On 2 October 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced a Strategic Modernization Program, which would include the procurement of 100 (LRCA).

Rockwell test pilots flew it for the first time on 31 October 1984, from the Rockwell International assembly plant at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

In December 1990 General Electric F101 engine turbofan blade failures caused the grounding of the B-1B aircraft, requiring additional modifications.

They included systems checks, handling qualities evaluations, and low observable radar verifications.

All flights of the aircraft were made at night without lights and the runway was only briefly illuminated to facilitate landings and takeoffs.

[1] In February and March 1992 the F-117 test unit moved from Groom Lake to Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where Lockheed had produced the aircraft, although some testing, especially RCS verification[jargon] and other classified activity, was still conducted at Groom Lake.

In February 1993, the wing's Director of Operations proposed that the unit be established as the 410th Test Squadron.

On 1 August 2008, with the retirement of the F-117 from the inventory, the last aircraft of the 410th was flown to Tonopah TRA[jargon] for permanent storage and the unit was inactivated.

[2] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency