Edwards AFB: Difference between revisions

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* Gary Army Airfield
* Gary Army Airfield


Muroc was initially used for IV Bomber Command Operational Unit training. The 41st and 30th Bombardment Groups flying the B-25 Mitchell and the 47th Bombardment Group flying the A-20 Havoc trained at the station in early 1942. The training provided newly graduated pilots eight to 12 weeks of training as a team using the same aircraft they would use in combat. In 1942, the training mission was transferred to IV Fighter Command, with P-38 Lightning Operational Traning Unit (OTU) training for the 78th and 81st Fighter Groups. In 1943, the 360th Fighter Group and 382d Bombardment Groups were assigned permanently to Muroc for P-38 Lightning and B-24 Liberator Replacement Training (RTU) of personnel.<ref>Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.</ref>
Muroc was initially used for IV Bomber Command Operational Unit training. The 41st and 30th Bombardment Groups flying the B-25 Mitchell and the 47th Bombardment Group flying the A-20 Havoc trained at the station in early 1942. The training provided newly graduated pilots eight to 12 weeks of training as a team using the same aircraft they would use in combat. In 1942, the training mission was transferred to IV Fighter Command, with P-38 Lightning Operational Traning Unit (OTU) training for the 78th and 81st Fighter Groups. In 1943, the 360th Fighter Group and 382d Bombardment Groups were assigned permanently to Muroc for P-38 Lightning and B-24 Liberator Replacement Training (RTU) of personnel.<ref>Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. ISBN:0-89201-092-4.</ref>


In the spring of 1942, the Mojave Desert station was chosen as a secluded site for testing America's first jet, the super-secret Bell Aircraft XP-59A Airacomet jet fighter. The immense volume of flight tests being conducted at Wright Field, in Ohio, helped drive a search for a new, isolated site where a "Top Secret" airplane could undergo tests "away from prying eyes." The urgent need to complete the P-59 program without delay dictated a location with good, year-round flying weather, and the risks inherent in the radical new technology to be demonstrated on the aircraft dictated a spacious landing field. After examining a number of locations around the country, they selected a site along the north shore of the enormous, flat surface of Rogers Dry Lake about six miles away from the training base at Muroc.<ref name="HIST" />
In the spring of 1942, the Mojave Desert station was chosen as a secluded site for testing America's first jet, the super-secret Bell Aircraft XP-59A Airacomet jet fighter. The immense volume of flight tests being conducted at Wright Field, in Ohio, helped drive a search for a new, isolated site where a "Top Secret" airplane could undergo tests "away from prying eyes." The urgent need to complete the P-59 program without delay dictated a location with good, year-round flying weather, and the risks inherent in the radical new technology to be demonstrated on the aircraft dictated a spacious landing field. After examining a number of locations around the country, they selected a site along the north shore of the enormous, flat surface of Rogers Dry Lake about six miles away from the training base at Muroc.<ref name="HIST" />
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Other World War II test flights included the Northrop JB-1 Bat.
Other World War II test flights included the Northrop JB-1 Bat.


In 1943, a replica of a Japanese cruiser, nicknamed "Muroc Maru", was constructed in Rogers Dry Lake where it was used for bombing training until 1950.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/rogers-dry-lake.htm|title=Rogers Dry Lake|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=1 December 2017}}</ref>
In 1943, a replica of a Japanese cruiser, nicknamed "Muroc Maru", was constructed in Rogers Dry Lake where it was used for bombing training until 1950.<ref>https://www.nps.gov/articles/rogers-dry-lake.htm Rogers Dry Lake, National Park Service, 1 December 2017</ref>


[[File:Muroc Army Airfield.jpg|thumb|left|Muroc Field in 1945]]
[[File:Muroc Army Airfield.jpg|thumb|Muroc Field in 1945 showing a Douglas Invader parked in front of the hangar.]]


===Postwar era===
===Postwar era===
With the end of the war, Fourth Air Force relinquished command of Muroc Army Airfield on 16 October 1945 and jurisdiction was transferred to [[Air Technical Service Command]], becoming [[Air Materiel Command]] in 1946. Test work on the Lockheed [[P-80 Shooting Star]] was the primary mission of the base for the greater part of the fall of 1945.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/> The [[Consolidated Vultee XP-81]] single-seat, long-range escort fighter and Republic [[XP-84 Thunderjet]] fighter arrived at the base in early 1946 for flight testing. It was obvious even at this embryonic stage of base development that the Army Air Force desert station was destined to become a proving ground for aircraft and a testing site for experimental airplanes.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>
With the end of the war, Fourth Air Force relinquished command of Muroc Army Airfield on 16 October 1945 and jurisdiction was transferred to [[Air Technical Service Command]], becoming [[Air Materiel Command]] in 1946. Test work on the Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star was the primary mission of the base for the greater part of the fall of 1945.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/> The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 single-seat, long-range escort fighter and Republic XP-84 Thunderjet fighter arrived at the base in early 1946 for flight testing. It was obvious even at this embryonic stage of base development that the Army Air Force desert station was destined to become a proving ground for aircraft and a testing site for experimental airplanes.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>


