The 3200th Proof Test Group is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. It was last active with the

Air Armament Center The Air Armament Center (AAC) was an Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, responsible for development, acquisition, testing, and deployment of all air-delivered weapons for the U.S. Air Force. Weapon systems ...

, based at

Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...

, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 July 1953.

History

Established by the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB in 1948, being formed from the 3200th Air Transport Test Squadron, and taking over the mission of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

1st Proving Ground Group. During its existence, the units mission was heavily classified. Mission was service testing, training and demonstrations of weapons systems under development. Was equipped with

B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...

F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...

, B-45 Tornado,

Hughes XF-11 The Hughes XF-11 (redesignated XR-11 in 1948) was a prototype military reconnaissance aircraft designed and flown by Howard Hughes and built by Hughes Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Although 100 F-11s were ordered in ...

Republic XF-12 Rainbow The Republic XF-12 Rainbow was an American four-engine, all-metal prototype reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Republic Aviation Company in the late 1940s. Like most large aircraft of the era, it used radial engines, specifically the Pratt ...

, SA-16 Albatross,

C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

Hughes XH-17 The Hughes XH-17 "Flying Crane" was the first helicopter project for the helicopter division of Hughes Aircraft Company. The XH-17, which had a two-bladed main rotor system with a diameter of 134 feet (41 m), still holds the world record for fl ...

Helicopter and other systems. The group operated a climate-controlled hangar to test aircraft in arctic cold conditions to desert and subtropical humid heat. In the spring of 1949 launched

Republic-Ford JB-2 The Republic-Ford JB-2, also known as the Thunderbug, KGW and LTV-N-2 Loon, was a United States copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Developed in 1944, and planned to be used in the United States invasion of Japan (Operation Downfall), t ...

missiles from underneath the wings of

B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest win ...

aircraft. About a year later, JB-2s were tested as aerial targets for experimental infrared gunsights, being launched from

Wagner Field Wagner Field, (Formerly: Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #1), is a component of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It is located northeast of the main base, 13.9 miles northeast of Valparaiso, Florida. The site is notable as the training location ...

(Formerly: Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #1) as part of project MX-544. The fourth

F-82B Twin Mustang The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the North American P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter ...

(44-65163) was fitted with retractable pylons under the outer wings capable of mounting 10 High-Velocity Air Rockets (HVAR) each, which folded into the wing undersurface when not in use. This installation was not adopted on later models, the standard "tree" being used instead. The 13th aircraft (44-65171). was experimentally fitted with a center wing mounted pod housing an array of recon cameras, and was assigned to the 3200th Photo Measurement and Analysis Squadron, being designated, unofficially, the RF-82B (the aircraft designation changed to F-82 in 1948).Fighters of the United States Air Force, Robert F. Dorr and David Donald, Temple Press Aerospace, 1990. An

was modified by the 3200th Fighter Test Squadron to carry 32 six-inch HVARs and was used for ground attack tests on concrete structures, armored vehicles and bridges. Other testing included operational suitability of

TM-61 Madador The Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile designed and built by the United States. It was developed after World War II, drawing upon their wartime experience with creating the Republic-Ford JB-2, a ...

guided missile for tactical operations, testing of YH-12 helicopter to develop tactics and techniques to be used in assault helicopter operations, and tests involving operational suitability of

B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

s. Participated in the National Air Race at Detroit, Michigan in 1951, winning the Bendix Trophy flying an

. Inactivated in July 1953, mission, personnel and equipment reassigned to new 3206th Test Group.

Lineage

* Established as 3200th Proof Test Group and activated, 1 July 1948 : Inactivated on 1 July 1953.

Assignments

, 1 July 1948 * 550th Guided Missiles Wing, 26 April-11 December 1950 * 3200th Proof Test Wing, 1 April 1951 *

, 1 July 1952 – 1 July 1953

Components

* 3200th Air Transport Test Squadron, 16 January 1948 : Re-designated 3201st Base Flight Squadron, 1–9 July 1948 * 3200th Fighter Test Squadron, 1 July 1948 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Light Bomber Test Squadron, 1 July 1948 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Medium and Heavy Bomber Test Squadron, 1 July 1948 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Photo Measurement and Analysis Squadron, 1 July 1948 – 1 April 1951 * 3200th Photo Test Squadron, 1 April 1951 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Electronics Test Squadron, 1 September 1949 – 1 July 1953 *

3200th Drone Squadron The 3205th Drone Squadron is a discontinued United States Air Force unit. It was last active with the Air Proving Ground Center based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where it was discontinued on 25 October 1963. The squadron operated vario ...

, 26 April 1950 – 1 July 1950; 1 December 1950 – 1 June 1951 * 3200th Air Base Squadron, 12 July 1951 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Armament Test Squadron, 1 April 1951 – 1 July 1953 * 3200th Measurement and Data Reduction Squadron, 1 April 1951 – 1 July 1953

Stations

, Florida, 1 July 1948 – 1 July 1953

References

* Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
AFHRA History 3200th Proof Test Group
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Four digit groups of the United States Air Force Test groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1953