514th Flight Test Squadron

The 514th's current mission is to accomplish high-risk acceptance flights on F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II and C-130 Hercules aircraft following depot level maintenance. its aircrews provide the final quality control checks to ensure aircraft are airworthy and capable of returning to combat units. As the OO-ALC Center Test Authority, the squadron is the focal point for managing and providing test process expertise and support for all test and evaluation at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex. ==History==

World War II Background In early 1942, the Afrika Korps was threatening British forces in Egypt. In response, two contingents of American heavy bombers were diverted to support them. A flight of Consolidated B-24 Liberators being ferried to India was halted from its travel in June and some Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 9th and 436th Bombardment Squadrons were flown to the Middle East from India. On 20 July 1942, these elements were organized into the 1st Provisional Group at RAF Lydda, Palestine. North African operations On 31 October 1942, the 1st Group was dissolved and replaced by a formal Army Air Forces unit, the 376th Bombardment Group. The 514th Bombardment Squadron was activated as one of its four component squadrons. The squadron was originally equipped with a mix of Liberators and Flying Fortresses, but by the end of the year, the B-17s were transferred to Twelfth Air Force and the squadron became an all B-24 unit. Moving forward to bases in Egypt and Libya, the squadron attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa. After the fall of Tunisia in May 1943, the squadron focused on attacks on aerodromes, marshalling yards, and other objectives in Sicily and Italy, moving forward to Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia in late September. Its actions during these attacks on enemy targets from its activation through August 1943 earned the squadron its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). As it approached its assigned targets, the lead aircraft realized that an order from the group commander, who had misidentified the initial point, put the group off course. The group attempted an attack on the Romana Americana refinery, its assigned objective from a different direction. By this time, enemy air defenses had been alerted and intense flak forced the unit to attack targets of opportunity. The squadron was awarded its second DUC for this operation. The squadron performed weather reconnaissance missions in the Pacific. After the onset of the Korean War these missions included combat support. In September 1950, a squadron crew, flying a WB-29 continued a typhoon reconnaissance mission despite the loss of one engine. The information concerning this typhoon was vital for operations in Japan preparing for the Inchon Landing. In February 1951, the squadron inactivated and transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron. As a result of this "dual deputy" reorganization, the 376th Group was inactivated In 1954, the squadron converted to Boeing B-47 Stratojet jet medium bombers. It moved again in 1957, this time to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. After 1958, Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 units began to assume an alert posture at their home base. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, SAC dispersed its B-47s on 22 October. Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with Reserve or Air National Guard units. B-47s were configured for execution of the Emergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersal. On 24 October SAC went to DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert. On 15 November 1/6 of the dispersed B-47s were recalled to their home bases. The remaining dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture. The squadron continued to train in electronic warfare techniques until beginning to phase down for inactivation in March 1965 with the retirement of the Stratojet from SAC's inventory. At Hill, the squadron continued conducting and supporting the Firebee as well as other remotely piloted vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missile test missions, and supported various test operations at the Utah Test and Training Range. From the late 1970s, the 6514th operated a Lockheed DC-130H Hercules (later NC-130H) drone launch control airplane along with an HC-130H. It added two C-130B (later, NC-130B) and a DC-130A in the 1980s. The squadron also used a few Sikorsky HH-53C and Sikorsky CH-3E helicopters to retrieve drones and missiles and transport people to and from remote sites on the range. By the mid-1980s, the heavy helicopters gave way to Bell HH-1H Huey helicopters. ==Lineage==

; 514th Bombardment Squadron • Constituted as the 514th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 October 1942 : Activated on 31 October 1942 : Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 3 May 1944 : Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945 : Inactivated on 7 March 1946 • Redesignated 514th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather on 16 September 1947 : Activated on 15 October 1947 : Inactivated on 20 February 1951 • Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 25 May 1951 : Activated on 1 June 1951 : Inactivated on 15 March 1965 • Consolidated with the 6514th Test Squadron on 1 October 1992 • 413th Flight Test Group, 1 October 2003 – present Stations • RAF Lydda, Palestine, 31 October 1942 • RAF Abu Sueir, Egypt, 8 November 1942 • RAF Gambut, Libya, 10 February 1943 • Soluch Airfield, Libya, 25 February 1943 • Benina Airport, Libya, 16 April 1943 • Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia, c. 26 September 1943 (detachment operated from Benina Airport, Libya, 3–11 October 1943) • San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy, 19 November 1943 – 19 April 1945 • Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, 8 May 1945 • Grand Island Army Air Field, Nebraska, 25 June 1945 • March Field, California, 10 November 1945 • MacDill Field, Florida, 22 December 1945 – 7 March 1946 • North Field, Guam (by 1949, Andersen Air Force Base), 15 October 1947 – 20 February 1951 • Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 1 June 1951 • Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 10 October 1951 • Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 December 1957 – 15 March 1965 • Edwards Air Force Base, California, 15 May 1970 • Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 18 September 1973 – present Aircraft • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942 • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945 • B-29 Superfortress, 1945, 1947–1951, 1951–1954 • TB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 • RB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 • WB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951 • Douglas C-54 Skymaster, 1948–1951 • Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1949–1950 • Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1954–1961 • E-47 (later EB-47 Stratojet), 1961–1965 • Ryan AQM-34Q Firebee, 1970–1995 • Lockheed DC-130 Hercules, 1970–1995 • Lockheed NC-130H Hercules, 1970–1995 • BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile, 1979–1990 • HH-53C MARS (Mid-Air Retrieval System), ? until 1988 • HH-1H, 1987 until ? • Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1993–present • Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 1993–present • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1993–present Awards and campaigns ==See also==