Description
PVC made/mounted on velcro 4.0 inch-100mm
420th FLIGHT TEST SQUADRON (AFMC)
Lineage. Constituted 420 Night Fighter Squadron on 25 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Disbanded on 31 Mar 1944. Reconstituted, and consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 420 Air Refueling Squadron, Fighter-Bomber, which was constituted on 8 Dec 1953. Activated on 18 Mar 1954. Redesignated 420 Air Refueling Squadron, Tactical on 8 Aug 1958. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Mar 1964. Consolidated (1 Oct 1992) with the 6520 Test Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on 10 Mar 1989. Redesignated: 420 Test Squadron on 2 Oct 1992; 420 Flight Test Squadron on 1 Mar 1994. Inactivated on 30 Dec 1997. Redesignated 420 Flight Test Flight on 24 Sep 2001. Activated in the Reserve on 1 Oct 2001. Inactivated on 7 Feb 2008. Redesignated 420 Flight Test Squadron on 24 Sep 2019. Activated on 1 Oct 2019.
Assignments. Air Defense Department, AAF School of Applied Tactics, 1 Jun 1943 (attached to 481 Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17-25 Jul 1943); 481 Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 26 Jul 1943-31 Mar 1944. Ninth Air Force, 18 Mar 1954 (attached to 366 Fighter-Bomber Wing, 18 Mar 1954-22 Sep 1955); Third Air Force, 9 Oct 1955 (attached to 47 Bombardment Wing, 15 Mar 1960-1 Jul 1961); Seventeenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1961 (remained attached to 47 Bombardment Wing; 47 Bombardment Wing, 8 Nov 1961; Seventeenth Air Force, 22 Jun 1962 (attached to 7375 Combat Support Group, unkn-30 Sep 1962); 7375 Combat Support Group, 1 Oct 1962-25 Mar 1964. 6510 (later, 412) Test Group, 10 Mar 1989-30 Dec 1997. 622 Flight Test Group, 1 Oct 2001; 413 Flight Test Group, 1 Oct 2003-7 Feb 2008. 412 Operations Group, 1 Oct 2019-.
Stations. 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; Sculthorpe RAF Station (later, RAF Sculthorpe), England, 9 Oct 1955-25 Mar 1964. Edwards AFB, CA, 10 Mar 1989-30 Dec 1997. Mesa, AZ, 1 Oct 2001-7 Feb 2008. Edwards AFB, CA, 1 Oct 2019-.
Operations. Replacement Training unit, Jun 1943-Mar 1944. Provided dedicated air refueling Mar 1954-Mar 1964. Operational testing of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, Mar 1989-Dec 1997. Acted as a Northrop T-38 Talon functional check flight organization, Sep 2001-Oct 2007. Support flight testing of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, Oct 2019-.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. None.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jan-31 Dec 1995; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1996; 1 Jan-30 Dec 1997; 3 Sep 2006-30 Nov 2007.
Emblem. Approved on 22 May 1996; latest rendering, 31 May 2023.