56th Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
 F-16 Fighting Falcon with the wing's firstF-35 Lightning II | |
| Active | 1947–1952; 1961–1964; 1967–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Training |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Luke Air Force Base |
| Nickname | Thunderbolts |
| Motto | Cave TonitrumLatin Beware of the Thunderbolt |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brig Gen.David J. Berkland |
| Deputy Commander | Col. Matthew R. Johnston |
| Command Chief | CMSgtJason Q. Shaffer |
| Notable commanders | Philip Breedlove Ronald Fogleman Joseph Ralston Robin Rand Carrol Chandler Perry J. Dahl Henry Viccellio Jr. |
| Insignia | |
| 56th Fighter Wing emblem(approved 19 April 1967)[1] |  |
| Tail code at Luke AFB | LF |
The56th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing in theUnited States Air Force. It is the world's largestLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations. Additionally, it is one of two active-duty F-16 training bases. The 56th graduates dozens of F-35 andGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and 300 air control professionals annually.[2]
Additionally, the 56th Fighter Wing oversees theGila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and theBarry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1.7 million acres ofSonoran Desert.[2]
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The56th Fighter Wing was activated 15 August 1947 atSelfridge Field, Michigan[1] as part of theUnited States Air Force's experimentalwing base reorganization, in which combat groups and all supporting units on a base were assigned to a singlewing.[3] The56th Fighter Group, flyingLockheed P-80 Shooting Stars, became its operational component. The wing base organization was made permanent in 1948.[4]
In July and August 1948, the wing pioneered the first west-to-east jet fighter transatlantic crossing along the northern air route from the United States to Europe,[1] flying 16 of its F-80's from Selfridge toFürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, by way of Maine Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland.[citation needed]
The wing's mission included theair defense of a large portion of the United States. As this mission became more important, the 56th was transferred fromStrategic Air Command (SAC) toContinental Air Command in December 1948, and then to the newly reformedAir Defense Command (ADC) on 1 December 1950. This mission was emphasized when the unit was redesignated56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in January 1950.[1] It converted to theNorth American F-86 Sabre later that year. In a major ADC reorganization, to respond to the command's difficulties under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage,[5] the 56th was inactivated along with its56th Fighter-Interceptor Group on 6 February 1952. Its operational squadrons were transferred to the recently organized4708th Defense Wing.[6]
Almost nine years later the wing was reactivated atK. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan, where it replaced the 56th Fighter Group as Sawyer began to grow in size as SAC's4042d Strategic Wing began to add combat elements, requiring a larger support base. The wing once again had air defense mission.[1] The wing controlled a single tactical unit, the62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying theMcDonnell F-101 Voodoo, which was capable of carrying the nuclear armedAIR-2 Genie.[1][7] At the time the wing was activated, it maintained two aircraft on five minutealert status. In February 1962, in addition to these twointerceptors, one third of the wing's aircraft were placed on fifteen minute alert.[8]
On 22 October 1962, at the beginning of theCuban Missile Crisis, whenPresident Kennedy announced the presence of Sovietintermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba.Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) directed the dispersal of interceptors within the United States. The dispersal plan called forHector Field, North Dakota to be the wing's dispersal base, but ADC's dispersal plan was incomplete andPhelps Collins Field, Michigan became the wing's "interim" dispersal base. The wing sent one third of its aircraft there. All wing aircraft, including those at home and those at Phelps Collins were armed and placed on fifteen minute alert status. The increased alert posture was maintained through mid-November, when CONAD returned the wing to its normal alert status.[9][10]
The wing was assigned to theSault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector until October 1963 when it became part of theDuluth Air Defense Sector. It participated in many ADC exercises, tactical evaluations and other air defense operations.[1] Although the number of ADC interceptor squadrons remained almost constant in the early 1960s, attrition (and the fact that production lines closed in 1961) caused a gradual drop in the number of planes assigned to a squadron, from 24 to typically 18 by 1964. These reductions made it apparent that the primary mission of K.I. Sawyer would be to support SAC.[11] In preparation for K.I. Sawyer becoming a SAC base, the wing's single tactical squadron transferred to the Duluth Air Defense Sector on 16 December 1963,[12] and on 1 January 1964, the wing was transferred to SAC,[13] which inactivated it and transferred its support elements to the410th Bombardment Wing, which became the base's new host.[14]
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The wing was renamed the56th Air Commando Wing and activated atNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base,[note 2] Thailand in April 1967,[1] replacing the 634th Combat Support Group[15] as the mission there expanded. It was assigned the606th Air Commando Squadron, a composite unit flyingHelio U-10 Couriers,Fairchild C-123 Providers,Douglas A-26 Invader andNorth American T-28 Trojans, and the602d Fighter Squadron flyingDouglas A-1 Skyraiders atUdorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.[15] The wing continued to grow, adding the609th Air Commando Squadron, which took over the T-28s and A-26s of the 606th,[16] the21st Helicopter Squadron, which was activated in November withSikorsky CH-3 helicopters[17] and the1st Air Commando Squadron, another Skyraider squadron, which moved to Nakhon Phanom fromPleiku Air Base,South Vietnam in late December.[18] The wing was assigned toThirteenth Air Force, but was attachedSeventh Air Force inSaigon for operational control.[1]
