418th Test and Evaluation Squadron

rdf:langString 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron

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rdf:langString 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron

rdf:langString Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call

rdf:langString Air Force Outstanding Unit AwardPhilippine Presidential Unit Citation

rdf:langString Test and evaluation

rdf:langString squadron

rdf:langString The 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group, and stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it was activated on 1 October 2021. The unit was originally formed as the 418th Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. After training, it was deployed to Fifth Air Force and ordered to New Guinea to provide air defense interceptor protection against Japanese night air raids on US airfields. It later served in the Philippines Campaign where in addition to night interceptor missions it also flew day and night interdiction missions against enemy troop movements, bridges and other targets of opportunity. It later served in Occupied Japan and Okinawa where it was inactivated in 1947. During the Cold War, the squadron was briefly activated in the Philippines in 1958 as the 418th Fighter-Day Squadron, but was not manned before it was replaced by another unit. In 1969, it was redesignated the 418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and replaced another unit at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, training German Air Force pilots in the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter at Luke, continuing this mission until inactivated on 1 October 1976 as the Starfighter was replaced in German service.