461st Flight Test Squadron
The 461st Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 412th Operations Group of Air Force Materiel Command, and is stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The Squadron performs flight testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
| 461st Flight Test Squadron | |
|---|---|
An F-35 Lightning II, marked AA-1, lands at Edwards Air Force Base | |
| Active | 12 December 1942 – Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Flight Testing |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Edwards Air Force Base, California |
| Motto(s) | Caveant Caelum Nostrum Latin Beware, Our Sky |
| Engagements | Operation Market Garden |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 461st Flight Test Squadron emblem (approved 27 August 1957) | |
| unofficial 361st Fighter Squadron emblem prior to 1945 | |
| World War II Squadron Fuselage Code | QI |
| 412th Wing Tail Code | ED |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-35 Lightning II |
The squadron's origins can be traced to the 361st Fighter Squadron, which flew combat in the European Theater of Operations, where it won a Distinguished Unit Citation before inactivating in 1945.
In 1985, the 361st Squadron was consolidated with the 461st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron. The 461st had been activated in 1956 as the 461st Fighter-Day Squadron and served as a fighter unit in Europe until 1959. It served as a training unit in Arizona starting in 1977. The consolidated unit was inactivated in 1994, but was activated again in its current role in 2006.