96th Test Wing
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|---|---|
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| Active | 1942–45, 1947–49, 1953–93, 1994–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Weapons testing and base support |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Eglin Air Force Base, Florida |
| Motto(s) | E Sempre L'ora Italian It Is Always The Hour |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brig. Gen. Jeffrey T. Geraghty[2] |
| Notable commanders | Archie J. Old, Jr. George Lee Butler Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen |
The 96th Test Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Test Center of Air Force Materiel Command at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing was activated at Eglin in 1994 as the 96th Air Base Wing, the headquarters for all support units on Eglin, the largest installation in the Air Force. In 2012, it absorbed the mission and resources of the 46th Test Wing and added the mission of testing and evaluating weapons, navigation and guidance systems and command and control systems.
The U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency has determined that the wing's first predecessor was the 96th Bombardment Group, activated in 1942. After training in the United States, the group began bombing missions flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. It led the first shuttle mission from Great Britain to Regensburg on 17 August 1943. The group earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat performance. After VE Day, the group returned to the United States and was inactivated. The group was briefly active in the Air Force Reserve from 1947 until 1949.
The 96th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1953 at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma and received Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers the following year as a component of Strategic Air Command's deterrent force. In 1957 the wing moved to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas where it converted to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in 1963 and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer in 1985. The wing also operated air refueling aircraft, and during the early 1960s was assigned a squadron of intercontinental ballistic missiles. In 1984, the World War II group was consolidated with the wing. The wing was inactivated in 1993 and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 7th Bomb Wing, which moved on paper to Dyess when Carswell Air Force Base became a reserve installation.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (16 October 2010). "Factsheet, 96 Air Base Wing (AFMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Azzano, Christopher, Colonel, USAF, "New commander happy to be back", The Eglin Dispatch, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday 19 June 2015, Volume 9, Number 25, page 9.