The success of these programs attracted a new type of research activity to the base in late 1946. The rocket-powered [[Bell X-1]] was the first in a long series of experimental airplanes designed to prove or disprove aeronautical concepts—to probe the most challenging unknowns of flight and solve its mysteries.<ref name="HIST"/> Further evidence of things to come was experienced on 14 October 1947 when Captain. [[Chuck Yeager|Charles "Chuck" Yeager]] flew the small bullet-shaped airplane to become the first human to exceed the speed of sound.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>
The success of these programs attracted a new type of research activity to the base in late 1946. The rocket-powered Bell X-1 was the first in a long series of experimental airplanes designed to prove or disprove aeronautical concepts—to probe the most challenging unknowns of flight and solve its mysteries.<ref name="HIST"/> Further evidence of things to come was experienced on 14 October 1947 when Captain. Charles "Chuck" Yeager flew the small bullet-shaped airplane to become the first human to exceed the speed of sound.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>


Four months later, on 10 February 1948, Muroc AAF was re-designated '''Muroc Air Force Base''' with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military service. Units attached or assigned to the base at the time were the 4144th Army Air Force Base Unit, the 3208th Strategic Bomb Test Squadron along with communications and weather detachments. On 20 August 1948, the 4144th Air Force Base Unit was re-designated as the 2759th AF Base Unit and with the adoption of the [[Hobson Plan]], as the 2759th Experimental Wing.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>
Four months later, on 10 February 1948, Muroc AAF was re-designated '''Muroc Air Force Base''' with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military service. Units attached or assigned to the base at the time were the 4144th Army Air Force Base Unit, the 3208th Strategic Bomb Test Squadron along with communications and weather detachments. On 20 August 1948, the 4144th Air Force Base Unit was re-designated as the 2759th AF Base Unit and with the adoption of the Hobson Plan, as the 2759th Experimental Wing.<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>


With the X-1, flight testing at Muroc began to assume two distinct identities. Highly experimental research programs—such as the X-3, X-4, X-5 and XF-92A—were typically flown in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, and were conducted in a methodical fashion to answer largely theoretical questions. Then, as now, the great bulk of flight testing at Muroc focused on evaluations of the capabilities of aircraft and systems proposed for the operational inventory.<ref name="HIST"/>
With the X-1, flight testing at Muroc began to assume two distinct identities. Highly experimental research programs—such as the X-3, X-4, X-5 and XF-92A—were typically flown in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, and were conducted in a methodical fashion to answer largely theoretical questions. Then, as now, the great bulk of flight testing at Muroc focused on evaluations of the capabilities of aircraft and systems proposed for the operational inventory.<ref name="HIST"/>


In December 1949, Muroc was renamed '''Edwards Air Force Base''' in honor of [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] [[Glen Edwards (pilot)|Glen Edwards]] (1918–1948), who was killed a year earlier in the crash of the [[Northrop YB-49]] Flying Wing.<ref name="HIST" /> During [[World War II]], he flew [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|A-20 Havoc]] light attack bombers in the [[North African Campaign|North African campaign]] on 50 hazardous, low-level missions against German tanks, convoys, troops, bridges, airfields, and other tactical targets. Edwards became a [[test pilot]] in 1943 and spent much of his time at Muroc Army Air Field, on California's high desert, testing wide varieties of experimental prototype aircraft. He died in the crash of a [[Northrop YB-49]] [[flying wing]] near Muroc AFB on 5 June 1948.<ref>Ford, Daniel: Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998)</ref> From the time Edwards Air Force Base was named, speed and altitude records began to pile up as new aircraft were developed and the base started to build and branch out significantly.<ref name="AFSCHIST" />
In December 1949, Muroc was renamed '''Edwards Air Force Base''' in honor of Captain Glen Edwards (1918–1948), who was killed a year earlier in the crash of the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing.<ref name="HIST" /> During World War II, he flew Douglas A-20 Havoc light attack bombers in the North African Campaign on 50 hazardous, low-level missions against German tanks, convoys, troops, bridges, airfields, and other tactical targets. Edwards became a test pilot in 1943 and spent much of his time at Muroc Army Air Field, on California's high desert, testing wide varieties of experimental prototype aircraft. He died in the crash of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing near Muroc AFB on 5 June 1948.<ref>Ford, Daniel: Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998)</ref> From the time Edwards Air Force Base was named, speed and altitude records began to pile up as new aircraft were developed and the base started to build and branch out significantly.<ref name="AFSCHIST" />


