Col Thomas W. Liner, 28 June 1974 Maj Gen Louis G. Leiser, 30 July 1974 Col David B. Ballou, 29 March 1977 (interim) Maj Gen Don D. Pittman, 29 April 1977 Maj Gen Walter H. Baxter III, 29 September 1978
The squadron was first activated during World War II at Wheeler Field, Territory of Hawaii. It provided gunnery training to fighter aircraft of Seventh Air Force until being inactivated in the post war reduction of the United States military.[1] For its "resourcefulness and efficiency"[2] the unit was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.[3] After April 1946, the squadron flew very few missions as it prepared for inactivation.[4]
When the group was discontinued in 1958, the 17th was reassigned directly to the 4750th Air Defense Wing. It moved with the wing to MacDill AFB, Florida in 1959, where it was inactivated[5] when ADC concentrated its fighter weapons training at Tyndall AFB, Florida, where drone aircraft were used for air-to-air rocket training in ADC's more advanced aircraft.
Radar Evaluation
4677th DSES Patch
The 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron assumed the radar evaluation function the 4677th Radar Evaluation Flight (ECM), which was organized at Hill AFB, Utah in 1954.[6] The peacetime mission of the flight was to provide electronic countermeasure (ECM) training and evaluation services to the aircraft control and warning squadrons assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC). The squadron also had a wartime mission to provide jamming support for attack aircraft.
In order to provide the necessary training, the flight was initially assigned TB-29 Superfortresses and some TB-25 Mitchells. The B-29s and B-25s carried an assortment of active and passive radar jamming devices to provide the ECM training. A Douglas C-47 was used as a support aircraft to ferry personnel and equipment. During the period that the 4677th operated these aircraft, they provided ADC radar squadrons with thousands of hours of ECM training. On 8 July 1958 ADC redesignated the unit as the 4677th Radar Evaluation Squadron, ECM.
By 1959 the World War II era aircraft were expensive to operate. The planes needed excessive amounts of maintenance to remain airworthy and were not supportable due to a lack of spare parts.[7]
The Martin B-57 Canberra, originally purchased as a medium bomber for tactical bombardment was being phased out of tactical operations in favor of the North American F-100 Super Sabre. Twelve of these aircraft were reassigned to the squadron. They were equipped with an assortment of ECM devices and redesignated as EB-57Es. These were used as faker target aircraft against Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptors. The squadron also participated in numerous training exercises such as Feudal Indian, Vigilant Overview, and Feudal Keynote.
The unit also worked in conjunction with the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) DC-20 Direction Center at Malmstrom. The SAGE building was built for $6 million in the late 1950s for the automation of air defense and direction of interceptors against unknown aircraft.[8] Recognizing that its mission now included the evaluation of automated defense systems, the unit was renamed the 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron in 1960. The squadron was twice awarded with AFOUAs for its performance of this mission.[9][10]
By 1974, ADC had inactivated the rest of its flying radar evaluation units and wanted to replace the 4677th, which was a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) unit with and Air Force controlled (AFCON) squadron, whose history could be continued if it were inactivated.[11] As a result, the 4677th was inactivated and the 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron was activated in its place.[6] The continuity between the units was shown when the 17th decided to retain the 4677th's patch, changing only the number in the scroll.
^The last USAF B-29 (a TB-29 radar evaluation aircraft, B-29-15-MO serial number 42-65234) was retired from the USAF inventory at 2010 hours on 21 June 1960, when Major Clarence C. Rarick of the 6023d Radar Evaluation Squadron landed at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, bringing the era of B-29 Superfortress military service to an end.
^MAJCON units could not carry a permanent history or lineage. Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). A Guide to Air Force Lineage and Honors (2d, Revised ed.). Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Historical Research Center. p. 12.
