417th Weapons Squadron The 417th Weapons Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit . Its last assignment was with the USAF Weapons School based at Holloman AFB , New Mexico . 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 Beaufighter and the P - 61 Black Widow night fighters . In 1966 the unit transitioned to the F - 4 Phantom II and was engaged in combat during the Vietnam War , being part of two combat deployments . In 1989 as the 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron , 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada , responsible for the replacement training of new F - 117A Stealth Fighter pilots . History . World War II . Established in February 1943 as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron , assigned to the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group , Orlando Air Base , Florida for training . The 417th was the first USAAF dedicated night fighter squadron formed . Trained in the Douglas P - 70 , a modified A - 20 Havoc bomber using a U . S . version of the British Mk IV radar . At the time the P - 70 was the only American night fighter available . Besides routine transition training in the night fighter , the pilots also complete calibration , instrument , navigation flights , and numerous target missions in this period . Reassigned to Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) , May 1943 and equipped with RAF Bristol Beaufighter s through a " reverse Lend - Lease " program until an American aircraft could be produced . Upon arrival in England the squadron received additional training with Royal Air Force night fighter units at several bases in early 1943 achieving the first victory on 24 July . Through the summer , they conducted daytime convoy escort and strike missions , but thereafter flew primarily at night . Was reassigned to Twelfth Air Force , being deployed to Algeria in August 1943 . Carried out defensive night patrols over Allied held territory during the North African campaign , also conducted night interdiction raids on German positions in Algeria and Tunisia . In April 1944 , the 417th transferred to Corsica and resumed partrol activities . In August 1944 , the unit supported the Allied invasion of southern France before taking up duty to fly patrol , intruder , and interceptor missions . Moved to Belgium , operating from bases in the Low Countries , and moving into northern Germany in early 1944 . During March and April 1945 , the 417th converted from the Beaufighter to the < a href = " P - 61 % 0ABlack % 20Widow " > P - 61 Black Widow < / a > aircraft . It last major combat operations in the first week of May consisted of nightly patrols and intruder missions against enemy airc , raft attempting to harass Seventh Army troops and their bridgeheads across the Rhine River at Ulm , Donauworth , and Dillengen , Germany . Remained in Germany after the war as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe . Performed occupation duty for over a year , returning to the United States and inactivating in November 1946 . Cold War . In November 1952 , the Air Force re - designated the unit as the 417th Fighter - Bomber squadron and activated it on 1 January 1953 at Clovis AFB , New Mexico , for training in F - 51D Mustang aircraft . Soon thereafter , the squadron converted to the F - 86F Sabre jet , but the transition period extended over a long period due to an acute shortage of trained people . In the Summer , the 417th transferred to Hahn AB , West Germany , to become a unit in the United States Air Forces in Europe . The aircraft was deployed to Hahn during Operation Fox Able 20 . This marked the first mass flight of an entire tactical wing from the U . S . to continental Europe . At Hahn AB , the squadron trained in air - to - ground and air - to - air gunnery at places like Furstenfeldbruck AB and Giebelstadt AB in West Germany and Wheelus AB , Libya . During early 1958 , the 417th turned in its F - 86 Sabrejets , and then deployed to Wheelus AB , where it received F - 100 Super Sabre aircraft . The unit remained in Libya for nearly 60 days where its completed transition training in the new aircraft . At Hahn AB , the unit ' s mission was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons against Warsaw Pact forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe . Its secondary missions were tactical air defense and support for NATO ground forces . Due to the vulnerability of West Germany to Soviet attack , USAF planners did not want their tactical nuclear weapons in locations that could be quickly overrun by Warsaw Pact forces . When construction was completed at Toul - Rosières Air Base France , the squadron was moved there in July 1956 . On 8 July 1958 , the Air Force re - designated the squadron as the 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron ( TFS ) . Disagreements arose concerning atomic storage and custody issues within NATO , resulting in a decision to remove United States Air Force atomic - capable units from French soil . The squadron was moved back to Hahn Air Base in December 1959 . It remained in West Germany as a Tactical Fighter Squadron , equipped with the F - 100 Super Sabre , until 1966 , upgrading to the F - 4C Phantom II through its inactivation on 30 April 1967 . In this period , the 417th returned from Europe for reassignment at Mountain Home AFB , Idaho , on 15 July 68 with the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ( TRW ) . From there , it deployed for training at Hahn AB , West Germany 15 January to 3 April 1969 and 11 September to 9 October 1970 . The return from West Germany , however , brought with it a move to Holloman AFB , New Mexico , where the 417th remained until 30 April 1977 . This time included several deployments : Takhli RTAFB , Thailand from 10 May to 30 September 1972 ; Hahn AB , West Germany , from 3 February to 14 March 1973 , 6 March to 5 April 1974 , 3 October to 5 November 1975 , and 24 August to 26 September 1976 ; and Nellis AFB , Nevada , 29 November to 19 December 1975 . The tours in Thailand led to two honors for Vietnam War service . The 417th resumed service when it activated on 1 October 1978 at Zweibrucken AB , West Germany , as part of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing . At that time , however , the squadron only received a few people and one F - 4D Phantom II aircraft . The unit transferred to Ramstein AB , West Germany on 1 November 1978 , but evidently lost its personnel and and aircraft to become a paper organization . Moreover , the 417th also switched from the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ( TRW ) to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing on 15 November 1981 , remaining a paper organization until it inactivated on 15 September 1987 . F - 117 Development / Operations . Activated by Tactical Air Command at Tonopah Test Range Airport , Nevada as a classified unit on 1 October 1985 , designated as I - Unit . Began receiving Full - Scale Development ( FSD ) F - 117A stealth fighters from Lockheed for testing . Was re - designated as the 4453d Test and Evaluation Squadron as part of the 4450th Tactical Group performing training missions with the F - 117A in a clandestine environment . All Tonopah training flights conducted at night 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 . Was re - designated as the 417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 5 October 1989 when the 4450th TG was inactivated and taken over by the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing . Became responsible for the replacement training of new F - 117A Stealth Fighter pilots . In the realignment of F - 117A squadrons , the 415th and 416th was assigned the production F - 117As ; the 417th was assigned the pre - production F - 117As , along with the T - 38 Talon trainers for pilot transition training ( LIFT ) to the F - 117 . In January 1991 , the F - 117As of the 417th TFS were deployed to deployed to King Khalid International Airport , 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 415th was assigned to the new 37th Operations Group , being re - designated as 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 AFB , New Mexico ; the 37th Fighter Wing and its subordinate organizations were inactivated and the aircraft , equipment , personnel and mission of the squadron were re - designated as the 9th Fighter Squadron , being assigned to the 49th Operations Group at Holloman AFB . In 1993 , squadron transferred F - 117s to 7th FS and inactivated for budgetary reasons . USAF Weapons School . The Air Force Chief of Staff directed the creation of the F - 117 Division , USAF Weapons School in May 2002 at at Holloman AFB , New Mexico . The initial cadre class began in January 2003 , and the validation class began their training in July 2003 . On 13 August 2003 , the F - 117 Division was re - designated as the 417th Weapons Squadron . The 417th WS was a Geographically Separated Unit ( GSU ) of the 57th Wing . The squadron provided advanced training to F - 117A instructor pilots . The course included 26 syllabus sorties , seven simulator missions , four mission planning exercises and more than 400 hours of academics . Inactivated along with F - 117A in September 2006 .