56th Fighter Wing
Encyclopedia
The 56th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force
unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command
's Nineteenth Air Force
. It is stationed at Luke Air Force Base
, Arizona
where it also is the host unit.
The 56th FW mission is to train F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers, qualify instructors, conduct conversion pilot training, and instruct forward air controllers, all while deploying mission-ready combat pilots. The wing is home to nearly 140 F-16 aircraft and 24 squadrons, six of which are F-16 fighter squadrons, making it the largest fighter wing in the Air Force. The 56th Fighter Wing graduated 430 basic, instructor, and upgrade F-16 pilots and 650 crew chiefs in Fiscal Year 2010. The wing also trains personnel and maintains resources to meet contingency and wartime tasking.
The wing is one of the most highly decorated aviation units in history, traces its history to the 56th Fighter Group
which was a World War II P-47 Thunderbolt
fighter group. Assigned to Eighth Air Force
in England, the 56th FG flew its first combat missions of World War II on 13 April 1943. During its two-year involvement in the air war in Europe, the group damaged or destroyed 1,598.5 enemy aircraft, while losing only 25 fighters in air-to-air combat. The 56th FG also produced 39 fighter aces.
The 56th Fighter Wing was activated on 15 Aug. 1947. The wing's mission was air defense. The unit wrote another chapter in aviation history 14 July 1948, when its F-80 Shooting Stars made the first ever west-to-east crossing of the Atlantic by military jets. The flight was a month after the Soviets set up their blockade of Berlin, and put the Soviets on notice that this nation had the capability to deploy a large package of military aircraft across the Atlantic in minimum time. The 56th was reassigned to Thailand
on 16 March 1967. While deployed to Southeast Asia
, the 56th not only supported but also conducted unconventional combat operations against an opposing armed enemy force in Laos
.
The commander of the 56th Fighter Wing since September 2010 is Brig. Gen. Jerry D. Harris, Jr.. The Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sgt. Rory L. Wicks.
The 56th Fighter Wing was activated 1 May 1946 at Selfridge AAF, Michigan
as part of the Strategic Air Command
's Fifteenth Air Force
. It included the 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter Squadrons flying Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars.
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, involving 16 of its F-80's. The flight proceeded to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
, Germany, by way of Maine
, Labrador
, Greenland
, Iceland
and Scotland
. Although the operation was not connected with the Berlin Airlift, it did focus world attention on the U.S. Air Force's ability to rapidly deploy jet fighters during a crisis.
's 10th Air Force 1 December 1948 and the mission of the wing's tactical units was shifted to air defense. The unit was redesignated as the 56th Fighter Interceptor Wing on 20 January 1950. Its 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons converted from the F-80 Shooting Star to the North American F-86 Sabrejet in April 1950.
The wing, with the exception of the four tactical squadrons, was deactivated 6 February 1952. The tactical squadrons were reassigned to the new air defense wings as part of a general reorganization of the Air Defense Command.
Almost nine years later, having been redesignated the 56th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), the wing was reactivated at K.I. Sawyer AFB
, Michigan again with an air defense mission. The wing controlled a single tactical unit, the 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo.
From 1 February 1961 to 1 October 1963, the wing was part of the Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector. From 1 October 1963 to 1 January 1964, the wing was an important part of the Duluth Air Defense Sector. Under both sectors, the wing participated in many ADC exercises, tactical evaluations and other air defense operations. The single tactical squadron was placed directly under Duluth Air Defense Sector 16 December 1963, leaving the wing without a tactical mission.
On 1 January 1964, the wing was assigned to SAC and inactivated.
, Thailand
. The unit was designated the 56th Air Commando Wing and had a complex combat mission in the war then raging in Southeast Asia
(see the Wikipedia article on Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base
for more details). Assigned to Thirteenth Air Force
, the wing received operational direction from Seventh Air Force
in Saigon.
The unit was redesignated the 56th Special Operations Wing in 1968. Attached squadrons of the 56th SOW were:
The wing performed combat
in Southeast Asia
from April 1967 – August 1973, and combat support until June 1975, employing a wide variety of aircraft to meet specialized missions. Those missions included interdiction
, psychological warfare
, close air support
, search and rescue
, forward air control
, training Thai
and Laotian
air forces, and helicopter
escort for clandestine
insertion and extraction of personnel in Laos
and North Vietnam
.
During the sieges of Khe Sanh
from February – April 1968, and Lima Site 85
from January – March 1968 where it provided close air support. Wing elements participated in the Son Tay Prison raid
on 21 November 1970 and continued combat in Vietnam
until mid-January 1973, in Laos until 22 February 1973, and in Cambodia
until 15 August 1973.
The 56th assisted in Operation Eagle Pull
, the evacuation of Phnom Penh
on 12 April 1975 and Operation Frequent Wind
, the evacuation of Saigon on 29 and 30 April 1975. During the SS Mayagüez rescue operation
on 15 May 1975, it provided forward air control and helicopter insertion/extraction support.
and nearby Avon Park
Range, Florida
. The 56th assumed the F-4E aircraft of the reassigned 1st TFW. Operational squadrons of the wing were:
The Tail code of the 56th at MacDill was "MC".
The wing conducted F-4D/E replacement training for pilots, weapon systems officers, and maintenance personnel from July 1975 - 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.
With conversion to F-16A/B aircraft from 1980 - 1982 the 56th became the designated unit for transitioning USAF and select allied nation pilots into the new fighter, while continuing to augment NORAD's air defense forces in the southeastern US. The wing provided logistic support to US Central Command beginning in 1983 and to US Special Operations Command
after 1986. It upgraded to F-16C/D aircraft from 1988 to 1990, providing support personnel and equipment to units in Southwest Asia
from August 1990 - March 1991.
led to the BRAC
commissions, and the downsizing of the Air Force to a smaller organization. By 1990, it was believed that the Air Force had five more tactical bases than needed to support the number of fighter aircraft in the revised DoD Force Structure Plan. In evaluating Air Force tactical fighter bases it was decided first to close MacDill AFB in 1993, although under political pressure later it was realigned to a new mission.
The 56th Fighter Wing, due to it's seniority and historical heritage, would remain active. The wing was moved administratively to Luke AFB, Arizona on 1 April 1944, assuming the assets of the 58th Fighter Wing. The inherited 311th FS, 312th FS and 314th FS, all on F-16C/Ds at Luke, were also inactivated and replaced by the 61st, 62d and 63d FS which had relocated from the 56th FW from MacDill in name-only re-designations. With Luke now earmarked as the sole active duty USAF F-16 training base, the 56th was re-designated the 56th Fighter Wing
When the wing moved to Luke AFB, the F-15C/D Eagle air defence training previously conducted by the 58th was moved Tyndall AFB Florida, where the Air Combat Command
Air Defense mission was being reorganized under First Air Force
. The resident Luke F-15E Strike Eagle
squadron training at Luke was to cease later in 2004 with the 461st and 550th Fighter Squadrons being inactivated and their assets transferred to the 4th Fighter Wing
at Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
The 56th Fighter Wing then increased to an allocation of seven F-16 squadrons with the relocation of the 308th and 309th Fighter Squadrons from Hurricane Andrew
battered Homestead AFB, Florida to join the 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 310th and 425th Fighter Squadrons. The 425th FS, being a joint USAF-Republic of Singapore Air Force
squadron providing advanced weapons and tactics continuation training for RSAF F-16 pilots,
The line up of eight squadrons was completed in 1997 with the establishment of the 21st Fighter Squadron to train Taiwanese Air Force pilots. BRAC 2005, reduced the number of F-16 training squadrons to six, with the inactivation of the 63d FS on 22 May 2009 and 61st FS on 27 August 2010, reducing its primary aircraft authorization (PAA) from 201 to 138 aircraft. The Secretary of the Air Force announced in July 2011 that two of the 56th's F-16 squadrons are projected to move to Holloman Air Force Base
, New Mexico
, in 2013 and 2014, redeploying more than 1,000 personnel and 56 aircraft, but remaining assigned to the 56th FW.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
's Nineteenth Air Force
Nineteenth Air Force
The Nineteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base and belonging to the Air Education and Training Command...
. It is stationed at Luke Air Force Base
Luke Air Force Base
Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located seven miles west of the central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is also about west of Phoenix, Arizona....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
where it also is the host unit.
The 56th FW mission is to train F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers, qualify instructors, conduct conversion pilot training, and instruct forward air controllers, all while deploying mission-ready combat pilots. The wing is home to nearly 140 F-16 aircraft and 24 squadrons, six of which are F-16 fighter squadrons, making it the largest fighter wing in the Air Force. The 56th Fighter Wing graduated 430 basic, instructor, and upgrade F-16 pilots and 650 crew chiefs in Fiscal Year 2010. The wing also trains personnel and maintains resources to meet contingency and wartime tasking.
The wing is one of the most highly decorated aviation units in history, traces its history to the 56th Fighter Group
56th Operations Group
The 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
which was a World War II P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
fighter group. Assigned to Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in England, the 56th FG flew its first combat missions of World War II on 13 April 1943. During its two-year involvement in the air war in Europe, the group damaged or destroyed 1,598.5 enemy aircraft, while losing only 25 fighters in air-to-air combat. The 56th FG also produced 39 fighter aces.
The 56th Fighter Wing was activated on 15 Aug. 1947. The wing's mission was air defense. The unit wrote another chapter in aviation history 14 July 1948, when its F-80 Shooting Stars made the first ever west-to-east crossing of the Atlantic by military jets. The flight was a month after the Soviets set up their blockade of Berlin, and put the Soviets on notice that this nation had the capability to deploy a large package of military aircraft across the Atlantic in minimum time. The 56th was reassigned to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on 16 March 1967. While deployed to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, the 56th not only supported but also conducted unconventional combat operations against an opposing armed enemy force in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
The commander of the 56th Fighter Wing since September 2010 is Brig. Gen. Jerry D. Harris, Jr.. The Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sgt. Rory L. Wicks.
Units
The 56th Fighter Wing consists of:- 56th Operations Group56th Operations GroupThe 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
(OG)- 56th Operations Support Squadron
- 56th Training Squadron
- 21st Fighter Squadron21st Fighter SquadronThe 21st Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training for the pilots of Republic of China .-Mission:...
- 62d Fighter Squadron62d Fighter SquadronThe 62d Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training.-Mission:...
- 308th Fighter Squadron308th Fighter SquadronThe 308th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.-Mission:The 308th FS , fly Block 42 F-16C/Ds, wearing the dark green and white checkerboard fin band onducting F-16 Fighting Falcon crew training for active duty USAF pilots.-World War II:Initially...
- 309th Fighter Squadron309th Fighter SquadronThe 309th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training.-Mission:...
- 310th Fighter Squadron310th Fighter SquadronThe 310th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training....
- 425th Fighter Squadron425th Fighter SquadronThe 425th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training....
- 56th Maintenance Group (MXG)
- 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 56th Component Maintenance Squadron
- 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron
- 56th Maintenance Operations Squadron
- 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- Wing Staff Agencies
- 56th Mission Support Group (MSG)
- 56th Communications Squadron
- 56th Security Forces Squadron
- 56th Services Squadron
- 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 56th Civil Engineer Squadron
- 56th Contracting Squadron
- 56th Mission Support Squadron
- 56th Medical Group (MDG)
- 56th Medical Support Squadron
- 56th Medical Operations Squadron
- 56th Dental Squadron
- 56th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
- Flight Medicine Clinic
History
- For additional history and lineage, see 56th Operations Group56th Operations GroupThe 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
The 56th Fighter Wing was activated 1 May 1946 at Selfridge AAF, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
as part of the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
's Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
. It included the 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter Squadrons flying Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars.
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, involving 16 of its F-80's. The flight proceeded to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
, Germany, by way of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Although the operation was not connected with the Berlin Airlift, it did focus world attention on the U.S. Air Force's ability to rapidly deploy jet fighters during a crisis.
Air Defense Command
The wing was transferred from Strategic Air Command to the Continental Air CommandContinental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
's 10th Air Force 1 December 1948 and the mission of the wing's tactical units was shifted to air defense. The unit was redesignated as the 56th Fighter Interceptor Wing on 20 January 1950. Its 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons converted from the F-80 Shooting Star to the North American F-86 Sabrejet in April 1950.
The wing, with the exception of the four tactical squadrons, was deactivated 6 February 1952. The tactical squadrons were reassigned to the new air defense wings as part of a general reorganization of the Air Defense Command.
Almost nine years later, having been redesignated the 56th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), the wing was reactivated at K.I. Sawyer AFB
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. The base, near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, closed in 1995. The county airport, Sawyer International, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled...
, Michigan again with an air defense mission. The wing controlled a single tactical unit, the 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo.
From 1 February 1961 to 1 October 1963, the wing was part of the Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector. From 1 October 1963 to 1 January 1964, the wing was an important part of the Duluth Air Defense Sector. Under both sectors, the wing participated in many ADC exercises, tactical evaluations and other air defense operations. The single tactical squadron was placed directly under Duluth Air Defense Sector 16 December 1963, leaving the wing without a tactical mission.
On 1 January 1964, the wing was assigned to SAC and inactivated.
Vietnam War
Slightly more than three years later, the wing was once again activated, this time at Nakon Phanom Royal Thai AFBNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base , formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is located approximately 365 miles northeast of Bangkok, 9 miles west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The unit was designated the 56th Air Commando Wing and had a complex combat mission in the war then raging in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
(see the Wikipedia article on Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base , formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is located approximately 365 miles northeast of Bangkok, 9 miles west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the...
for more details). Assigned to Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, the wing received operational direction from Seventh Air Force
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
in Saigon.
The unit was redesignated the 56th Special Operations Wing in 1968. Attached squadrons of the 56th SOW were:
- 1st Special Operations1st Special Operations SquadronThe 1st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It operates MC-130 Combat Talon II aircraft providing special operations capability...
: (1967–72) (A-1E/G/H/J Tail Code: TC) - 18th Special Operations: (1971–72) (AC–119)
- 21st Special Operations21st Special Operations SquadronThe 21st Special Operations Squadron is a unit within the 352d Special Operations Group , United States Air Force, United States European Command, and was based at Royal Air Force base RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England.-Mission:...
