| 53rd Test and Evaluation Group | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 31 TES F-35A Lightning II[note 1] | |
| Active | 1942–1947, 1955–1960, 1988–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Test and evaluation |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Nellis AFB |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations World War II Army of Occupation |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Air Force Organizational Excellence Award |
| Insignia | |
| 53rd Wing Emblem[note 2] |  |
| 79th Fighter Group emblem[1][note 3] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | A-10 |
| Bomber | B-1, B-2, B-52 |
| Fighter | F-15C & E, F-16, F-22 |
| Multirole helicopter | HH-60 |
| Reconnaissance | MQ-1, RQ-4, U-2 |
The 53rd Test and Evaluation Group is a group of the United States Air Force. It is a part of the 53rd Wing, and is headquartered at Nellis AFB, Nevada.[2]
The Group was originally activated in 1942 as the 79th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), becoming the 79th Fighter Group (Single Engine) a few months later. Later that year it moved overseas to Egypt, where it was assigned to Ninth Air Force and participated in combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Italy until April 1945. After the end of World War II, it became part of the Army of Occupation until it was inactivated in 1947.
The group was activated again in 1955 as the 79th Fighter Group (Air Defense) as part of a program of Air Defense Command (ADC) to replace its air defense groups with fighter units with distinguished records in World War II. It provided air defense of the Great Lakes region until it was inactivated in 1960.
In 1988, Tactical Air Command activated the 4443rd Test and Evaluation Group as an operational test unit at Eglin AFB, an Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) base that was home to AFSC's Armament Center. In December 1991, as the USAF eliminated its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) four-digit units, the 79th was consolidated with the 4443rd, and the combined unit was designated the 79th Test and Evaluation Group. In 1998, as a result of USAF policy that subordinate groups carry the same number as their parent wing, the 79th TEG was inactivated and replaced by the newly constituted 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. In 1999, the unit moved from Eglin AFB to Nellis AFB, Less than two years later, USAF consolidated the 79th and 53rd TEGs to provide one continuous history to its weapons test and evaluation group.
The unit consists of seven squadrons, two detachments, and a named flight. Its mission is to manage the flying activities of the 53rd wing at Barksdale, Beale, Creech, Dyess, Edwards, Eglin, Nellis, and Whiteman Air Force bases.[2]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Watkins, pp. 30–31
- ^ a b USAF. "Eglin AFB 53rd Test and Evaluation Group Fact Sheet" (PDF). Eglin AFB, Florida: 53rd Wing, USAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2009.