EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- The 420th Flight Test Squadron was reactivated following an assumption of command ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base, Oct. 4. The squadron will plan, test, analyze and report on all flight and ground testing of the B-21 Raider.
The 420th FLTS is organized under the 412th Test Wing, which is part of the Air Force Test Center, headquartered at Edwards AFB. The squadron, along with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, will ensure the Air Force delivers this asymmetric capability to the warfighter.
The B-21 will be a highly survivable, next-generation bomber with the ability to penetrate modern air defenses and hold any target at risk globally. The program, which has a mature and stable design, is transitioning to manufacturing development of the first test aircraft in Palmdale, California.
“The first flight of the Raider will take it from Palmdale to Edwards AFB, where the legacy of excellence will continue with the reactivation of the 420th Flight Test Squadron,” said Acting Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Donovan, during the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Sept. 16.
This legacy of excellence began July 17, 1989, when the B-2 Spirit, the world’s first stealth bomber, took off from Northrop Grumman’s production facility at Plant 42 in Palmdale and landed 112 minutes later at Edwards AFB for developmental testing by the 420th FLTS.