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The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Detachment. 4 at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
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The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron is the Air Force's first operational test squadron for unmanned aircraft. It provides support to UAS operations worldwide, through force development evaluations, the development of training, tactics and procedures, systems expertise and meeting warfighters' urgent need requests.
The 556th TES was chosen by Air Combat Command for its lineage and history of surveillance.
Established in mid-1942 as a photographic mapping squadron, being formed at Colorado Springs AAB. Components of the squadron deployed to England for combat training by the Royal Air Force; remainder of squadron received aircraft and ground training in Oklahoma.
Deployed to Algeria in early December 1942 as part of Operation Torch invasion forces, squadron becoming main source of aerial intelligence for Twelfth Air Force in North African Campaign. Supported United States Fifth Army in its drive across Algeria and during the Tunisian Campaign, 1942–1943. Flew air reconnaissance and mapping missions over Sicily and Southern Italy prior to Allied invasions during 1943.
Reassigned to Fifteenth Air Force in December 1943, flying numerous long distance reconnaissance flights over the Balkans; Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, photographing targets for later attack by Fifteenth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force bombers. Squadron obtained intelligence about enemy fortifications, armored units, infantry concentrations and other tactical intelligence. These flights were extremely hazardous, being flown without escort and in unarmed aircraft. Squadron gradually demobilized after the German Capitulation; inactivated in Italy in the fall of 1945.
Reactivated as a Tactical Air Command Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in 1947, being assigned to several groups, however funding and manpower shortages led to units inactivation, its assigned resources being merged into the senior 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in December 1947.
The 4025th Reconnaissance Squadron was established by Strategic Air Command in the wake of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The unit was established after several losses of U-2 reconnaissance planes over the USSR, China and Cuba forced the United States to find the ways of learning more about Soviet S-172/SA-2 SAM systems.
The squadron was used to develop unmanned reconnaissance drones for the USAF, for use on highly hazardous missions during the Cold War. The drones were named "Lightning Bug“ and "Compass Cookie“. Both used Ryan Model 124 Firebee I for reconnaissance tasks and were initially planned for operations over Cuba. However, the situation there stabilized, thus the first unit equipped with Q-2C Firebee (later developed into AQM-34) namely the squadron deployed to South Vietnam in 1966 and began flying operational missions over North Vietnam, looking for SAM-sites.
Operating from Bien Hoa AB in South Vietnam the 4025th RS soon started monitoring the work of North Vietnamese air defences and - especially - the SA-2 sites. Each mission was regularly escorted by either USAF or - in most cases - United States Navy fighters, as well as other specialized (manned) reconnaissance aircraft, like RB-47Hs of 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SRW), and - later - highly classified EB-57Ds or C-130A-IIs of the 6091st RS, mainly based at Don Muang AB, in Thailand.
In 1968 this unit became the 556th Reconnaissance Squadron.
All the drones were carried and started from specially modified GC-130As, MC-130AS and - finally - DC-130A and DC-130E control aircraft, each of them being equipped with systems for carriage, start, control and guidance of drones. The drones were always pre-programmed, but after release their progress was monitored and the drone controller could override the programme manually if necessary. The carrier aircraft had a console for two controller pilots equipped with all the usual flight-instruments, which read the data sent to them from the drone. All the data about the navigation, planned route, the actual flight pad and position of the drone and the carrier aircraft were feed into a single system, which showed them on one display. On their return the drones deployed a parachute and were snared by specially modified HH-3E recovery helicopters.
From 1969, first serious encounters with North Vietnamese (manned) interceptors followed. In 1969 alone, Vietnamese fighters - mostly MiG-21s - were scrambled no less than 540 times in order to intercept drones, claiming to have shot down ten Firebees. Actually, there were kills, but they were scored by Americans - and indirectly. In May 1970, an AQM-34L was on a mission over Hanoi area, acting as a manned reconnaissance aircraft. Finishing its photo-run, the drone turned toward the Tonkin Gulf, where it was to ditch after spending its remaining fuel. Almost everything was going according to plan - down to one detail: the drone was intercepted by an MiG-21. The fighter closed and tried to shot it down by two K-13/AA-2 Atoll air-to-air missiles. Both malfunctioned however, and the Vietnamese continued the pursuit, trying to down the drone by tackling its wing. By doing so, the SRVAF-pilot forgot to control his fuel reserves: after the drone fell harmlessly into the sea, he found out that he had not enough fuel to return to base. The Vietnamese ejected while flying back toward the coast. This was the first air-to-air kill scored by an unmanned aircraft in the history of air warfare.
In addition to the drone operations, the squadron received significant amounts of intelligence operating a RB-57F Canberra from Yokota AB, Japan detached from the MAC 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing at McClellan AFB, California. The RB-57 provided very high altitude intelligence with regards to SA-2 locations for mission planning with the Firebees.
As part of the drawdown of United States forces from South Vietnam, the 556th moved to Yokota AB, Japan in 1971, although operations continued from South Vietnamese air bases until 30 Jun 1972 when the squadron was inactivated.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.