australia, April 1942 Berry Airfield (12 Mile Drome), New Guinea, June 2, 1942 RAAF Base Townsville, Australia, July 30, 1942 Rogers Airfield (30 Mile Drome), New Guinea, c. November 25, 1942 Tsili Tsili (Tsile-Tsile) Airfield, New Guinea, August 11, 1943 Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, October 1943 Gusap Airfield, New Guinea, February 5, 1944 Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, June 9, 1944 Kornasoren (Yebrurro) Airfield Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, August 4, 1944 Owi Airfield, Schouten Islands, Netherlands East Indies, September 14, 1944 Wama Drome, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, October 17, 1944 Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, January 21, 1945 Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, April 11, 1945

Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, April 19, 1945 Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, June 30, 1945 Irumagawa AB, Japan, October 10, 1945 Yokota AB, Japan, March 13, 1950 Ashiya AB, Japan, July 7, 1950 Pohang AB (K-3), South Korea, July 17, 1950 Tsuiki AB, Japan, August 13, 1950 Pohang AB (K-3), South Korea, October 7, 1950 Yonpo AB (K-27), North Korea, November 18, 1950 Pusan-West AB (K-1), South Korea, December 3, 1950 Misawa AB, Japan, May 25, 1951 Johnson AB, Japan, July 1, 1951 Detachment stationed at Komaki AB, Japan, July 13, 1953 – February 17, 1955 Yokota AB, Japan, August 13, 1954 – c. June 15, 1965 Eglin AFB, Florida, June 20, 1965 – October 15, 1970 Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, October 1, 1971 George AFB, California, June 1, 1972 – April 30, 1982 Eglin AFB, Florida, June 25, 1982 – present

Aircraft

• P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1944
• P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945
• P(later F)-51 Mustang, 1945–1950, 1950–1953
• F-80 Shooting Star, 1950, 1953–1954
• F-86D Sabre Interceptor, 1953–1961
• F-102 Delta Dagger, 1960–1965
• F-4 Phantom II 1965–1969
• A-7 Corsair II, 1971–1972
• Conducted test and evaluation missions, using the following aircraft, A-10, F-4, F-15, F-16, F-111, T-38, T-39, C-130, CV-22, and UH-1, 1982–present

Operational history

Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, June 2, 1942 – August 14, 1945. Served in the occupation force in Japan, 1945–1950. Combat in Korea, July 8, 1950 – May 25, 1951. Air defense in Japan and Korea, June 1951 – June 1965. Trained cadres for transfer to Southeast Asia, 1966–1969. Not manned, May 10, 1969 – October 15, 1970 and June 1, 1972 – April 30, 1982.

See also

• United States Army Air Forces in Australia

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• 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.