No. 17 Squadron RAF

No. XVII Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active1 February 1915 – 1 April 1918 (RFC)
1 April 1918 – 14 November 1919 (RAF)
1 April 1924 – 23 February 1948
11 February 1949 – 13 March 1951
1 June 1956 – 31 December 1969
1 September 1970 – 31 March 1999
1 September 2002 – 12 April 2013
12 April 2013 – present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeFlying squadron
RoleTest and evaluation
Home stationEdwards AFB, California
Motto(s)Excellere Contende
(Latin for 'Strive to excel')[1]
AircraftLockheed Martin F-35B Lightning
Battle honours * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA Gauntlet symbolizing armed strength and previous operation of the Gloster Gauntlet fighter in the 1930s. Approved by Edward VIII in October 1936.[2]
Squadron roundel
Squadron CodesUV Nov 1938 – Sep 1939
YB Sep 1939 – Feb 1948
UT Feb 1949 – Mar 1951
B (Carried on Jaguars)
CA–CZ Aug 1985 – Mar 1999

Number 17 Squadron (sometimes written as No. XVII Squadron), currently No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was reformed on 12 April 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning.

  1. ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 69. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^ "17 Sqn". RAF Heraldry Trust. Retrieved 5 December 2018.