A major reason for the growth of Edwards AFB was the nearness of West Coast aircraft manufacturers. However, another major reason was the decision in 1947 to build a missile test facility on the base. The need for a static missile faculty to test high-thrust missile rocket engines was first envisioned in 1946 by the Power Plant Laboratory at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]. It was that decision that such a facility should be government-owned to prevent a single contractor exclusive advantages on Air Force contracts for high-thrust missile rocket power plants, and it would eliminate duplication of like facilities by different manufacturers. The choice of location in 1947 was the Leuhman Ridge east of Rogers Dry Lake on Edwards AFB. Construction began in November 1949 on what was to become the Experimental Rocket Engine Test Station.<ref name="AFSCHIST" />
A major reason for the growth of Edwards AFB was the nearness of West Coast aircraft manufacturers. However, another major reason was the decision in 1947 to build a missile test facility on the base. The need for a static missile faculty to test high-thrust missile rocket engines was first envisioned in 1946 by the Power Plant Laboratory at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]. It was that decision that such a facility should be government-owned to prevent a single contractor exclusive advantages on Air Force contracts for high-thrust missile rocket power plants, and it would eliminate duplication of like facilities by different manufacturers. The choice of location in 1947 was the Leuhman Ridge east of Rogers Dry Lake on Edwards AFB. Construction began in November 1949 on what was to become the Experimental Rocket Engine Test Station.<ref name="AFSCHIST" />
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===Cold War===
===Cold War===
====Flight testing====
====Flight testing====
[[File:North American X-15A 56-6671.jpg|thumb|left|North American X-15A (AF Ser. No. ''56-6671'') with test pilots, Edwards AFB, California. Number 6671 was extensively damaged during emergency landing at Edwards AFB on 9 November 1962 with John McKay at the controls. Later modified as X-15A-2; now on display at the [[National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]] at [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], OH.]]
Jurisdiction of Edwards AFB was transferred from Air Materiel Command on 2 April 1951 to the newly created Air Research and Development Command. Activation of the [[Air Force Flight Test Center]] (AFFTC) followed on 25 June 1951. Units designated and assigned to the Center at the time of activation were the 6510th Air Base Wing for station support units.  The test flying units at Edwards were assigned directly to the AFFTC .<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>


Jurisdiction of Edwards AFB was transferred from Air Materiel Command on 2 April 1951 to the newly created [[Air Research and Development Command]]. Activation of the [[Air Force Flight Test Center]] (AFFTC) followed on 25 June 1951. Units designated and assigned to the Center at the time of activation were the 6510th Air Base Wing for station support units.  The test flying units at Edwards were assigned directly to the AFFTC .<ref name="AFSCHIST"/>
That same year, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School moved to Edwards from Wright Field, Ohio.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC">Air Force Systems Command, Delivering The Future (1989). Compiled by Lt. Col. Beverly S. Follis, USAFR HQ AFSC/Office of History</ref> Its curriculum focused on the traditional field of performance testing and the relatively new field of stability and control, which had suddenly assumed critical importance with the dramatic increases in speed offered by the new turbojets.


That same year, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School moved to Edwards from Wright Field, Ohio.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC">Air Force Systems Command, Delivering The Future (1989). Compiled by Lt. Col. Beverly S. Follis, USAFR HQ AFSC/Office of History</ref>
Throughout the 1950's, Edwards AFB became the site of repeated speed records, with a host of experimental planes and legendary pilots. These early tests secured a lasting legacy for Edwards as a premiere testing and evaluation facility for experimental planes and projects.
 
