72d Bombardment Squadron
72d Test and Evaluation Squadron
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B-2 Spirit landing at Whiteman AFB
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| Active | 1918–1919; 1923–1947; 1947–1963; 1994-1996; 1998–present |
| Country |
 United States
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| Branch |
 United States Air Force
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| Role | Weapon system testing and evaluation |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Whiteman Air Force Base |
| Engagements |
World War I World War II |
| Decorations |
Distinguished Unit Citation Navy Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 72d Test and Evaluation Squadron emblem (approved 14 February 1924) |  |
The 72d Test and Evaluation Squadron (72 TES) is part of the 53d Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The squadron is geographically separated but operated from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It conducts testing and evaluation of the B-2 Spirit aircraft.
The squadron is the focal point for executing operational test and evaluation of the $44.6 billion B-2 weapon system. The squadron evaluates the ability of the B-2 weapons system to support all major requirements and reports weapon system capabilities.
The unit provides experienced operations, maintenance, engineering, and analysis personnel who plan and conduct ground and flight tests, and analyze, evaluate, and report on the effectiveness and suitability of B-2 logistics support, tactics and survivability, foreign military exploitation, weapons and mission planning. The squadron reports results and conclusions to support DoD acquisition, deployment and employment decisions.
The squadron was formed in Texas in early 1918. After a period of training and organization, it departed from New York in the late summer of 1918, arriving in France in September. Its role during the latter part of World War I on the western front is undetermined, but it remained in France after the armistice until June 1919, arriving back in New York and subsequently demobilized in July.
Reorganized in 1923 as a reconnaissance squadron, assigned to 5th Composite Group in Hawaii Territory as part of the islands air defense organization. Assigned to Hawaii on Ford Island. Activities included training, participating in Army-Navy maneuvers, staging aerial reviews and sowing seeds from the air for the Territorial Forestry Division. In 1935, the squadron helped save the city of Hilo, Hawaii, during the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano. Ten Keystone B-3 and B-4 bombers from the group’s 23d and 72d Bombardment Squadrons dropped 20, 600-pound bombs around the volcano to divert molten lava away from the town.
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