445th Test Squadron

The 445th Test Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron. It is assigned to the 412th Operations Group at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The 445th is part of the Air Force Test Center. Originally constituted in 1943 as the 445th Fighter Squadron, it was involved in the early testing of the first U.S. jets, the Bell P-59 Airacomet and later the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The squadron would also be involved in flight-testing captured enemy aircraft, such as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. During the Cold War, the unit served under the Air Defense Command as the 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying various interceptor aircraft in defense of the Continental United States. Inactivated in 1968 following a draw-down of active duty interceptor units, it was reactivated as the 6512th Test Squadron Squadron in 1969, beginning its official flight-testing mission. The unit was inactivated, reactivated, and redesignated multiple times over its life, being most recently reactivated with its current name in 2022.