96th Test Wing

The 96th Test Wing is a United States Air Force organization assigned to the Air Force Test Center within Air Force Materiel Command. Based at Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida, it combines two functions that are closely connected to the base’s role as a major national test and training complex: it conducts developmental test and evaluation of air-force weapons and systems, and it provides installation-wide support as Eglin’s host wing. The modern wing was activated at Eglin in 1994 as the 96th Air Base Wing. In that initial configuration, its principal responsibility was to serve as the headquarters for the installation’s support organizations. Eglin is the Air Force’s largest installation by area and hosts a broad collection of operational, testing, training, maintenance, medical, engineering, and support activities. In 2012, the organization absorbed the mission and resources of the 46th Test Wing and was redesignated the 96th Test Wing. That change expanded its portfolio beyond base support to include the developmental testing and evaluation of weapons, navigation and guidance systems, and command-and-control systems. The wing’s lineage reaches back to the 96th Bombardment Group, activated in 1942 during the Second World War. The group flew Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses with the Eighth Air Force from bases in England and conducted strategic bombing across occupied Europe. It participated in the first major shuttle-bombing mission from Great Britain to Regensburg on 17 August 1943 and received two Distinguished Unit Citations for combat performance. After the war it was inactivated, briefly reactivated as an Air Force Reserve organization from 1947 to 1949, and later consolidated with the 96th Bombardment Wing. The 96th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1953 and became part of the Strategic Air Command’s deterrent force. It operated Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers, Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses, and Rockwell B-1B Lancers, as well as air-refueling aircraft. During the early 1960s it also controlled a squadron equipped with Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles. The wing supported Cold War alert and deployment requirements and sent aircraft, crews, and personnel to overseas locations during the Vietnam War and other contingency operations. Its bomber lineage ended when the wing was inactivated in 1993 and its mission and resources were transferred to the 7th Bomb Wing. Today, the 96th Test Wing is not a commercial brand or consumer-facing enterprise. It is an institutional identity used by a military organization. Its test mission covers conventional munitions, command-and-control systems, cyber and C4ISR systems, avionics, navigation, and guidance. Its host-installation mission includes logistics, security, engineering, medical care, communications, personnel services, housing, education, family services, environmental management, and other infrastructure functions. The wing supports numerous military and civilian organizations operating at Eglin and maintains test aircraft, ranges, facilities, and specialized technical capabilities.

The lineage associated with the 96th Test Wing begins with the 96th Bombardment Group, which the United States Army Air Forces activated in July 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah. Its original flying components included the 337th, 338th, 339th, and 413th Bombardment Squadrons. The group trained at several bases in the western United States before moving overseas in 1943. Its air echelon ferried B-17 bombers across the North Atlantic, while the ground echelon traveled by ship to the United Kingdom. The group joined the Eighth Air Force in England in May 1943 and began combat operations against targets in occupied Europe. It attacked industrial facilities, aircraft factories, oil refineries, rail yards, ports, airfields, and other military objectives in countries including Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. On 17 August 1943 it led the first shuttle mission from Great Britain to Regensburg, after which the bombers continued to North Africa. The group also led formations during the Schweinfurt operation in October 1943. In April 1944 it received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for leading a long-range mission through heavy cloud and intense anti-aircraft fire against aircraft-component factories in Poland. The group also conducted tactical-support missions. During the Normandy campaign it attacked coastal defenses, bridges, gun positions, and field batteries. It supported the Allied breakout at Saint-Lô, struck roads and junctions in France, and dropped supplies to the French Resistance. After Germany’s surrender, its aircraft were used to deliver food to the Netherlands and transport personnel. The group returned to the United States and was inactivated in December 1945. The 96th Bombardment Group was reactivated as an Air Force Reserve unit in 1947, initially at Gunter Field, Alabama, with associated squadrons distributed among bases in the southeastern United States. Budget reductions led to its inactivation in 1949. A separate 96th Bombardment Wing was activated at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, in November 1953. It initially operated KC-97 tankers and subsequently trained with B-47E medium bombers. The wing moved to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in 1957. At Dyess, the wing’s Cold War role expanded. It operated B-47s, later converted to B-52C Stratofortresses, and for a period controlled the 578th Strategic Missile Squadron with Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles. The missiles entered alert service in 1962 and were retired from the wing in 1965. The wing’s aircraft and personnel supported strategic deployments during the Vietnam War and participated in Cold War alert activities, including Operation Chrome Dome missions. Its tanker force also supported overseas deployments and contingency operations. The wing began operating the B-1B Lancer in 1985 and became associated with the bomber’s early Strategic Air Command alert mission. Its tankers supported Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989 and movements connected with the 1990–1991 Gulf crisis and Operation Desert Storm. In 1991 it was redesignated the 96th Wing, and in 1992 it moved from Strategic Air Command to Air Combat Command. The bomber wing was inactivated in 1993, with its mission, people, and equipment transferred to the 7th Bomb Wing. The current organization was activated at Eglin in 1994 as the 96th Air Base Wing. It initially served as Eglin’s host and support headquarters. In 2012 it absorbed the 46th Test Wing’s mission and resources and became the 96th Test Wing. The present wing therefore links a wartime bomber and strategic-aircraft lineage with a modern developmental test, evaluation, and installation-support mission. Its subordinate organizations operate test aircraft, manage ranges and facilities, evaluate weapons and avionics, conduct cyber and C4ISR testing, and provide services to the many military and civilian activities located at Eglin.

