F-117 Stealth Fighters overhead, vanishing in seconds. F/A-22 Raptors and F-16 Falcons purposefully testing out-of-control maneuvers. Overhead fly one-of-a-kind aircraft. This is just a part of the experience that defines the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards Air Force Base. Learn more by clicking on the links below.

Advancing flight and engineering
Where the action is
An extraordinary past, present... and future

Advancing the science of flight and engineering.
From the development of America's first jet plane, to our nation's most sophisticated new aircraft, Edwards AFB has been home to virtually every advance in aviation to be integrated into the Air Force since World War II.

Edwards was where the sound barrier was first broken, and where man first touched near space. Edwards was where the Space Shuttle first took flight and then landed on its initial orbital journey. Today, history continues to be made here, as we test and make 'real-world ready' those technologies that define man's latest concepts of flight.

The coming F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Airborne Laser, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and future flight advances that no one's seen yet…they are all being tested and refined today - this very minute - at Edwards Air Force Base. The question is: are you in on the action?

This is where the action is.
The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards Air Force Base. This is where the adrenaline roars. This is where physical barriers are broken every day to set aerospace records.

At Edwards, you will excel at the Center of Excellence for the Air Force Material Command. Your mission here is to conduct and support the engineering research, development, testing, and evaluation of aerospace systems; undertaking all the steps and challenges to go from initial concept to final combat readiness.

It is here where you will find the Edwards Flight Test Range: 20,000 square miles of airspace, including three corridors for supersonic flight testing and four areas for aircraft spin testing. There are also highly advanced ground test facilities, like the Avionics and Test and Integration Complex. This is the location of the massive Benefield Anechoic Facility, the largest testing facility of its kind for controlled and complete testing of fully integrated avionics suites in a simulated flight environment.

The Air Force Flight Test Center also operates the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School; supports a variety of non-military government agencies; and serves as the proving ground for the bulk of the emerging combat, combat support, and training capabilities for America's U.S. Air Force.

An extraordinary past, present... and future.
It's not overreaching to say that Edwards AFB has been instrumental in advancing every major milestone in flight for the past 60+ years. The turbojet revolution. The space revolution. The systems revolution. The stealth revolution. The coming unmanned vehicle, sensor fusion, laser revolutions - and beyond.

Learn about our history of achievements and about the engineering history we continue to make today.

History at a Glance

The 1930s - Airmen Arrive
September 1933: The Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range is established by Lt. Col. H.H. "Hap" Arnold.

Throughout the years of World War II, B-24s and P-36s thunder through the Muroc skies.

The 1940s - Strange Shapes in the Sky
October 1, 1942: The Bell XP-59A Aircomet lifts off. The turbojet revolution arrives.

During the postwar years, America's first generation of jets, both Air Force and Navy, undergo testing at Muroc.

October 14, 1947, Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager flies on the Bell X-1 and becomes the first human to exceed the speed of sound.

December 1949: Muroc is renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of Capt. Glen W. Edwards.

The 1950s - The Golden Age of Flight Test
June 25, 1951: The base test community is designated the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center.

November 20, 1951: Scott Crossfield becomes the first man to reach Mach 2.

Less than a month later, Major Chuck Yeager sets a new record of Mach 2.44 (1,650 mph).

September 1956: Captain Iven Kincheloe becomes the first man to soar above 100,000 feet.

September 27, 1956: Captain Mel Apt becomes the first human to exceed Mach 3.

The 1960s - The Space Age
The X-15 becomes the first, and so far the only, airplane to fly in near space.

The highly modified X-15A-2 reaches a top speed of Mach 6.72 (4,520 mph), which remains the highest speed ever to be attained by an airplane.

The mysterious Blackbird, described as the first-generation "stealth" aircraft, routinely cruises at speeds in excess of Mach 3 and at altitudes well above 80,000 feet.

Modern Skies
The 1970s: New aircraft types arise - the F-15 Eagle, the single engine F-16 Falcon, and the B-1 Lancer.

1978 and 1979: Testing leads to the development of the F-117A Nighthawk. The stealth revolution is underway.

10:20 AM, April 14, 1981: The wheels of the Space Shuttle Columbia touch down at Edwards. The era of renewable space vehicles has dawned.

The B-2 Spirit, representing third-generation stealth technology, is introduced in the late 1980's.

The YF-22A and the YF-23A become the first airplanes to blend stealth with agility and high-speed supersonic cruise capability.

February 1998: The Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial vehicle later used in Afghanistan, makes its first flight at Edwards.

October 2000: The X-35A and the X-32A, competing models for the Joint Strike Fighter program (JSF), make their test flights.

Today
The chosen model of the Joint Strike Fighter is preparing for testing of all its systems and technologies to ready it for final deployment.

The Airborne Laser is continuing its march to redefine aerial combat forever.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are stretching remote flight capabilities to unimagined levels.

Sensor-fusion technologies are driving new breakthroughs.

The next generation of yet-to-be-revealed technologies is destined for Edwards. (We'll tell you more when you get here.)