Editing Edwards Air Force Base (section)

==Role and operations==
The base has helped develop virtually every aircraft purchased by the Air Force since World War II. Almost every [[United States Armed Forces|United States]] [[military aviation|military aircraft]] since the 1950s has been at least partially tested at Edwards, and it has been the site of many aviation breakthroughs.

===Air Force Test Center===
[[File:HQ Air Force Test Center - Edwards AFB California.jpg|thumb|Headquarters Building, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB]]
[[File:Edwards AFB control tower.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the new control tower with the old tower in the background]]
[[File:HQ 412th Test Wing - Edwards AFB California.jpg|thumb|Headquarters, 412th Test Wing]]
[[File:HQ USAF Test Pilot School - Edwards AFB California.jpg|thumb|Headquarters, USAF Test Pilot School]]

====412th Test Wing====
The [[412th Test Wing]] plans, conducts, analyzes, and reports on all flight and ground testing of aircraft, weapons, software and components as well as modeling and simulation for the U.S. Air Force. The Wing also oversees the base's day-to-day operations and provides support for the military, federal civilian, and contract personnel assigned to Edwards AFB. Planes assigned to the 412th carry the tail code ED.

*'''U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School''': Part of the 412th Test Wing, USAF TPS is where the Air Force's top pilots, navigators and engineers learn how to conduct flight tests and generate the data needed to carry out test missions. The comprehensive curriculum of Test Pilot School is fundamental to the success of flight tests and evaluations.
*'''412th Operations Group''': The 412th OG flies an average of 90 aircraft with upwards of 30 aircraft designs. It performs an annual average of more than 7,400 missions, including more than 1,900 test missions. Its squadrons include: 
**[[411th Flight Test Squadron]]: (F-22)
**[[416th Flight Test Squadron]]: (F-16)
**[[419th Flight Test Squadron]]: (B-52H, B-1, B-2)
**[[445th Flight Test Squadron]]: (Initial Flight Test Operations, T-38)
**[[461st Flight Test Squadron]]: (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter)
**[[412th Flight Test Squadron]]: (C-135C Speckled Trout)
**[[418th Flight Test Squadron]]: (C-130 and special operations variants; CV-22; KC-135 and special variants; C-17A)
**[[452d Flight Test Squadron]]: (RQ-4)
*'''412th Test Management Division'''
*'''412th Test Management Group'''
*'''412th Civil Engineer Division'''
*'''412th Maintenance Group'''
*'''412th Medical Group'''
*'''412th Mission Support Group'''
*'''412th Electronic Warfare Group'''
*'''412th Test Engineering Group'''
The Test Engineering and Electronic Warfare groups provide the central components in conducting the Test and Evaluation mission of the 412 TW. They provide the tools, talent and equipment for the core disciplines of aircraft structures, propulsion, avionics and electronic warfare evaluation of the latest weapon system technologies. They also host the core facilities that enable flight test and ground test—the Range Division, Benefield Anechoic Facility, Integrated Flight Avionics Systems Test Facility and the Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator. The Project and Resource Management Divisions provide the foundation for the successful program management of test missions.

===Associate units===
There are a vast array of organizations at Edwards that do not fall under the 412th Test Wing. They are known as Associate Units. These units do everything from providing an on-base grocery store to testing state-of-the-art rockets.

[[File:31st Test and Evaluation Squadron Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 09-5007.jpg|thumb|31st Test and Evaluation Squadron Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 09-5007]]

==== [[31st Test and Evaluation Squadron]] (Tail Code: OT) ====
: The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron provides [[Air Combat Command]] personnel to support combined test and evaluation on Air Force weapons systems. Established in 1917, it is one of the oldest units of the United States Air Force. The "Desert Pirates" are part of the 753d Test and Evaluation Group, [[Nellis AFB]], [[Nevada]] and the [[53d Wing]], [[Eglin AFB]], [[Florida]]. It also provides the [[Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center]], [[Kirtland AFB]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Air Force Materiel Command]], [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], [[Ohio]], with test team members who have an operational perspective to perform test and evaluation on Combat Air Force systems.

: The 31st is staffed with a mixture of operations, maintenance and engineering experts who plan and conduct tests, evaluate effectiveness and suitability, and influence system design. The squadron's personnel are integrated into the B-1, B-2, B-52, Global Hawk, MQ-9 and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programs. Their results and conclusions support Department of Defense acquisition, deployment and employment decisions.

[[File:Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 5 with RQ-4 Global Hawk.jpg|thumb|AFOTEC Detachment 5 personnel in front of a RQ-4 Global Hawk]]

==== [[Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center]], Detachment 1 ====
: An Air Force Materiel Command named unit assigned to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, AFOTEC Detachment 1 is responsible for accomplishing Block 2 and 3 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation of the F-35 Lightning II for the US Air Force, [[United States Navy]], [[United States Marine Corps]], [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|United Kingdom Ministry of Defense]], and the [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]].

==== Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 5 ====
: AFOTEC Detachment 5** is responsible for conducting the operational test and evaluation of USAF aircraft and avionics systems. Certification by Detachment 5 is required for new aircraft prior to AFMC full-rate production and combat fielding decisions. Detachment 5 personnel are integrated into the Flight Test Center's combined test squadrons and provide a critical operating perspective during developmental flight testing to help prepare systems for their final operational test and evaluation.
: {{small|** Note: An AFOTEC Detachment 3 is an unconfirmed geographically separated unit, which may be assigned to a remote facility of Edwards AFB at [[Groom Lake]], Nevada, that may perform similar testing as Detachment 5 on weapons systems not publicly identified. During 1978 and 1979, an AFFTC test pilot and a pair of flight test engineers were engaged in proof-of-concept testing with Lockheed's "low-observable" technology demonstrator, dubbed "Have Blue". The successful conduct of these tests led immediately to the development of the [[F-117A Nighthawk]], the world's first operational stealth fighter.}}

[[File:B-2 Sprirt Rollout - 22 November 1988.jpg|thumb|Northrop B-2A roll-out ceremony on 22 November 1988 at USAF Plant 42, Palmdale, California]]

==== [[Air Force Plant 42]] production flight test installation ====
: A remote facility of Edwards AFB, located at Palmdale, California, Plant 42 is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility with proximity to both the concentration of aerospace industry in Los Angeles, and the high-speed corridors and resources of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards. Plant 42 is one of four Air Force plants located throughout the United States and is uniquely situated to fully support the Air Force's newest and most advanced aerospace systems. It provides industrial facilities for production, modification, depot maintenance and flight testing of aerospace systems. It is staffed by a mixture of civilian defense contractors, as well as USAF personnel.

==== NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center ====
{{Main|Armstrong Flight Research Center}}
[[File:Collection of military aircraft.jpg|thumb|Armstrong Flight Research Center fleet in 1997|alt=|left]]

: Contained inside Edwards Air Force Base is NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) where modern aircraft research is still active (e.g. the [[Boeing X-45]]). The AFRC is home to many of the world's most advanced aircraft. Notable recent research projects include the [[Controlled Impact Demonstration]] and the [[LASRE|Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment]]. It is chartered to research and test advanced aeronautics, space and related technologies for atmospheric flight operations, and to transfer those technologies to industry and other government agencies. Armstrong supports NASA's Earth science research with a fleet of specialized manned and unmanned environmental science aircraft. Armstrong is also involved in NASA's space science mission by managing and flying the [[Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy]]. The center is named for [[Neil Armstrong|Neil A. Armstrong]], an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. Armstrong's history dates back to late 1946, when 13 engineers arrived at what is now Edwards from the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics|NACA]] [[Langley Research Center|Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory]] in [[Virginia]] to support the last supersonic research flights by the X-1 rocket plane in a joint NACA, Army Air Forces and Bell Aircraft program.

==== Air Force Rocket Research Laboratory ====
[[File:Air Force Rocket Research Laboratory - Edwards AFB.jpg|right|thumb|Air Force Rocket Research Laboratory Edwards AFRL site]]

: The [[Air Force Research Laboratory#Propulsion Directorate|Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Propulsion Directorate]] maintains a [[rocket engine test facility]] on and around Leuhman Ridge, just east of Rogers Dry Lake. This facility traces its roots to early Army Air Corps activities. The Edwards Research Site is part of the AFRL Propulsion Directorate, which is headquartered at the Wright Research Site, [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]], [[Ohio]].

==== Other units and further details ====
Edwards is also home to several other units from [[United States Department of Defense|DOD]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[FAA]], [[United States Postal Service|USPS]] and many companies that support the primary mission or the personnel stationed there.<ref name="EBG">{{cite web |url=http://www.edwards.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070103-051.pdf |title=Edwards Base Guide |access-date=24 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219124227/http://www.edwards.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070103-051.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008 }}</ref>

The Main Base is also the home of the [[Benefield Anechoic Facility]] (BAF), an [[Electromagnetic radiation|electromagnetic]] and [[radio frequency]] testing building. It is also home to the [[Air Force Flight Test Museum]], which has over 15 aircraft on display.<ref>[https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/story/id/123228846/ Air Force Flight Test Center Museum] </ref><ref>[https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/story/id/123055011/ Edwards AFB: ''USAF Flight Test Center Museum''] </ref>

The site has one {{convert|6000|x|150|ft}} paved runway, 06/24, and is accessed from the lakebed or via a single controlled road.