Lineage. Constituted 514th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942. Activated on 31 Oct 1942. Redesignated: 514th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 3 May 1944; 514th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 23 May 1945. Inactivated on 7 Mar 1946. Redesignated 514th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather, on 16 Sep 1947. Activated on 15 Oct 1947. Inactivated on 20 Feb 1951. Redesignated 514th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 25 May 1951. Activated on 1 Jun 1951. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Mar 1965. Consolidated (1 Oct 1992) with the 6514th Test Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on 15 May 1970. Redesignated: 514th Test Squadron on 2 Oct 1992; 514th Flight Test Squadron on 1 Mar 1994.
Assignments. 376th Bombardment Group, 31 Oct 1942; 498th Bombardment Group, 10 Nov 1945-7 Mar 1946. 43d (later, 2143d Air) Weather Wing, 15 Oct 1947-20 Feb 1951. 376th Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1951 (attached to 376th Bombardment Wing, 1 Jun 1951-15 Jun 1952); 376th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952-15 Mar 1965. 6512th Test Group (later, 6510th Test Wing), 15 May 1970; Air Force Flight Test Center, 1 Jan 1973; 6510th Test Wing, 1 Mar 1978; 6545th (later, 545th) Test Group, 1 Jan 1979; Ogden Air Logistics Center, 30 Sep 1995-.
Stations. Lydda, Palestine, 31 Oct 1942; Abu Sueir, Egypt, 8 Nov 1942; Gambut, Libya, 10 Feb 1943; Soluch, Libya, 25 Feb 1943; Bengasi, Libya, c. 6 Apr 1943; Enfidaville, Tunisia, 26 Sep 1943 (detachment operated from Bengasi, Libya, 3-11 Oct 1943); San Pancrazio, Italy, 18 Nov 1943-19 Apr 1945; Harvard AAFld, NE, 8 May 1945; Grand Island AAFld, NE, 25 Jun 1945; March Field, CA, 10 Nov 1945; MacDill Field, FL, 22 Dec 1945-7 Mar 1946. North Field, Guam, 15 Oct 1947-20 Feb 1951. Forbes AFB, KS, 1 Jun 1951; Barksdale AFB, LA, 10 Oct 1951; Lockbourne AFB, OH, 1 Dec 1957-15 Mar 1965. Edwards AFB, CA, 15 May 1970; Hill AFB, UT, 18 Sep 1973-.
Aircraft. B-17, 1942; B-24, 1942-1945; B-29, 1945. B\TB\RB\WB-29, 1947-1951; C-54, 1948-1951; C-47, 1949-1950. B-29, 1951-1954; B-47, 1954-1961; E(later, EB)-47, 1961-1965.
Operations. Combat in MTO and ETO, c. 1 Nov 1942-15 Apr 1945. Weather reconnaissance in support of Korean War, Jul 1950-10 Feb 1951. Primarily electronic countermeasures, c. Nov 1952-Mar 1965. Tested unmanned vehicles and drones, May 1970-.
Service Streamers. Korean Theater.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: Egypt-Libya; Air Offensive Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, [Nov] 1942-17 Aug 1943; Ploesti, Rumania, 1 Aug 1943; Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, 16 Jun 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 15 May 1970-14 Jan 1971; 1 Jul 1973-30 Jun 1975; 1 Jul 1975-31 Dec 1976; 1 Jan 1979-31 Dec 1980; 1 Jan 1982-31 Dec 1983; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1984; 1 Jan 1985-31 Dec 1986.
Emblem. Azure, two pairs of hands issuing from sinister base grasping a crescent Gules surmounted by two lightning flashes palewise in fess the dexter point up the sinister point to base Or overall in chief a boomerang Orange; all within a diminished bordure of the second. MOTTO: QUAERITE OPTIMUM--Seek the Optimum. Approved on 18 Apr 1990; replaced emblems approved on 26 Mar 1957 (4233 A.C.) and 6 Jan 1944 (23719 A.C.).