Title: Page born:April 01 2002

4450th TG

4450th Tactical Group (TG)
(A unit)

Motto:

"Tough Job Professionally Done"????

Emblem

History:

The 4450th TG wasactivated on Oct. 15, 1979. The four-digit number beginning with "4"signifies a "provisional" group not entitled to permanent military lineageor heraldry. Although the F-117A never saw combat under the 4450th, on at least two occasions the aircraftwere primed and ready to go-only to be called off. The 4450th TG did deploy at least once to foreign soil for excersizes. The 4450th TG also had the unique distinction of being the last active USAF unit to operate the A-7D Corsair II.

Alignment

Direct reporting unit to Tactical Air Command Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (TACDO)
In 1986, administrative control only was transferred to Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis AFB.

October 15, 1979
4450th TG (A-unit) activated under Col. Robert A. Jackson.

May 17, 1982
Col. James A. Allen takes command of the 4450th TG.

October 28, 1983
4450th TG declared operational with the 14th aircraft (#82-799)delivery.

June 15, 1984
Col. Howell M. Estes III takes command of the 4450th TG.

December 6, 1985
Col. Michael W. Harris assumes command of the 4450th TG.

April 3, 1987
Col. Michael C. Short assumes command of the 44540th TG.

August 10, 1988
Col. Anthony J (Tony) Tolin takes command of the 4450th TG.

October 5, 1989
4450th TG deactivated, becomes the 37th TFW at Tonopah, Nevada.

(I unit)
Later 4450th TS "Nightstalkers"

The I-unit was oneof two squadrons activated on June 11, 1981. This was 14 months beforethe first operational F-117A would arrive. Although these units were notthe first detachments, they were the first F-117A squadrons ever.

July 15, 1981
The I-unit activated under the command of Major William C. Helper.

July 21, 1983
Lt. Col. Ervin C. "Sandy" Sharpe Jr. takes command of the I-unit

October 1983
The I-unit becomes the 4450th TS.

June 1, 1985
Lt. Col. John F. Miller takes command of the 4450th TS.

January 16, 1987
Lt. Col. David T. Holmes takes command of the 4450th TS.

February 5, 1988
Lt. Col. William J. Lake takes command of the 4450th TS.

October 5, 1989
The 4450th TS deactivates and becomes the 415th TFS Nightstalkers.

(P unit)
Later 4451st TS "Grim Reapers"

The P-unit was oneof two squadrons activated on June 11, 1981. This was 14 months beforethe first operational F-117A would arrive. Although these units were notthe first detachments, they were the first F-117A squadrons ever.

The P-unit was the Nellisbased unit apparently equipped with A-7D Corsairs. These aircraft were the coverstory and in the public's eye, was the only unit that made up the 4450th TG. Atfirst the A-7D was used for pilot training before any F-117A's had beendelivered,later the A-7D's were used to chase F-117A tests and other weapon tests at theNellis Range.

September 18, 1981
P-unit activated under the command of Lt. Col. Gerald "Jerry" Fleming.

January 1983
The P-unit becomes the 4451st TS.

April 13, 1983
Lt. Col. Wallace C. Weeks takes command of the 4451st TS.

Early 1984
P-unit A-7's deploy to Kunsan AB, South Korea to test deployment procedures.

June 1, 1985
Lt. Col. Medford "Med" C. Bowman takes command of the 4451st TS.

July 24, 1986
Lt. Col. Robert E. Bruce Jr. takes command of the 4451st TS.

July 15, 1988
Lt. Col. John W. Zink takes command of the 4451st TS.

October 5, 1989
The 4451st TS deactivates and becomes the 416th TFS Ghostriders.

Det 1, 4450th TG
(Q unit)
Later 4452ndTest Squadron

The Q-Unit (Det 1)was assigned to Tonopah during the brief period when the groupheadquarters remained at Nellis AFB.

October 15, 1979
Det 1, 4450th TG (Q-unit) activated.

September, 1982
Lt. Col. Al Whitley's Q-unit is upgraded from Detachment to 4452ndTS.

June 1, 1985
Major Dennis R. Larson takes command of the 4452nd TS.

August 22, 1986
Major Robert D. Williams takes command of the 4452nd TS.

January 7, 1987
Lt. Col. Arthur "Art" P. Weyermuller takes command of the 4452nd TS.

Aug 14, 1987
Lt. Col. James G. Ferguson takes command of the 4452nd TS.

June 3, 1988
Lt. Col. Keat Griggers takes command of the 4452nd TS.

May 30, 1989
4452nd TS (Q-unit) deactivated. It is the only stealth unit not to acquirea new identity as part of the 37 TFW.

Det 2, 4450th TG
(R unit)

The Det 2, 4450thTG (R-unit) was formed on Oct. 15 1979. The Groom Lake based R-unit was the testinfrastructure of the F-117A operations. It was the R-unit that flew the initial checkout flights of every F-117A before USAF acceptance. An extra duty of theR-unit included local area familiarization function later picked up by the 4453rdTES upon the R-unit's deactivation. The 410th FLTS traces its roots, if not its formal lineage to the R-unit.

October 15, 1979
Detachment 2 (or R-unit) activated under

May 30, 1989
Detachment 2, 4450th TG (R unit) inactivated.

(Z unit)
Later 4453rd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) "Bandits"

The 4453rd TES "Bandits" was the third F-117A squadron in the 4450th TG.

October 4, 1985
4453d TES (Z unit) commanded by Lt. Col. Roger C. Locher activated.

August 14, 1987
Lt. Col. Arthur "Art" P. Weyermuller takes command of the 4453rd TES.

January 1989
First T-38 delivered to the squadron.

May 5, 1989
Lt. Col. Gerald C. Carpenter takes command of the 4453rd TES.

May 30, 1989
"Vought A-7D unit at Nellis deactivated". (Referring to the 4451st TS.) Thissquadron flew both F-117As and T-38s and took over the local area familiarization function which had been an extra duty to the R-unit.

October 5, 1989
The 4453d TES "Bandits" became the 417th TFTS "Bandits".

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