The 422nd Test & Evaluation Squadron is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The 422nd TES received their first F-15A/B’s in 1982 followed by F-15C/D’s and the F-15E’s in 1990. Besides the F-15 the 422nd TES also operated the A10, F-16, F-22, F-35 and HH-60. The task of the 422nd TES is to test and evaluate fighter weapons tactics for the F-15 community.
F-15 Division Established 1977 as F-15A Division, F-15C in 1982. Division was at the forefront of night air superiority as they evaluated night composite force tactics. They also developed and evaluated night vision goggle tactics for the F-15C Eagle, a first for this aircraft in the active Air Force.
F-15E Division Established 1989. Developed new methods of employing the LANTIRN system in a counter-offensive air-to-air role. The F-15E division aircrews also became the first in the Air Force to employ Night Vision Goggles, as they developed and evaluated new tactics in night combat search and rescue.
In 1982 the 422 Fighter Weapons Squadron’s name changed to the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), to better reflect its role.
In 1985, the F-4E was retired from the 422 TES. During this time, the F-16C began testing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Det 1. In October 1987, Det 1 was closed at Luke, and its aircraft were moved to Nellis. This gave the 422 TES an aircraft complement of A-10s, F-15s, F-16As, and F-16Cs.
1989 saw the rapid expansion of squadron capability with the addition of the F-15E and F-16C Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) aircraft. With these two systems, the 422 TES greatly expanded its ability to fly night tactical missions.
(I am looking for more information of the 422nd TES in the F-15A/E era, like squadron competitions, history, personal stories related to the 422nd)
Squadron Photos
USAF photo 422 TES F-15C flying into Eglin AFB
Two US Air Force (USAF) F-15A Eagle aircraft from the 53rd Fighter WingÕs (FW), Test and Evaluation Squadrons (TES) fly over the Gulf of Mexico during exercise Combat Archer a Weapons System Evaluation Program (WSEP) hosted by the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron located at Tyndall, AFB, Florida (FL).
An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Aug. 9, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bailee A. Darbasie)
A 422 TES F-15C (83-0040) maneuvers into a vertical climb during a mission to evaluate the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile, conducted by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL). (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Ammons)
A F-15C Eagle aircraft assigned to 422 Test Squadron located at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, maneuvers into a inverted dive during a mission to evaluate the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile, conducted by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL). (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Ammons)
A F-15C Eagle aircraft assigned to 422 Test Squadron located at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, maneuvers into a vertical during a mission to evaluate the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile, conducted by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL). (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Ammons)
U.S. Air Force 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron Maj. Robert Novotny performs preflight checks inside the cockpit of an F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., on Jan. 27, 2005. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Robert W. Valenca)
F-15C Eagle aircraft from the 442nd Test and Evaluation Squadrons (TES), 53rd Fighter Wing (FW), Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (NV), in flight over the coast line near Destin, Florida (FL) during a mission to evaluate the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile, conducted by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL).
A US Air Force (USAF) F-15C Eagle aircraft assigned to Detachment 1, 422nd Test Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada (NV), in flight during an evaluation flight to test the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile conducted over the Gulf of Mexico by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, located at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL). (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Ammons)
A close up view showing an AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile attached to the port side inboard wing pylon of a 422 TES F-15C (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Ammons)
An F-15C assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 15, 2022. The F-15Cs will no longer be assigned to Nellis AFB. The aircraft will be reassigned to the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
F-15E 96-0200 422 TES flies a combined reserve and active duty test mission from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, prepare to conduct the first AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile dropped from an F-15E, Jan. 7, 2021
Two 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadrons Eagles fly over the Gulf of Mexico during a mission to evaluate the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range, heat-seeking air intercept missile, conducted by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 2, at Eglin AFB, Florida (FL).
