No. 17 Squadron RAF

Number 17 Squadron, also known as No. XVII Squadron and currently No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It is based at Edwards Air Force Base in the United States and is the operational evaluation unit for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning.

The squadron formed at Gosport in 1915 as part of the Royal Flying Corps flying the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c. During the First World War it conducted reconnaissance operations in Egypt, Sinai, and Macedonia, later splitting operations between Batum and Constantinople with the Airco D.H.9 and Sopwith Camel, before disbanding in 1919. Reformed in 1924 as a fighter squadron, it flew various aircraft in the Battle of Britain. In 1942, it deployed to Burma, conducting ground attacks and later operated the Supermarine Spitfire in Burma and Japan until 1948. During the Cold War it carried out several roles including photographic reconnaissance flying the Electric Canberra PR.7 from Germany (1956–1969) and ground-attack flying the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 and SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 (1970–1985). It later took part in the 1991 Gulf War flying the Panavia Tornado GR1. Disbanded in 1999, it reformed in 2002 as the Eurofighter Typhoon operational evaluation unit, before converting to the F-35B Lightning in 2013.