Its curriculum focused on the traditional field of performance testing and the relatively new field of stability and control, which had suddenly assumed critical importance with the dramatic increases in speed offered by the new turbojets. As the decade opened, the first-generation X-1 reached {{Convert|1.45|Mach|}} and a {{Convert|71902|feet|mi km}} altitude, representing the edge of the envelope. The D-558-II Douglas Skyrocket soon surpassed these marks. In 1951, Douglas test pilot Bill Bridgeman flew the Skyrocket to a top speed of {{Convert|1.88|Mach|}} and a peak altitude of {{Convert|74494|feet|mi km}}. Then, in 1953, Marine Corps test pilot, Lieutenant Colonel [[Marion Carl]], flew the same plane to an altitude of {{Convert|83235|feet|mi km}}.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
On 20 November 1951, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' [[Albert Scott Crossfield|Scott Crossfield]] became the first man to reach Mach 2 as he piloted the Skyrocket to a speed of {{Convert|2.005|Mach|}}. Less than a month later, Major [[Chuck Yeager]] topped this record as he piloted the second-generation Bell X-1A to a top speed of {{Convert|2.44|Mach|}} and, just nine months later, Major Arthur "Kit" Murray flew the same airplane to a new altitude record of {{Convert|90440|feet|mi km}}.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
These records stood for less than three years. In September 1956, Captain Iven Kincheloe became the first man to soar above {{Convert|100000|feet|mi km}}, as he piloted the [[Bell X-2]] to a then-remarkable altitude of {{Convert|126200|feet|mi km}}. Flying the same airplane just weeks later on 27 September, Captain Mel Apt became the first to exceed {{Convert|3|Mach|}}, accelerating to a speed of {{Convert|3.2|Mach|}}. His moment of glory was tragically brief, however. Just seconds after attaining top speed, the X-2 tumbled violently out of control and Apt was never able to recover.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
With the loss of the X-2, the search for many of the answers to the riddles of high-Mach flight had to be postponed until the arrival of the most ambitious of the rocket planes—the [[North American X-15]].<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
[[File:McDonnell Douglas F-15A-1-MC Eagle 71-0250.jpg|thumb|McDonnell Douglas F-15A-1-MC Eagle (AF Ser. No. ''71-0280'') (also known as YF-15A, first F-15 manufactured) preparing to make its historic first flight on 27 July 1972 at Edwards AFB, CA with the 6512th Test Squadron. This airplane was later used for exploring the F-15's flight envelope, handling qualities and external stores carriage capabilities.]]
 
Meanwhile, the turbojet revolution had reached a high plateau at Edwards. By the time the base was officially designated the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center in June 1951, more than 40 different types of aircraft had first taken flight at the base and the nation's first generation of jet-powered combat airplanes had already completed development. One of them, the North American [[F-86 Sabre]], was dominating the skies over Korea.<ref name="EDHIST">[http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080117-028.pdf The U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center Forging Aerospace Power for America Air Force Flight Test Center History Office] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012075524/http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080117-028.pdf |date=12 October 2012 }}</ref>
 
The promise of the turbojet revolution and the supersonic breakthrough were realized in the 1950s, as the Center tested and developed the first generation of true supersonic fighters—the famed "Century Series" [[F-100 Super Sabre]], [[F-101 Voodoo]], [[F-102 Delta Dagger]], [[F-104 Starfighter]], [[F-105 Thunderchief]] and [[F-106 Delta Dart]], and, in the process, defined the basic speed and altitude envelopes for fighter aircraft that still prevail to this day. The Center also played a pivotal role in the development of systems that would provide the United States with true intercontinental power projection capabilities as it tested aircraft such as the [[B-52 Stratofortress]], [[C-133 Cargomaster]] and [[KC-135 Stratotanker]], as well as the [[YC-130 Hercules]] which served as the basis for a classic series of tactical transports that would continue in frontline service until well into the 21st century. It also supported the development of the extremely high-altitude and long-range [[Lockheed U-2]] and the dazzling ultra-performance capabilities of the [[B-58 Hustler]], the world's first Mach 2 bomber.<ref name="EDHIST"/>
 
Throughout the 1950s, American airplanes regularly broke absolute speed and altitude records at Edwards, but nothing compared to the arrival of the [[North American X-15]] in 1961. The program got underway in earnest in 1961 when Maj. Robert M. "Bob" White became the first man to exceed Mach 4, as he accelerated to {{Convert|4.43|Mach|}} on 7 March. He claimed Mach 5 just three months later when he pegged a speed of {{Convert|5.27|Mach|}} on 23 June and then, during the X-15's first full-powered flight on 9 November, he exceeded Mach 6, as he flew to a speed of {{Convert|6.04|Mach|}}. Major White also became the first man to fly an airplane in space when he climbed to {{Convert|314750|feet|mi km}} on 17 July 1962. NASA's Joe Walker flew the airplane to its peak altitude of {{Convert|354200|feet|mi km}} on 22 August 1963 and Maj William J. "Pete" Knight reached {{Convert|6.72|Mach|}} in the modified X-15A-2 on 3 October 1967, a speed that remains the highest ever attained in an airplane.<ref name="EDHIST"/>
 
In addition to the X-15 Program, AFFTC and NASA also teamed up to explore a new concept called "lifting reentry" with a series of wingless lifting body aircraft. These rocket powered-vehicles – the M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A and X-24B – paved the way for the Space Shuttle and future spaceplane designs when they demonstrated that they could make precision landings after high-speed gliding descents from high altitude.<ref name="EDHIST"/>
 
