370th Flight Test Squadron

370th Flight Test Squadron
250px Emblem of the 370th Flight Test Squadron
Active	1942-1965; 2001-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Flight Testing

File:370th Bombardment Squadron World War II Emblem.png

Emblem of the 370th Bombardment Squadron (World War II)

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

Mission

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

History

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 and performed 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.

Reactivated as B-29 Superfortress squadron at MacDill Field, Florida in August 1946 as part of Strategic Air Command. Was a training unit for antisubmarine warfare. Deployed to Okinawa during Korean War, carrying out combat operations over Korea throughout the conflict. Remained in Okinawa until November 1954 when inactivated.

Reactivated simultaneously at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, as a B-47 Stratojet medium jet bomber squadron, performed REFLEX deployments to North Africa until phaseout of B-47 in 1965 and inactivated.

Reactivated as a flight test squadron in 2001.

Lineage

• Constituted 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.

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

Stations

• Geiger Field, Washington, 15 April 1942
• Ephrata, Washington, 27 May 1942
• Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 29 September-21 October 1942
• Kipapa Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 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, AFB), Florida, 4 August 1946

Operated from: Kadena AB, Okinawa, beginning c. 4 August 1950

• Kadena AB, Okinawa, 15 August 1953
• Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, 19 November 1954 – 25 March 1965

Operated from: RAF Lakenheath, England, 11 July-5 October 1956

• Edwards AFB, California, 1 October 2001–present

Aircraft

• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942
• B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
• B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1954
• B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1965
• C-12, F-16, KC-10, KC-135 2001-

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Air Force Historical Studies Office, 1969. ISBN 0-89201-097-5.
• 370th Fight Test Squadron Factsheet