370th Flight Test Squadron

The 370th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 413th Flight Test Group, stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

370th Flight Test Squadron
KC-10, KC-46 and KC-135 in formation at Edwards AFB
Active	1942–1946; 1946–1965; 2001–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Flight Testing
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Edwards Air Force Base
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater Korean War[1]
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
370th Flight Test Squadron embloem (approved 19 June 2002)[1]
370th Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 27 March 1943)[1]

Mission

The squadron is assigned to the United States Air Force Reserve and performs flight testing.

History

World War II

Formed as a heavy bombardment group in January 1942, trained in the Pacific Northwest under Second Air Force, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii, November 1942, performing search and rescue and antisubmarine patrols until January 1943 while transitioning to long-range B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

Deployed to Central Pacific from Hawaii throughout 1943 for long-range combat bombardment operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific; New Guinea; Northern Solomon Islands and Eastern Mandates campaigns. Deployed to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific and operated from numerous temporary jungle airfields, engaging in long-range bombardment operations during the Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns until the end of the war in August 1945. Assigned to Clark Field, Philippines after the war ended, demobilized with personnel returning to the United States, unit inactivated as paper unit in January 1946 in California.

Strategic Air Command

Reactivated as Boeing B-29 Superfortress squadron at MacDill Field, Florida in August 1946 as part of Strategic Air Command. Was a training unit for antisubmarine warfare.[1]

Korean War

Deployed to Okinawa during the Korean War, carrying out combat operations over Korea throughout the conflict.[1] Remained in Okinawa until November 1954 when moved to the United States on paper.

Return to Strategic Air Command

Reformed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, as a Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium jet bomber squadron, performed Operation Reflex deployments to North Africa until phaseout of B-47 in 1965 and inactivated.[1]

Flight Testing

Reactivated as a flight test squadron in 2001.[1]

Lineage

• Constituted as the 370th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 15 April 1942

Redesignated 370th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. March 1944

Inactivated on 18 January 1946

• Redesignated 370th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 15 July 1946

Activated on 4 August 1946

Redesignated 370th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 28 May 1948

Discontinued and inactivated, on 25 March 1965

• Redesignated 370th Flight Test Squadron on 24 September 2001

Activated in the reserve on 1 October 2001[1]

Assignments

• 307th Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 18 January 1946
• 307th Bombardment Group, 4 August 1946
• 307th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 25 March 1965
• 413th Flight Test Group, 1 October 2003 – present[1]

Stations

Geiger Field, Washington, 15 April 1942 Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 27 May 1942 Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 29 September-21 October 1942 Kipapa Airfield, Hawaii, 2 November 1942 Operated from Henderson Field (Midway Atoll), 22–24 December 1942 Operated from: Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, c. 6 February-c. 18 March 1943 Koli Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 18 March 1943 Munda Airfield, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 22 February 1944 Momote Airfield, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 13 May 1944 Wakde Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 22 August 1944 Operated from Kornasoren (Yebrurro) Airfield, Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, c. 20 September-12 November 1944

Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 14 November 1944 Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 10 September-27 December 1945 Camp Stoneman, California, 16–18 January 1946 MacDill Field (later MacDill Air Force Base), Florida, 4 August 1946 Operated from: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, beginning c. 4 August 1950 Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 15 August 1953 Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, 19 November 1954 – 25 March 1965 Operated from: RAF Lakenheath, England, 11 July-5 October 1956 Edwards Air Force Base, California, 1 October 2001 – present[1]

Aircraft

• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
• Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1954
• Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1965[1]
• Beechcraft C-12 Huron, 2001–present
• General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 2001–present
• McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, 2001–present
• Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker 2001–present

References

Notes

1. Kane, Robert B. (29 June 2010). "Factsheet 370 Flight Test Squadron (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 22 July 2017.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• 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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• 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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.