The major aircraft systems that were tested and developed during the 1960s, the [[T-38 Talon]], [[B-52H Stratofortress]], [[F-4 Phantom II|F-4 and RF-4 Phantom II]], the [[F-111]] and FB-111, [[C-141 Starlifter]] and [[C-5 Galaxy]], all became mainstays in the USAF operational inventory. Another aircraft gained world fame in the late 1960s at Edwards: the [[Lockheed YF-12A]], a precursor to the [[SR-71 Blackbird]], shattered nine records in one day of testing at Edwards. The SR-71's full capabilities remain classified, but the records set on 1 May 1965 included a sustained speed of {{convert|2070|mph}} and an altitude of {{convert|80257|ft|mi km|0}}.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
[[File:YF-16 and YF-17 in flight 2.jpg|thumb|left|YF-16 and YF-17 in flight during their competitive fly-off, 1974. Over 4,000 production F-16s were built after the competition. The YF-17 was the basis for the highly successful United States Navy F/A-18 Hornet.]]
 
New aircraft types arrived in the 1970s: the F-15 Eagle with its advanced engine and fire-control system; the single-engine F-16 Fighting Falcon with its revolutionary "fly-by-wire" flight control system; and the B-1 Lancer with its multitude of highly sophisticated offensive and defensive systems. These planes more than bore out the prophecy concerning the ever-increasing importance of systems testing and integration. Moreover, another major new element of complexity was soon introduced into the flight test process.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
At a remote location in 1978 and 1979, an AFFTC test pilot and a pair of flight test engineers were engaged in proof-of-concept testing with Lockheed's "low-observable" technology demonstrator, dubbed "Have Blue." The successful completion of those tests led immediately to the development of a new subsonic attack aircraft that was designated the F-117A Nighthawk.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
The capabilities of existing aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 have been continually refined and expanded, even as totally new aircraft and systems incorporating radical new technologies are developed for future operational use. The dual-role F-15E, for example, was developed in the 1980s and went on to demonstrate truly remarkable combat effectiveness in the Persian Gulf conflict of the early 90s. The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN, system revolutionized air-to-ground combat operations during the same conflict by denying opposing forces the once comforting sanctuary of night.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
The late 1980s also witnessed the arrival of the first giant flying wing to soar over the base in nearly 40 years. The thin silhouette, compound curves and other low-observable characteristics of the [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|B-2 Spirit]] bomber represented third-generation stealth technology, following the SR-71 and F-117.<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>
 
The 1980s also saw Edwards host a demonstration of America's space warfare capabilities when a highly modified [[F-15 Eagle]] launched an [[ASM-135 ASAT|ASM-135]] anti-satellite missile at the dead [[P78-1]] (or Solwind) satellite and destroyed it. In 1986, [[Dick Rutan]] and [[Jeana Yeager]] launched from Edwards to set a new aviation record by piloting the first non-stop, around-the-world flight on a single tank of fuel in the [[Rutan Voyager]].<ref name="HIST"/><ref name="AFSC"/>


====Ground research====
====Ground research====
[[File:Rocket sled track.jpg|thumb|left|Lt. Col. [[John Stapp]] riding the [[rocket sled]] ''Gee Whiz'']]
Extensive aviation research was also conducted on the ground at Edwards. Two rocket sled tracks pioneered important developments and research for the Air Force. The first 2,000 ft track was built by Northrop Corporation in 1944 near what is currently the North Base. Originally intended to help develop a V-1 flying-bomb-style weapon that never left the drawing board, the track found use after the war as a test area for V-2 rockets captured from Nazi Germany in Operation Paperclip. Later, Lt. Col. John Stapp appropriated the track for his MX981 project and installed what was believed to be one of the most powerful mechanical braking systems ever constructed. His deceleration tests led the press to nickname him the "fastest man on earth" and the "bravest man in the Air Force".<ref name="HIST"/>
 
Extensive aviation research was also conducted on the ground at Edwards. Two rocket sled tracks pioneered important developments and research for the Air Force. The first {{convert|2000|ft|adj=on}} track was built by [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] in 1944 near what is currently the North Base. Originally intended to help develop a [[V-1 (flying bomb)|V-1]] flying-bomb-style weapon that never left the drawing board, the track found use after the war as a test area for [[V-2 rocket]]s captured from [[Nazi Germany]] in [[Operation Paperclip]]. Later, Lt. Col. [[John Stapp]] appropriated the track for his [[MX981]] project and installed what was believed to be one of the most powerful mechanical braking systems ever constructed. His deceleration tests led the press to nickname him the "fastest man on earth" and the "bravest man in the Air Force".<ref name="HIST"/>
 
