This Elite B-2 Stealth Bomber Test Unit’s Challenge Coin May Be The Coolest Ever

Updated Feb 6, 2019 3:38 AM EST

We talk a lot about unit patches here on The War Zone, but challenge coins, aka ’round metal objects,’ or RMOs, are as equally interesting and are a major part of military aviation culture and tradition. There are seemingly a limitless number of features that can be included on a challenge coin outside of their basic traits, which usually include the unit’s designation, colors, mascot, nickname, mottos and slogans, symbology, and references to its history and lore. But of all the RMOs I have seen, the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron Detachment Two, which deals with testing the fearsome and sinister B-2 Spirit , has the coolest.

For those not yet in the know, it is worth reviewing the history of the challenge coin and how they are used in practice. F-22 pilot Rob Burgon, author of “Piano Burning and Other Fighter Pilot Traditions” has a website that has a good primer on this awesome topic that you can and should read here .

Officially speaking, the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron is part of the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, but it spends most its time far west of that location. This includes primarily operating out of the B-2’s home base at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, plowing the range complexes and working out of Nellis AFB in southern Nevada , and visiting Edwards AFB and the nearby Plant 42 in California as well.

The squadron has deeper roots than the vast majority of USAF units, with its establishment dating back exactly 100 years. The 72nd even deployed to France during World War I. Since then it has taken on various roles, including being a bomber squadron during World War II and a reconnaissance squadron and once again a bomber squadron during the Cold War. The unit stood-up in its current form as the B-2’s test and evaluation unit, dealing with virtually all forms of the prized bomber’s evolution and sustainment, in 1998.

A patch from World War II while the unit was flying B-24 Liberators over the Pacific. From the website description: “These patches probably date to late 1942 or early 1943 when the 5th Bomb Group was attached to the 13th Air Force… A banner beneath the death’s-head reads KIAI O KA LEWA (“Guardians of the upper regions”: Hawaiian).”, Flyingtigerantiques.com

Their absolutely wicked emblem harkens back to at least 1924 and is one of the most striking crests in the entire U.S. military. The official description of the emblem states:

“Sable, three storm clouds one and two issuing to base from the upper cloud and behind the sinister cloud two lightning flashes palewise forming the numeral “72” Argent; all within a diminished bordure of the last. Approved on 14 Feb 1924.”

The testers of the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron Detachment Two have incorporated this emblem and a whole load of other symbology—and even functionality—into their challenge coin. Here are the features of the coin as far as our sources describe them and as we understand them:

The iconic skyline of Las Vegas is seen as well as a stylized aeronautical chart. The unit’s official name and the 72nd TES lightning bolt logo are also prominently displayed, as well as the aircraft they test—the B-2 Spirit—in both quartering and planform perspectives. ‘DET 2’ refers to ‘Detachment Two,’ a sub-unit that deals with the evaluation and reporting aspects of B-2 testing, especially in regards to the aircraft’s stealthy capabilities. ‘Coyotes’ is the unit’s nickname . ‘Deny, Deceive, Destroy’ and the post office motto ‘neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds’ is aptly showcased in Latin.

‘Survivability’ refers to the various elements of the stealthy B-2 that allow it to penetrate enemy air defenses and come out intact to fly another day. These include a whole cocktail of capabilities ranging onboard sensors, to electronic warfare, to mission planning systems. Yet the aircraft’s exotic shape and radar absorbing coatings are its primary low-observable features, so it’s not a surprise to see the sigma symbol after ‘survivability’ as it represents the measurement of an aircraft’s radar cross-section.

The alien is a common tongue and cheek reference to secretive programs at Area 51 where the Dynamic Coherent Measurement System (DYCOMS) and its managerie of antenna arrays are located. This system is similar to a static radar-cross section test range but it can collect data on real aircraft as they whiz by above at different angles. The B-2 is known to use this installation relatively regularly.

The 509th Bomb Wing, which flies the B-2 operationally, also has a connection with the whole alien thing as they were the unit based at Roswell New Mexico during the time of the infamous ‘flying saucer crash’ that now has a life of its own within American popular culture., Ebay

The claws with talons and red glowing eyes make up the logo of the B-2 Combined Test Force. The five stars plus the triangle in the center most likely refers to Area 51 as six stars are established cryptic symbology that represents the base. In this case, one star is replaced with the triangular shape which matches the large rotating tower array located at the DYCOMS facility on the secretive installation. The meaning of the other five stars isn’t clear at this time.

Finally, we have the coolest part of this killer design—the negative space below the B-2’s sawtooth trailing edge isn’t just there for great aesthetics. This RMO is also a very usable bottle opener! This feature is not unheard of on challenge coins, but the B-2’s trailing edge makes it ideal for such a function without looking like, well, a bottle opener. Making it even cooler, certain features of the coin, like the alien, glow in the dark as well.

So there you have it, a highly specialized subset of an elite but seldom talked about Air Force unit happens to have one hell of a challenge coin.

Well done guys, we didn’t even see it comin’—but I guess you are kind of used to that!

