VX-9
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The VX-9 Vampires is a U.S. Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Their tail code is XE, and they fly numerous USN and USMC aircraft and helicopters.
[edit] History
VX-9, originally Air Development Squadron FIVE (VX-5), was commissioned on June 18, 1951 at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, with 15 officers, 100 enlisted men, and nine AD Skyraider aircraft. The Squadron, under the operational control of Commander, Operational Development Force (now Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force), was assigned to develop and evaluate aircraft tactics and techniques for delivery of airborne special weapons.
Over the years, VX-5 has maintained numerous detachments around the U.S. to take full advantage of the variety and diversity of facilities available, and to help keep the Squadron abreast of the latest fleet tactics. These detachments have included NAS Oceana, Virginia; Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility, Albuquerque, New Mexico; NAS Whidbey Island, Washington; and NAS Sanford, Florida.
In July 1956 VX-5 moved to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, as an independent tenant command because of the availability of vastly improved ranges and instrumentation facilities. In January 1985, the VX-5 Detachment at Whidbey Island, which oversaw developments relating to the EA-6B weapon system, was relocated to China Lake. Since then, temporary detachments have been made nationwide from Alaska to Florida, as required to test airborne weapons in a variety of conditions. The squadron have, due to changes and improvements in Navy weapon system, evolved over the years to include independent operation test and evalution of all air-dropped munitions destined for operational use of the US Navy and US Marine Corps as well as development of tactics to be used with the new weapon system, and incorporation of electronic warfare advances into the the self-defense capability of attack aircraft.
In June 1993, the Chief of Naval Operations directed that VX-4 and VX-5 to be merged into a single operational test and evaluation squadron designated as VX-9, with a permanent F-14 Detachment located at Point Mugu, California. This initiative was launched as part of the "right-sizing" of the U.S Naval Forces in the aftermath of the Cold War.
Today, VX-9 has 67 officers, 350 enlisted personnel and 28 aircraft including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler, AV-8B Harrier, and AH-1 Cobra. Until the retirement of the F-14 Tomcat, the unit had 4 F-14As, 3 F-14Bs and 4 F-14Ds. Typically, aircrews are qualified in more than one of these aircraft types to increasing their versatility and providing broader based expertise to be applied to each project. VX-9's mission has grown to include the operational evaluation of attack, fighter, and electronic warfare aircraft, weapons systems and equipment, and to develop tactical procedures for their employment.
