USAF / 88th TES / CTF / Full Squadron History / Jolly Green Giant

88th TEST & EVALUATION SQUADRON

The 88th, alongside the 413th FLTS Det.1, currently forms part of the CTF. Its origins date back to August 21, 2002, when it was established as HH-60G Combined Test Force Flight and activated on October 1, 2002. Initially under the 53rd Test & Evaluation Group at Nellis AFB, it operated HC-130s and HH-60Gs. The CTF shifted to the 18th FLTS on October 1, 2003, and returned to the 53rd TEG on April 13, 2006. Later, on December 30, 2009, it attained squadron status as the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron.

Detachment

Activated on November 16, 2018, at Duke Field, the 88th TES Det 2 collaborated closely with the 413th FLTS in Developing Testing (DT) and Operational Testing (OT) for tactics related to the new HH-60W Jolly Green Giant II, intended to replace the aging HH-60Gs. The detachment also deployed to Moody AFB, assisting the 41st RQS in becoming the first operational Squadron in the USAF to operate the HH-60W. In early 2022, both the 41st RQS and the 88th TES gathered data from training to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures for operating the GAU-21 and the GAU-2's. The detachment was inactivated on June 3, 2022, as the 41st assumed control of operational HH-60Ws, initiating the OIP phase of the helicopters' integration into the USAF.

The squadron also have this patch, which as you can see is dayglo & glows in the dark.it was designed around 2002 when thewhen AFSOC briefly took over the CSAR mission from ACC, the CSAR CTF stood up at Nellis and took over the HH-60G OT&E/TD mission from ACC’s 422 TES.  The ‘chickenhawk’ patch was the Squadrons first patch and it was modeled on the 422 patch.  The black hawk was replaced the 422’s Green Bat and was supposed to represent the H-60 Black Hawk upon which the HH-60G Pave Hawk is based.  The green bat’s smoking pistol is replaced by a smoking GAU-2 mini-gun and the green bat’s bloody dagger is replaced by a bloody slide rule dripping with blood which symbolises heated arguments between the Flight Test Engineers over data points & methods on how to collect them.

The green bat’s goggles are replaced by NVGs, since they focused on night ops. The orange colour in the patch symbolises the colour of the testing equipment in the HH-60's, as this was easy to identify against all of the operational equipment used in the new HH-60's. The crescent moon represents another reference to night operations.  The single star represented the single organization we had become combining the crew from AFMC DT&E and the ACC/AFSOC OT&E crew. 

The Latin on the patch translates to ‘Running with Scissors’.  Lt Col Travis ‘Chevy’ Chevallier (RIP) came up with that.  It’s hard to tell, but the hawk is shrugging.  They were venturing into a lot of new stuff with the aircraft and just making some of it up as we went along, so the shrug and slogan were appropriate.

Finally the feet, symbolising the Jolly Green Giant & its continuing mission. This patch was obtained from Flightline Insignia.

Maj.Evan McNeal the 88th TES Det 2 DO inspects the wiring to a test equipment on the HH-60W. (USAF Photo/ 1st Lt. Lindsey Heflin)

A HH-60W is prepared for a test flight at Duke Field. Its easy to see the orange coloured test equipment against the grey of the helicopter in this photo. (USAF Photo/Mr. Dave Shelikoff)

If you have any additional information about this patch please contact me & I´ll get back to you.

Thanks👣