The
29th Training Systems Squadron is an active
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its assignment is with the 53d Test Management Group, based at
Eglin Air Force BaseEglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
,
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Overview
The 29th Training Systems Squadron has personnel located at Eglin AFB and 11 geographically separated units around the nation: Barksdale, Beale, Creech, Dyess, Hill, Offutt, Robins, Tinker, Tyndall, and Whiteman AFBs as well as an operating location in Mesa, Ariz.
The squadron serves as the Combat Air Force's center of expertise for Aircrew Training Devices (ATD). Squadron personnel provide technical expertise on all aspects of ATD life-cycle management, including acquisition, modification, acceptance testing and certification testing for all A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52, E-3, E-4, E-8, EC-130, F-15C/E, F-16, F-22, F-35, HH-60, HC-130, MQ-1/9, RC-135, RQ-4 and U-2 ATDs.
Unit personnel also manage the CAF Simulator Certification Program. The squadron's efforts incorporate ATD oversight and management from concept development and preliminary design review through sustainment and program deactivation. By keeping training devices concurrent, cost effective and viable, the 29th TSS guarantees training systems meet present and future warfighters' needs while supporting evolving training demands with modern technology.
History
Evidently aerial arm of field artillery brigade firing center at Camp Knox, Ky, 1918–1919. Reactivated in 1933 as part of Caribbean Air Command, becoming part of the defense forces of the
Panama Canal ZoneThe Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. Goodwill flight to
GuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, 7-12 February 1938. Equipped with a variety of second-line aircraft until
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, upgraded to P-40 Warhawks in 1941 and P-39 Aircobras in 1942. Reassinged to the CONUS in 1944, assigned to
IV Fighter CommandThe IV Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at Oakland Airport, California...
as a replacement training unit (RTU), flying predominantly
P-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s, Testing unit for P-59A and P-80 jet aircraft, 1944-1946 before being inactivated.
Air Defense Command
Reactivated in 1953 as part of Air Defense Command as an air defense squadron, initially equipped with F-94C Starfire day interceptors, being assigned to Great Falls AFB, Montana with a mission for the air defense of the Upper Midwest region. Re-equipped in 1957 with F-89H Scorpion Interceptor and later with the F-89J.
Received the new McDonnell F-101B Voodoo supersonic interceptor, and the F-101F operational and conversion trainer in 1960. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. Inactivated in July 1968 as part of the drawdown of ADC interceptor bases, the aircraft being passed along to the
Air National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
.
Lineage
- Organized as 29th Aero Squadron on 10 October 1918
- Demobilized on 12 September 1919
- Reconstituted and consolidated (1935) with 29th Pursuit Squadron which was constituted on 24 March 1923.
- Activated on 1 October 1933.
- Redesignated: 29th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 6 December 1939
- Redesignated: 29th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
- Redesignated:
- Inactivated on 25 May 1944
- Activated on 21 July 1944
- Inactivated on 3 July 1946
- Redesignated 29th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 23 March 1953
- Activated on 8 November 1953
- Inactivated on 1 July 1968
- Redesignated 29th Training Systems Squadron and activated, 1 October 2002
Assignments
- Unknown, 1918–1919
- 16th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group
The 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of two United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command ....
, 1 October 1933
- XXVI Fighter Command
The XXVI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Albrook Field, Canal Zone...
, 1 November 1943
- Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 8 April 1944-25 May 1944
- 412th Fighter Group, 21 July 1944-3 July 1946
- 29th Air Division, 8 November 1953
- Great Falls Air Defense Sector
The Great Falls Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base , Montana...
, 1 July 1960-1 July 1968
- 53d Test Management Group, 1 October 2002-present
Stations
- Camp Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 10 October 1918
- Godman Field, Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, January-12 September 1919
- Albrook Field, Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, 1 October 1933
- Casa Larga Afld
Calzada Larga Airport is an airport in Panama.During World War II the facility was used as part of the defense of the Panama Canal. The USAAF XXVI Fighter Command 29th Fighter Squadron used the airfield from 17 May 1942-25 March 1944, flying A-24 Dauntless dive bombers. The squadron flew...
, PanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, 17 May 1942-25 March 1944
- Lincoln AAF, Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 8 April-25 May 1944
- Palmdale AAF, California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 21 July 1944
- Bakersfield Airport
Bakersfield Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Bakersfield, a city in Kern County, California, United States...
, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 5 August 1944
- Oxnard Flight Strip
Oxnard Airport is a public airport located one mile west of the central business district of Oxnard, a city in Ventura County, California, USA. The airport covers and has one runway. Oxnard Airport is managed by the Ventura County Department of Airports.- History :Ventura County opened Oxnard...
, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 9 September 1944
- Santa Maria AAF
-References:-External links:*...
, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, l0 July 1945
- March Field, California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 6 December 1945-3 July 1946
- Great Falls AFB, Montana
Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place in Cascade County, Montana, United States. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom...
, 8 November 1953-1 July 1968
- Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 1 October 2002-present
Aircraft
- Curtiss JN-4
The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...
and Curtiss JN-6H|-See also:-Bibliography:* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
, 1918-1919
- Boeing P-12
The Boeing P-12 or F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Navy.-Design and development:...
, 1933-1939
- P-26 Peashooter
The American Boeing P-26 Peashooter, was the first all-metal production fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane used by the United States Army Air Corps...
, 1933-1939
- P-36 Hawk
The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design...
, 1939-1941
- P-40 Warhawk, 1941-1944
- P-39 Aircobra, 1942-1944
- A-36 Apache, 1944
- P-63 Kingcobra
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a United States fighter aircraft developed in World War II from the Bell P-39 Airacobra in an attempt to correct that aircraft's deficiencies...
, 1944
- A-24 Banshee, 1944-1945
- P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1944-1945
- P-59 Airacomet
The Bell P-59 Airacomet was the first American jet fighter aircraft, designed and built during World War II. The United States Army Air Forces was not impressed by its performance and cancelled the contract when fewer than half of the aircraft ordered had been produced. Although no P-59s went...
1944-1945
- P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, 1945-1946
- P-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...
, 1945-1946.
- F-94C Starfire, 1953-1957
- F-89H Scorpion, 1957-1958
- F-89J Scorpion, 1958-1960
- F-101B Voodoo, 1960-1968
Heraldry
On and over a blue disc bordered golden yellow a gamecock in the position of attack (body, head, neck, wings, and feathers, brown; legs, feet, beak, and eyes, yellow; comb and wattles, red ). (Approved 15 March 1935)