page_title: 417th Weapons Squadron
section_title: F-117 Development/Operations
hierarchical_section_title: 417th Weapons Squadron / History / F-117 Development/Operations
caption_attribution_description: English: F-117A Stealth fighter aircraft from the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, Tonopah Test Range, Nev., line the runway after arriving for an overnight stay while deploying to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield. Location: LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VIRGINIA (VA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)
context_page_description: The 417th Weapons Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the USAF Weapons School at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where it was inactivated on 14 September 2006.
  The squadron was originally activated as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron in 1943. During World War II, the squadron saw action in the European theater, flying both the British Bristol Beaufighter and Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighters.
  In 1966 the unit transitioned to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II as the 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron and was engaged in combat during the Vietnam War, being part of two combat deployments. In 1989 as the 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, it was responsible for the replacement training of new Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter pilots.
context_section_description: The I-Unit was activated by Tactical Air Command at Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada as a classified unit on 1 October 1985.  It began receiving full-scale development Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters from Lockheed for testing.  It was replaced by the 4453d Test and Evaluation Squadron on 30 May 1989 as part of the 4450th Tactical Group, performing training missions with the F-117A in a clandestine environment.  All Tonopah training flights were conducted under the cover of darkness until late 1988.   On 10 November 1988, the Air Force brought the F-117A from behind a "black veil" by publicly acknowledging its existence, but provided few details about it.  The official confirmation of the F-117A's existence, however, had little impact on Tonopah operations. Pilots began occasionally flying the F-117A during the day, but personnel were still ferried to and from work each Monday and Friday from Nellis. Everyone associated with the project was still forbidden to talk about what they did for a living, and the program remained shrouded in secrecy.
  The 4453d was inactivated on 25 September 1989 and its personnel and equipment transferred to the 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 5 October 1989 when the 4450th was inactivated and replaced by the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing.  It became responsible for the replacement training of new F-117A stealth fighter pilots.  In the realignment of F-117A squadrons, the 415th and 416th were assigned production F-117As; the 417th was assigned pre-production F-117As, along with Northrop T-38 Talon trainers for pilot transition training to the F-117.
  In January 1991, the F-117As of the 417th were deployed to King Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where they saw combat during Operation Desert Storm.  After combat ended, the squadron returned home to Tonopah in early April 1991.  After Desert Storm, the 417th was assigned to the 37th Operations Group and redesignated the 417th Fighter Squadron as part of the wing's adoption of the Air Force Objective Wing organization.
  In 1992, as part of the post Cold War budget cutbacks in the Air Force, the F-117As were moved to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.  The 37th Fighter Wing and its subordinate organizations were inactivated and the aircraft, equipment, personnel and mission of the squadron were assigned to the 49th Operations Group.  In 1993, squadron transferred its F-117s to the 7th Fighter Squadron and inactivated.
caption: F-117A aircraft from the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia, prior to being deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield
exif: {}