• 2012

  Redesignated as the 96th Test Wing

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The wing absorbed the 46th Test Wing’s mission and resources and assumed a broader developmental test and evaluation role.

• 1994

  96th Air Base Wing activated at Eglin

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The modern Eglin-based organization was activated as the installation’s host wing.

• 1993

  Bombardment wing inactivated

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The bomber wing was inactivated and its mission and resources transferred to the 7th Bomb Wing.

• 1985

  B-1B Lancer introduced

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 337th Bombardment Squadron became the first squadron to operate the Rockwell B-1B.

• 1963

  Conversion to B-52 aircraft

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The wing’s remaining bomber squadron converted from the B-47 to the B-52 Stratofortress.

• 1957

  Wing moves to Dyess

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The bombardment wing transferred to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it continued its strategic mission.

• 1953

  96th Bombardment Wing activated

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  A successor wing was activated at Altus Air Force Base as part of Strategic Air Command.

• 1945

  World War II group inactivated

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  Following postwar transport and relief missions, the group was inactivated in the United States in December.

• 1944

  Second Distinguished Unit Citation

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group was recognized for leading a difficult April mission against aircraft-component factories in Poland.

• 1943

  Group begins Eighth Air Force combat operations

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group moved to England and commenced bombing missions against targets in occupied Europe.

• 1943

  Regensburg shuttle mission

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The 96th led the first shuttle mission from Great Britain to Regensburg on 17 August.

• 1942

  96th Bombardment Group activated

  [1]96th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The first recognized predecessor of the present organization was activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, and began training B-17 bomber crews.

A military test-and-evaluation organization that also functions as the host wing for Eglin Air Force Base, combining specialized weapons and systems evaluation with large-scale installation support.

• Military systems testing

  Developmental Test and Evaluation

  The wing plans and conducts developmental testing for Air Force weapons and systems. Its work includes conventional munitions, navigation and guidance systems, command-and-control capabilities, avionics, cyber systems, and C4ISR technologies. The purpose is to identify performance, integration, safety, and operational issues before systems proceed to wider service use.

• Test range operations

  Eglin Gulf Test Range

  The 96th Range Group operates Eglin’s extensive land and overwater test complex. The range includes approximately 120,000 square miles of Gulf of Mexico airspace and a 724-square-mile land range containing numerous test and training areas, including specialized air-to-ground and depleted-uranium test capabilities.

• Weapons integration

  Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office

  The Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office supports the technical clearance and integration of stores and weapons on military aircraft. It is part of the wing’s broader test-and-evaluation ecosystem at Eglin, connecting weapons engineering, aircraft integration, and operational qualification requirements.

• Military base support · 1994

  Installation support services

• 2012

  Expansion from host-wing support to developmental testingStrategy

  Background

  The 96th Air Base Wing had primarily served as Eglin’s installation host and support headquarters. The Air Force reorganized related test functions by transferring the 46th Test Wing’s mission and resources.

  Action taken

  The organization was redesignated the 96th Test Wing and assumed responsibility for developmental testing and evaluation of weapons, navigation and guidance systems, and command-and-control systems.

  Aftermath

  The wing became a combined test-and-evaluation and installation-support organization within the Air Force Test Center and Air Force Materiel Command.

  Source

1. 196th Test Wingen.wikipedia.org