418th Test and Evaluation Squadron

418th Test and Evaluation Squadron
Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call
Active	1943-1947; 1957-1958; 1969-1976; 2021-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army  United States Air Force
Type	squadron
Role	Test and evaluation
Part of	Air Combat Command
Garrison/HQ	Davis-Monthan AFB
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater[1]
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
418th Test and Evaluation Squadron emblem[note 1][2]
418th Night Fighter Squadron emblem[note 2][1]

The 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group, and stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it was activated on 1 October 2021.

The unit was originally formed as the 418th Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. After training, it was deployed to Fifth Air Force and ordered to New Guinea to provide air defense interceptor protection against Japanese night air raids on US airfields. It later served in the Philippines Campaign where in addition to night interceptor missions it also flew day and night interdiction missions against enemy troop movements, bridges and other targets of opportunity. It later served in Occupied Japan and Okinawa where it was inactivated in 1947.

During the Cold War, the squadron was briefly activated in the Philippines in 1958 as the 418th Fighter-Day Squadron, but was not manned before it was replaced by another unit. In 1969, it was redesignated the 418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and replaced another unit at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, training German Air Force pilots in the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter at Luke, continuing this mission until inactivated on 1 October 1976 as the Starfighter was replaced in German service.

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