What awesome challenge coins have you seen? Share them and let’s discuss in the comments section below.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2019年2月6日凌晨3:38。

在“战区”网站上，我们经常讨论部队臂章，但挑战币，也就是所谓的“圆形金属物件”（RMO），同样引人入胜，是军事航空文化和传统的重要组成部分。除了部队的基本特征（通常包括部队番号、颜色、吉祥物、昵称、座右铭和口号、象征符号以及历史传说）之外，挑战币上还可以添加几乎无穷无尽的元素。但在我见过的所有挑战币中，负责测试令人闻风丧胆的B-2“幽灵”轰炸机的第72测试评估中队第二分队的挑战币是最酷的。

对于那些还不了解的人来说，回顾一下挑战币的历史及其在实践中的应用是很有必要的。F-22战斗机飞行员罗伯·伯根（Rob Burgon）是《钢琴焚烧和其他战斗机飞行员传统》（Piano Burning and Other Fighter Pilot Traditions）一书的作者，他的网站上有一篇关于这个精彩主题的入门文章，你可以在这里阅读。

官方意义上讲，第72测试评估中队隶属于佛罗里达州埃格林空军基地的第53联队，但其大部分时间都在该基地以西很远的地方活动。这包括主要在密苏里州怀特曼空军基地（B-2轰炸机的母基地）开展行动，在内华达州南部的内利斯空军基地进行靶场作业和相关工作，以及前往加利福尼亚州的爱德华兹空军基地和附近的42号工厂。

该中队的历史比绝大多数美国空军部队都要悠久，其成立至今已有整整100年。第72轰炸机中队甚至在一战期间部署到法国。此后，该中队承担了多种角色，包括二战期间的轰炸机中队、冷战期间的侦察机中队以及再次成为轰炸机中队。1998年，该部队以目前的编制组建，成为B-2轰炸机的测试和评估单位，负责这款珍贵轰炸机几乎所有方面的改进和维护工作。

这是一枚二战时期该部队驾驶B-24“解放者”轰炸机飞越太平洋时佩戴的臂章。网站描述如下：“这些臂章可能产于1942年末或1943年初，当时第五轰炸大队隶属于第十三航空队……骷髅头下方的横幅上写着“KIAI O KA LEWA”（夏威夷语，意为“上层区域的守护者”）。” Flyingtigerantiques.com

他们那酷炫无比的徽章至少可以追溯到1924年，是整个美国军方最引人注目的徽章之一。该徽章的官方描述如下：

“黑色底，三朵暴风云，第一朵和第二朵从上方的云向下延伸，在左侧云的后方，两道闪电呈浅色排列，构成银色数字“72”；所有这些都位于一个逐渐缩小的黑色边框内。1924年2月14日批准。”

第72测试评估中队第二分队的测试人员将这个徽章以及许多其他象征符号——甚至包括一些功能——融入到他们的挑战币中。以下是我们根据消息来源描述和理解得出的该挑战币的特征：

拉斯维加斯标志性的天际线以及风格化的航空图清晰可见。部队的正式名称和第72测试评估中队的闪电标志也醒目地展示出来，他们测试的飞机——B-2“幽灵”——则以四分视和平面图两种视角呈现。“DET 2”指的是“第二分遣队”，这是一个负责B-2测试评估和报告的子单位，尤其关注飞机的隐身性能。“郊狼”是该部队的昵称。“否认、欺骗、摧毁”以及邮局格言“风雨无阻，信使必将完成既定任务”以拉丁文巧妙地呈现在画面上。

“生存能力”指的是B-2隐形轰炸机能够突破敌方防空系统并毫发无损地继续飞行的各种要素。这些要素包括一系列功能，涵盖机载传感器、电子战系统和任务规划系统等。然而，该飞机独特的外形和雷达吸波涂层才是其主要的低可探测性特征，因此在“生存能力”之后看到σ符号并不奇怪，因为它代表了飞机雷达反射截面积的度量。

“外星人”一词通常带有戏谑意味，指的是位于51区的秘密项目，那里设有动态相干测量系统（DYCOMS）及其管理的天线阵列。该系统类似于静态雷达横截面测试场，但它可以收集真实飞机从不同角度飞过时的数据。据悉，B-2轰炸机经常使用该设施。

第509轰炸机联队负责B-2轰炸机的作战任务，它也与外星人事件有着千丝万缕的联系，因为在臭名昭著的“飞碟坠毁”事件发生时，他们就驻扎在新墨西哥州的罗斯威尔。如今，这起事件在美国流行文化中已广为流传。

B-2联合测试部队的标志由利爪和闪着红光的眼睛组成。五颗星加上中心的三角形很可能代表51区，因为六颗星是该基地常用的神秘符号。在这个标志中，一颗星被三角形取代，三角形的形状与位于该秘密基地DYCOMS设施内的大型旋转塔阵列相吻合。其余五颗星的含义目前尚不清楚。

最后，我们来看看这款惊艳设计中最酷的部分——B-2 锯齿状后缘下方的负空间可不仅仅是为了美观。这枚 RMO 还是一款非常实用的开瓶器！虽然挑战币上也有类似的设计，但 B-2 的后缘使其非常适合用作开瓶器，而且外观并不像个普通的开瓶器。更酷的是，硬币上的某些元素，比如外星人图案，还能在黑暗中发光。

所以你看，一支精英但鲜为人知的空军部队中一个高度专业化的子部队，碰巧拥有一枚非常棒的挑战币。

干得好，伙计们，我们都没料到——不过我想你们可能已经习惯了！

你见过哪些很棒的挑战币？请在下方评论区分享并一起讨论。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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