The wing enteredcombat in Southeast Asia as soon as it was activated. It employed a wide variety of aircraft to meet specialized missions. Those missions includedinterdiction,psychological warfare,close air support,search and rescue,forward air control, trainingRoyal Thai Air Force andRoyal Lao Air Force personnel, andhelicopter escort forclandestine insertion and extraction of personnel in Laos and North Vietnam.[1]
TheBattle of Lima Site 85 began in January 1968 and continued through March. The wing provided close air support for the defending forces. While this battle was continuing in Laos, theSiege of Khe Sanh, just across the border in South Vietnam, began in February. The wing continued to support the defenses of both sites through the end of the battles in April 1968. In the middle of 1968, the wing became the56th Special Operations Wing and its various air commando, fighter and helicopter squadrons became special operations squadrons at the same time. Operations at Nakhon Phanom continued to expand as the 602d Squadron moved from Udorn in June[citation needed] and a third squadron of A-1s, the22d Special Operations Squadron, was activated in October 1968.[1]
By late 1969, attrition had reduced the number of A-26 Invaders in the 609th Special Operations Squadron. The squadron was inactivated in December and the remaining planes were returned to the United States.[19]
Wing elements participated in theOperation Ivory Coast, the Son Tay Prison raid on 21 November 1970. The wing continued combat operations until 1973, ending operations in Vietnam in mid-January 1973, in Laos on 22, and inCambodia on 15 1973. However, after combat operations ended, the wing continued to provide support services at Nakorn Phanom.[1]
Although no longer assigned combat units, the 56th assisted inOperation Eagle Pull, the evacuation ofPhnom Penh on 12 April 1975 andOperation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon on 29 and 30 April 1975. During theMayagüez incident on 15 May 1975, it provided forward air control and helicopter insertion/extraction support.[1] On 30 June 1975, the wing transferred its assets to the656th Special Operations Wing and moved on paper toMacDill Air Force Base, where it replaced the1st Tactical Fighter Wing, assuming its mission, personnel and equipment.[20]
At MacDill, the wing became the56th Tactical Fighter Wing and operatedMcDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs. In addition to acting as host for MacDill, the wing operated nearbyAvon Park Air Force Range, Florida.[1]
The wing conducted F-4D/E replacement training for pilots, weapon systems officers, and maintenance personnel until July 1982. It was equipped with UH-1P helicopters from 1976 to 1987, to support Avon Range logistics needs, search and rescue efforts, and humanitarian missions.[1]
Starting in 1980 the wing began to convert to F-16A and F-16B aircraft, completing the transition in 1982. The 56th became the unit for transitioning USAF and select allied nation pilots into the new fighter, while continuing to augmentNORAD's air defense forces in the southeastern US. The wing provided logistic support toUS Central Command beginning in 1983 and toUS Special Operations Command after 1986. It upgraded to F-16C and F-16D aircraft between 1988 and 1990, providing support personnel and equipment to units inSouthwest Asia from August 1990 – March 1991.[1]
The1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission evaluated the Air Force's need for fighter bases it was decided to close MacDill AFB except for a small communications element and transfer it to another service or agency.[21]
This recommendation was later altered and MacDill AFB remained open, being transferred to theAir Mobility Command and eventually becoming home to the6th Air Mobility Wing and its KC-135R and C-37A aircraft, while the 347th Wing, and later the 23rd Wing, at Moody AFB, Georgia would assume responsibility for the Avon Park Air Force Range and the Deployed Unit Complex (DUC) at MacDill AFB.
The 56th Fighter Wing moved on paper to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona on 1 April 1994,[1] where it assumed the assets of the58th Fighter Wing.
At Luke, the 56th took over the 58th Wing F-16 training mission, but itsMcDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle training mission was transferred toTyndall Air Force Base, Florida.[citation needed]
AfterHurricane Andrew batteredHomestead Air Force Base, Florida, its three F-16 fighter squadrons (307th,308th, and309th) dispersed toMoody AFB andShaw AFB for an interim period. In 1994, the 308th and 309th transferred to Luke and expanded the 56th to become the largest fighter wing in the Air Force. The wing reached its peak in 1997 when the21st Fighter Squadron was added to train pilots for theRepublic of China Air Force. This brought the total number of flying units based at Luke to eight (five active duty F-16 training squadrons, twoFMS F-16 squadrons, and oneAir Force Reserve F-16 squadron) and over 200 aircraft. This number was reduced by two active duty flying squadrons following the recommendations of the2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.[22]
In March 2014, The 54th Fighter Group was activated under the wing[23] to conduct F-16 Fighting Falcon training as the 56th Operations Group transitions to F-35 Lighting II training. The group was established with a single flying squadron, but added a second squadron in 2015.[24] The group consists of approximately 800 personnel, maintains $2.2 billion in F-16 assets and executes a $144 million operations and maintenance budget to carry out F-16 training.[25]
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