The results from the first track prompted the Air Force to build a second in 1948. Located just south of Rogers Lake, the {{convert|10000|ft|mi km|adj=on}} track was capable of supersonic speeds. Its first project was the development of the [[SM-62 Snark]] [[cruise missile]]. This track was so successful that an extension was constructed, and on 13 May 1959, the full {{convert|20000|ft|mi km|adj=on}} track was opened. After the [[United States Navy|Navy]] had conducted research on the [[UGM-27 Polaris]] [[ballistic missile]], the track was used to develop [[ejection seat]]s that could be used at supersonic speeds. Though this program was a success, a budgetary review concluded that the track was too expensive to maintain and the track was decommissioned on 24 May 1963. Before it was closed, a trial run set a world speed record of {{Convert|3.3|Mach|}} before the test car broke up. After it closed, the rails were pulled up to help straighten Lancaster Boulevard.<ref name="HIST"/>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


The results from the first track prompted the Air Force to build a second in 1948. Located just south of Rogers Lake, the 10,000 ft track was capable of supersonic speeds. Its first project was the development of the SM-62 Snark cruise missile. This track was so successful that an extension was constructed, and on 13 May 1959, the full 20,000 ft track was opened. After the United States Navy had conducted research on the UGM-27 Polaris ballistic missile, the track was used to develop ejection seats that could be used at supersonic speeds. Though this program was a success, a budgetary review concluded that the track was too expensive to maintain and the track was decommissioned on 24 May 1963. Before it was closed, a trial run set a world speed record of Mach 3.3 before the test car broke up. After it closed, the rails were pulled up to help straighten Lancaster Boulevard.<ref name="HIST"/>


==Units==
==Units==
1st Air Commando Group <br>
*[[Air Technical Service Command]]
[[1st Special Operations Wing]] <br>
*[[Air Force Test Center]]
[[603rd Special Operations Squadron]]<br>
 


==Sources==
==Sources==
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[[Category:B-26K]]
[[Category:B-26K]]
[[Category:US Military Invader Bases]]
[[Category:US Military Invader Bases]]
[[Category:Edwards AFB]]

Latest revision as of 16:43, 29 August 2022

History and Creation

Origins

A water stop on the Santa Fe Railroad since 1882, the site was largely unsettled until the early 20th century. In 1910, Ralph, Clifford, and Effie Corum built a homestead on the edge of Rogers Dry Lake. The Corums proved instrumental in attracting other settlers and building infrastructure in the area, and when a post office was commissioned for the area, they named it Muroc, a reversal of the Corum name, due to the presence of a town named Coram.[1][2]

Conscious that March Field was located in an area of increasing growth in Riverside County, California, and with the need for bombing and gunnery ranges for his units, base and 1st Bombardment Wing commander Lieutenant colonel Henry H. "Hap" Arnold began the process of acquiring land next to Muroc Dry Lake (previously known as Rogers Dry Lake) for a new bombing range away from populated areas in August 1932; the last tract was not acquired until 1939. The facility established to support the range, initially called "Mohave Field" for the nearby community of Mojave, California, was Muroc Field.[1] In October 1935, five men under a Sergeant Folgleman were sent to the area from March Field. They put out circular bombing targets in the desert. For the next two years aircraft shuttled back and forth between Muroc Dry Lake and March Field for Crew Bombing Practice.[3]

At this time, another colorful character in Edwards' history, Pancho Barnes, built her renowned Happy Bottom Riding Club that would be the scene of many parties and celebrations to come. The dry lake was a hive of hot rodding, with racing on the playa. The runway on which the Space Shuttle landed follows the route that hosted racing in the 1930s.[1]

The first major aerial activity occurred at Muroc in 1937 when the entire United States Army Air Corps participated in a large-scale maneuver. From then on, the bombing range grew in size.[3] When Arnold became Chief of the Air Corps in 1938, the service was given a renewed focus on research and development. Muroc Field drew attention because the nearby dry lake was so flat (Arnold described it as "level as a billiard table") that it could serve as a giant runway, ideal for flight testing. Over $120 million was spent to develop the base in the 1940s and expand it to 301,000 acres. The base's main 15,000 ft runway was completed in a single pour of concrete.[1]

World War II

On the afternoon of Attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, the 41st Bombardment Group and the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron moved to Muroc from Davis-Monthan Army Airfield, Arizona, with a collection of B-18 Bolos, B-25 Mitchells, and an A-29 Hudson. On Christmas Eve, 1941, the 30th Bombardment Group and the 2d Reconnaissance Squadron arrived from New Orleans Army Airbase, Louisiana, for crew training. On 23 July 1942, the Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range, Muroc Lake, California, was designated as a separate post (Exempted Status).[4] The name of the facility at the time was "Army Air Base, Muroc Lake".[3]

