HX - 21 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE ( HX - 21 ) " Blackjack " is a U . S . Navy aircraft squadron located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River , Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay . As part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division ( NAWC - AD ) , Naval Test Wing Atlantic ( NTWL ) , HX - 21 is responsible for the Developmental Test and Evaluation of Navy and Marine Corps rotary - wing / tilt - rotor aircraft , airborne systems , and Unmanned Aircraft Systems ( UAS ) in support of acquisition decisions that improve the Navy and Marine Corps ' war fighting capability . Additionally , HX - 21 tests and evaluates new mission systems to integrate legacy aircraft into the constantly evolving fighting force . History of TWO ONE . On 1 April 1949 , the United States Navy formally established a rotary wing flight test section under Flight Test Order No . 2 - 49 whereby all tests and trials of rotary wing aircraft and associated equipment would be conducted under a rotary wing section of the Naval Air Test Center ' s flight test division . This rotary wing section was responsible for the scheduling of tests and development of criteria for reporting the test results for rotary wing aircraft types . This designation was maintained until April 4 , 1975 when rotary test and evaluation was established as its own separate aircraft test directorate known as the " Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate " ( RWATD ) . RWATD was then redesignated into the Rotary Wing [ aircraft ] Test Squadron ( RWaTS ) on July 21 , 1995 . RWaTS finally became Air Test and Evaluation Squardron TWO ONE on May 1 , 2002 to better align with fleet squadron naming conventions . History of the Patch . Legend has it the original Aircraft Rotary Wing Test Directorate patch ( right ) was designed on the kitchen table of the first Test Director , Richard " Dick " Wernecke , and has remained in place to this day . Since that time , OPNAVINST 5030 . 4F has come into effect , changing the specifications governing squadron patches , requiring HX - 21 to redesign the current insignia . The redesigned patch is symbolic in many ways and shares similarities with the original . The genesis of the new design is as follows : Crossed Rotor Blades : The crossed blades are found in the original design and are a classic reference to helicopter flight test . The red center portion of the rotor head preserves the " T " in Rotary Wing , depicted above in the original design . Blackjack : The Blackjack is a heraldic symbol used to illustrate the squadrons ’ designation of 21 , or the winning hand . The 3 - D image of the Blackjack grabbing the Ace is symbolic of the Test Teams taking control of the situation . Sword : The sword shown represents the strength , courage and determination required to make the tough decisions and stand one ' s ground when challenged . Color and Pattern : The patch is predominately black due to the blackjack call sign , while adding red , yellow and white rounds out the colors of the Maryland State flag . Overview . Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE ( HX - 21 ) performs developmental testing and evaluation of all Navy , Marine Corps and Coast Guard rotary wing / tilt - rotor aircraft , Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ( UAVs ) and associated sensor and weapons systems . A wide range of aircraft testing and support is provided to include flying qualities , aircraft performance and aeromechanics , shipboard suitability , tactical aircraft mission systems testing , ordnance compatibility , ballistics , system reliability and maintainability assessments , flight simulator / simulation fidelity , and aircraft software development . Support is also provided to a variety of industry and international developmental efforts to include shipboard envelope development and expansion , day and night electro - optical capabilities , and flight test technique improvements . Composition . The squadron has roughly 40 Officers and 50 Enlisted personnel from the Navy , Marine Corps , and Coast Guard as well as over 400 civil service and contractor employees directly involved with maintenance , planning , safety , support and operations of its fleet of H - 1 , H - 3 , H - 46 , H - 53 , H - 57 , H - 60 , MQ - 8B and V - 22 series aircraft and UAVs . HX - 21 is actively engaged in the development of the next generation of rotary wing / tilt - rotor and UAV systems supporting Surface Warfare ( SUW ) , Undersea Warfare ( USW ) , Combat Search and Rescue ( CSAR ) , Naval Special Warfare ( NSW ) , Airborne Mine Counter Measure ( AMCM ) , Logistics , Maritime Supremacy and Vertical Assault missions , as well as responding to a variety of emerging and urgent requirements from current overseas contingency operations . The major flight test program platforms underway include the AH - 1Z Viper , UH - 1Y Huey , MV - 22B Osprey , CH - 46E Sea Knight , CH - 53E Super Stallion , MH - 60R Seahawk and MH - 60S Seahawk , and the MQ - 8B Fire Scout UAV . HX - 21 Test Pilot Requirements . To become a test pilot , one must be a seasoned operational pilot who is selected for and completes a military Test Pilot School such as the United States Naval Test Pilot School ( USNTPS ) , a highly selective school for the best qualified fleet pilots and flight officers from every branch of military service , as well as civilian engineers . Students learn new flight test techniques , how to draft and publish test reports and how to conduct special test and evaluation projects on various types of aircraft to include fixed - winged , rotary - wing , and tilt - rotor aircraft , in addition to UAVs . Pilots selected for assignment at HX - 21 must be qualified , highly trained , and possess a wide range of operational experience in rotary and / or tilt - rotar aircraft . Former test pilots make up a high percentage of astronauts and HX - 21 has been home to some notable figures , including Suni Williams , a former helicopter test pilot at HX - 21 , who went on to become a NASA astronaut . She was assigned to the International Space Station and was a member of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15 . Suni Williams holds the record for the longest space flight for any female ( 195 days ) . Another figure is Mr . Richard " Dick " Wernecke . Mr . Wernecke served the Naval Air Test Center for 34 years as a project engineer , a Department Chief Engineer , and as the first Technical Director of the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate from 1975 - 1988 .