413th Flight Test Squadron
 | |
|---|---|
 A squadron CV-22 Osprey hovers over Hurlburt Field, Florida | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1958–1962; 1977–2004; 2005–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Flight testing |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Hurlburt Field, Florida |
| Motto(s) | More with Less (1977-1992) |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 413th Flight Test Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| 413th Bombardment Squadron emblem.[b][1] |  |
| Patch with 6513th Test Squadron emblem |  |
| World War II fuselage code[2] | MZ |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Multirole helicopter | CV-22 Osprey |
| Utility helicopter | UH-1 Iroquois |
| Transport | MC-130/HC-130 Hercules |
The 413th Flight Test Squadron is part of the 96th Test Wing and is based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It performs flight testing on aircraft used by special operations forces, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules (including AC-130, HC-130 and MC-130), Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey, Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low, Bell UH-1 Huey, and Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft.
The first predecessor of the squadron was first activated during World War II as the 413th Bombardment Squadron. It served in the European Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany and earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated.
This squadron was again active from 1947 to 1949 in the reserves, although it was apparently never fully manned or equipped. It was active as a Boeing B-47 Stratojet squadron in Strategic Air Command from 1958 to 1962.
The second predecessor of the squadron, the 6513th Test Squadron, was activated in 1977 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In 1992, the two squadrons were consolidated as the 413th Test Squadron. The squadron was inactivated in 2004, but reactivated the following year at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
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- ^ a b Ream, Margaret (30 June 2021). "Factsheet 413 Flight Test Squadron (AFMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Watkins, pp. 44-45