Davis-Monthan AFB 418th TES Art

Davis-Monthan AFB 418th TES Art

The 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron (418 TES), is the first ever combined HC – 130J Combat King II, EC – 130H Compass Call, and EA – 37B Compass Call test unit in the entire U.S. Air Force. The 418th TES activation started on Oct. 1, 2021, in Tucson Arizona, to help generate rapid and decisive combat air power to Airmen and combatant commanders, ensuring that the U.S. Air Force is always ready for any future conflicts that may arise. The 418th Night Fighter Squadron was the first Squadron to be deployed in the Pacific during World War II from the Night Fighter training program. During the almost two years of combat operations, as part of the U.S. Army Air Forces 5th Air Force, beginning in November 1943, aircraft flown by the Squadron were the P – 70, P – 38, B – 25, and P – 61. Operations included attacking and sinking enemy shipping, attacks on enemy air fields, local base defensive night patrol, night protective cover over convoys and beachheads, and night intruder missions over enemy territory, in all kinds of weather. The 418th, along with other Night Fighter Squadrons, played a crucial role in taking the night sky back from the enemy and reaching victory in World War II.