In July 1942, Muroc Army Airfield became a separate airfield from March Field and was placed under the jurisdiction of Fourth Air Force. Throughout the war years, the primary mission at Muroc was providing final combat training for bomber and fighter aircrews just before overseas deployment. Among its sub-bases and auxiliaries were:

  • Bishop Army Airfield
  • Blythe Army Airfield
  • Palmdale Army Airfield
  • Desert Center Army Airfield
  • Gary Army Airfield

Muroc was initially used for IV Bomber Command Operational Unit training. The 41st and 30th Bombardment Groups flying the B-25 Mitchell and the 47th Bombardment Group flying the A-20 Havoc trained at the station in early 1942. The training provided newly graduated pilots eight to 12 weeks of training as a team using the same aircraft they would use in combat. In 1942, the training mission was transferred to IV Fighter Command, with P-38 Lightning Operational Traning Unit (OTU) training for the 78th and 81st Fighter Groups. In 1943, the 360th Fighter Group and 382d Bombardment Groups were assigned permanently to Muroc for P-38 Lightning and B-24 Liberator Replacement Training (RTU) of personnel.[5]

In the spring of 1942, the Mojave Desert station was chosen as a secluded site for testing America's first jet, the super-secret Bell Aircraft XP-59A Airacomet jet fighter. The immense volume of flight tests being conducted at Wright Field, in Ohio, helped drive a search for a new, isolated site where a "Top Secret" airplane could undergo tests "away from prying eyes." The urgent need to complete the P-59 program without delay dictated a location with good, year-round flying weather, and the risks inherent in the radical new technology to be demonstrated on the aircraft dictated a spacious landing field. After examining a number of locations around the country, they selected a site along the north shore of the enormous, flat surface of Rogers Dry Lake about six miles away from the training base at Muroc.[1]

The P-59s were tested at Muroc from October 1942 through February 1944 without a single accident and, though the aircraft did not prove to be combat worthy, the successful conduct of its test program, combined with the success of the Lockheed XP-80 program which followed it in early 1944, sealed the future destiny of the remote high desert installation. Muroc would thenceforth become synonymous with the cutting edge of the turbojet revolution in America.[1]

Aircraft testing continued at this desert "Army Air Base", then on 8 November 1943, the base title was changed to "Muroc Army Air Field, Muroc".[6] In the fall of 1944, Eighth Air Force ran tests to determine how well conventional fighters stood up against jets. Also, in October 1944, a small detachment arrived at the base for experimental work in rocket firing and achieved such success that they remained through most of 1945.[3]

Other World War II test flights included the Northrop JB-1 Bat.

In 1943, a replica of a Japanese cruiser, nicknamed "Muroc Maru", was constructed in Rogers Dry Lake where it was used for bombing training until 1950.[7]

Muroc Field in 1945 showing a Douglas Invader parked in front of the hangar.

Postwar era

With the end of the war, Fourth Air Force relinquished command of Muroc Army Airfield on 16 October 1945 and jurisdiction was transferred to Air Technical Service Command, becoming Air Materiel Command in 1946. Test work on the Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star was the primary mission of the base for the greater part of the fall of 1945.[3] The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 single-seat, long-range escort fighter and Republic XP-84 Thunderjet fighter arrived at the base in early 1946 for flight testing. It was obvious even at this embryonic stage of base development that the Army Air Force desert station was destined to become a proving ground for aircraft and a testing site for experimental airplanes.[3]

The success of these programs attracted a new type of research activity to the base in late 1946. The rocket-powered Bell X-1 was the first in a long series of experimental airplanes designed to prove or disprove aeronautical concepts—to probe the most challenging unknowns of flight and solve its mysteries.[1] Further evidence of things to come was experienced on 14 October 1947 when Captain. Charles "Chuck" Yeager flew the small bullet-shaped airplane to become the first human to exceed the speed of sound.[3]

Four months later, on 10 February 1948, Muroc AAF was re-designated Muroc Air Force Base with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military service. Units attached or assigned to the base at the time were the 4144th Army Air Force Base Unit, the 3208th Strategic Bomb Test Squadron along with communications and weather detachments. On 20 August 1948, the 4144th Air Force Base Unit was re-designated as the 2759th AF Base Unit and with the adoption of the Hobson Plan, as the 2759th Experimental Wing.[3]

With the X-1, flight testing at Muroc began to assume two distinct identities. Highly experimental research programs—such as the X-3, X-4, X-5 and XF-92A—were typically flown in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, and were conducted in a methodical fashion to answer largely theoretical questions. Then, as now, the great bulk of flight testing at Muroc focused on evaluations of the capabilities of aircraft and systems proposed for the operational inventory.[1]

