3246th Test Wing

3246th Test Wing
	3246th Test Wing – Emblem
Active	1970–1992
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Testing
Motto(s)	"Proof by Test"

Last updated November 03, 2019

The 3246th Test Wing was a flight test component of the Air Proving Ground Center, later Armament Division, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and was activated 1 July 1970 to provide weapon and countermeasures test duties. It was replaced by the 46th Test Wing in October 1992.

Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in western Florida, located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.

The 46th Test Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force last based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing's 46th Test Group was a tenant unit at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

This unit is notable for operating the last active-duty USAF F-4D Phantom II (68-8800), relegated to the Eglin target range in July 1992. It carried the logo "Phantoms Phorever 1963–1992". 68-8800 has been sitting on the ramp at Pierce Field (Eglin Auxiliary Field #2) since retirement. It is there in 2012.^[1]

Pierce Field,, is a satellite airfield located northeast of the Main Base, 5.5 miles north-northeast of Valparaiso, Florida.

History

Assigned to the 3246th Test Wing was the 3247th Test Squadron, which inherited F-4C/D/E and RF-4C Phantom II aircraft formerly assigned to the Air Proving Ground Center's 4533d Test Wing. The 3247th aircraft carried AD and ET tail codes, and a white tailband with red diamonds.

Components

6585th Test Group, 1 January 1984 – 1 October 1992
3247th Test Squadron, 1 July 1970 – 25 June 1982

Inactivated and combined with: 40th Test Squadron, 25 June 1982 – 1 October 1992

Stations

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1 July 1970 – 1 October 1992

Aircraft

A-10A Thunderbolt II
YA-10B Thunderbolt II
C-131B Samaritan
C-130 Hercules
F-4 Phantom II
RF-4C Phantom II
F-15 Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-100D Super Sabre
General Dynamics F-111A
General Dynamics F-111E
T-38 Talon
CT-39A Sabreliner
HH-1H, UH-1N Huey
UH-60 Black Hawk

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a utility military helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine, with two-blade main and tail rotors. The first member of the prolific Huey family, it was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet a United States Army's 1952 requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter, and first flew in 1956. The UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter produced for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been built since 1960.

Related Research Articles

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References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

The Air Force Historical Research Agency is the repository for United States Air Force historical documents. The Agency's collection, begun during World War II in Washington, D.C. and moved in 1949 to Maxwell Air Force Base, the site of Air University, to provide research facilities for professional military education students, the faculty, visiting scholars, and the general public.

↑ Thornbororough, Anthony M., and Davies, Peter E., "The Phantom Story", Arms and Armour Press, A Cassell Imprint, London, UK, 1994, ISBN 1-85409-121-2, page 278.

Martin, Patrick. Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History, 1994. ISBN 0-88740-513-4. Image source listed as United States Air Force

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[1] Thornbororough, Anthony M., and Davies, Peter E., "The Phantom Story", Arms and Armour Press, A Cassell Imprint, London, UK, 1994, ISBN 1-85409-121-2, page 278.