In December 1949, Muroc was renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of Captain Glen Edwards (1918–1948), who was killed a year earlier in the crash of the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing.[1] During World War II, he flew Douglas A-20 Havoc light attack bombers in the North African Campaign on 50 hazardous, low-level missions against German tanks, convoys, troops, bridges, airfields, and other tactical targets. Edwards became a test pilot in 1943 and spent much of his time at Muroc Army Air Field, on California's high desert, testing wide varieties of experimental prototype aircraft. He died in the crash of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing near Muroc AFB on 5 June 1948.[8] From the time Edwards Air Force Base was named, speed and altitude records began to pile up as new aircraft were developed and the base started to build and branch out significantly.[3]

A major reason for the growth of Edwards AFB was the nearness of West Coast aircraft manufacturers. However, another major reason was the decision in 1947 to build a missile test facility on the base. The need for a static missile faculty to test high-thrust missile rocket engines was first envisioned in 1946 by the Power Plant Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was that decision that such a facility should be government-owned to prevent a single contractor exclusive advantages on Air Force contracts for high-thrust missile rocket power plants, and it would eliminate duplication of like facilities by different manufacturers. The choice of location in 1947 was the Leuhman Ridge east of Rogers Dry Lake on Edwards AFB. Construction began in November 1949 on what was to become the Experimental Rocket Engine Test Station.[3]

Cold War

Flight testing

Jurisdiction of Edwards AFB was transferred from Air Materiel Command on 2 April 1951 to the newly created Air Research and Development Command. Activation of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) followed on 25 June 1951. Units designated and assigned to the Center at the time of activation were the 6510th Air Base Wing for station support units. The test flying units at Edwards were assigned directly to the AFFTC .[3]

That same year, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School moved to Edwards from Wright Field, Ohio.[1][9] Its curriculum focused on the traditional field of performance testing and the relatively new field of stability and control, which had suddenly assumed critical importance with the dramatic increases in speed offered by the new turbojets.

Throughout the 1950's, Edwards AFB became the site of repeated speed records, with a host of experimental planes and legendary pilots. These early tests secured a lasting legacy for Edwards as a premiere testing and evaluation facility for experimental planes and projects.

Ground research

Extensive aviation research was also conducted on the ground at Edwards. Two rocket sled tracks pioneered important developments and research for the Air Force. The first 2,000 ft track was built by Northrop Corporation in 1944 near what is currently the North Base. Originally intended to help develop a V-1 flying-bomb-style weapon that never left the drawing board, the track found use after the war as a test area for V-2 rockets captured from Nazi Germany in Operation Paperclip. Later, Lt. Col. John Stapp appropriated the track for his MX981 project and installed what was believed to be one of the most powerful mechanical braking systems ever constructed. His deceleration tests led the press to nickname him the "fastest man on earth" and the "bravest man in the Air Force".[1]

The results from the first track prompted the Air Force to build a second in 1948. Located just south of Rogers Lake, the 10,000 ft track was capable of supersonic speeds. Its first project was the development of the SM-62 Snark cruise missile. This track was so successful that an extension was constructed, and on 13 May 1959, the full 20,000 ft track was opened. After the United States Navy had conducted research on the UGM-27 Polaris ballistic missile, the track was used to develop ejection seats that could be used at supersonic speeds. Though this program was a success, a budgetary review concluded that the track was too expensive to maintain and the track was decommissioned on 24 May 1963. Before it was closed, a trial run set a world speed record of Mach 3.3 before the test car broke up. After it closed, the rails were pulled up to help straighten Lancaster Boulevard.[1]

Units

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Edwards AFB office of history via My Base Guide to Edwards AFB
  2. ↑ Coram was a smelter town established on the Sacramento River in 1906 about 1.6 km below what is today Shasta Dam, in northern California. It was abandoned around 1911 when the Balaklala Mine was closed.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 K286.69-37, Volume 1, January through June 1961 History of the Air Force Flight Test Center, IRIS Number 489391
  4. ↑ Hq Fourth AF G0 No. 83, 23 July 1942
  5. ↑ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. ISBN:0-89201-092-4.
  6. ↑ Hq Fourth AF G0 No. 188, 26 November 1943
  7. ↑ https://www.nps.gov/articles/rogers-dry-lake.htm Rogers Dry Lake, National Park Service, 1 December 2017
  8. ↑ Ford, Daniel: Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998)
  9. ↑ Air Force Systems Command, Delivering The Future (1989). Compiled by Lt. Col. Beverly S. Follis, USAFR HQ AFSC/Office of History
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