: (1967–75) (CH-3E, CH-53) - 22d Special Operations22d Special Operations SquadronThe 22nd Special Operations Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force that operated in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War for two years from 25 Oct 1968, until 30 September 1970...
: (1967–75) (A-1E/G/H/J Tail Code: TS) - 602d Special Operations602d Special Operations SquadronThe 602d Special Operations Squadron was a United States Air Force squadron that operated in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.-History:...
: (1967–70) (A-1E/H/J Tail Code: TT) - 606th Special Operations: (1967–71) (U-10D, C-123B, T-28D Tail Code: TO)
- 609th Special Operations: (1967–69) (A-26A/K, T-28D, UC/C-123K Tail Code: TA)
- 460th Reconnaissance: (1970–72) (EC-47N/P)
- 554th Reconnaissance: (1970–72) (QU-22B)
- 23d Tactical Air Support: (1972–75) (O-2A, OV-10)
- 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare: (1972–74) (EC-47)
The wing performed combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
from April 1967 – August 1973, and combat support until June 1975, employing a wide variety of aircraft to meet specialized missions. Those missions included interdiction
Air interdiction
Air interdiction is the use of aircraft to attack tactical ground targets that are not in close proximity to friendly ground forces. It differs from close air support because it does not directly support ground operations and is not closely coordinated with ground units...
, psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
, close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
, search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, forward air control
Forward air control
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to Close Air Support aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller . For NATO forces the qualifications and experience required to be...
, training Thai
Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
and Laotian
Royal Lao Air Force
The Royal Lao Air Force was the air force branch of the Military of the Royal Lao Government in the Kingdom of Laos. The RLAF, along with the Royal Lao Navy, and the Royal Lao Army, were placed under the control of the Ministry of Defense in Vientiane....
air forces, and helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
escort for clandestine
Clandestine operation
A clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed.The United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental...
insertion and extraction of personnel in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
.
During the sieges of Khe Sanh
Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam , between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War...
from February – April 1968, and Lima Site 85
Battle of Lima Site 85
The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the Vietnam People’s Army and the Pathet Lao, against airmen of the United States Air Force 1st Combat Evaluation Group, elements of the ...
from January – March 1968 where it provided close air support. Wing elements participated in the Son Tay Prison raid
Operation Ivory Coast
Operation Ivory Coast was a failed rescue mission conducted in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. Military....
on 21 November 1970 and continued combat in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
until mid-January 1973, in Laos until 22 February 1973, and in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
until 15 August 1973.
The 56th assisted in Operation Eagle Pull
Operation Eagle Pull
Operation Eagle Pull was the American evacuation by air of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 12 April, 1975. At the beginning of April 1975, Phnom Penh, the last remaining stronghold of the Khmer Republic, was surrounded by the Khmer Rouge and totally dependent on aerial resupply through Pochentong Airport...
, the evacuation of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
on 12 April 1975 and Operation Frequent Wind
Operation Frequent Wind
Operation Frequent Wind was the evacuation by helicopter of American civilians and 'at-risk' Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, on 29–30 April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War...
, the evacuation of Saigon on 29 and 30 April 1975. During the SS Mayagüez rescue operation
Mayagüez incident
The Mayaguez incident between the Khmer Rouge and the United States from May 12–15, 1975, was the last official battle of the Vietnam War. The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and who were subsequently...
on 15 May 1975, it provided forward air control and helicopter insertion/extraction support.
Tactical Air Command
Upon return to the United States on 30 June 1975, the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing absorbed the resources of the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing and operated MacDill Air Force BaseMacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
and nearby Avon Park
Avon Park, Florida
Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population in 2009 at 8,824. It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.-History:...
Range, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The 56th assumed the F-4E aircraft of the reassigned 1st TFW. Operational squadrons of the wing were:
- 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron (yellow tail stripe)
- 62d Tactical Fighter Squadron (blue tail stripe)
- 63d Tactical Fighter Squadron (red tail stripe)
- 72d Tactical Fighter Squadron (black tail stripe)
(F-16A/B/C/D Activated 1 July 1981, deactivated 19 June 1992)
The Tail code of the 56th at MacDill was "MC".
The wing conducted F-4D/E replacement training for pilots, weapon systems officers, and maintenance personnel from July 1975 - 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.
With conversion to F-16A/B aircraft from 1980 - 1982 the 56th became the designated unit for transitioning USAF and select allied nation pilots into the new fighter, while continuing to augment NORAD's air defense forces in the southeastern US. The wing provided logistic support to US Central Command beginning in 1983 and to US Special Operations Command
United States Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
after 1986. It upgraded to F-16C/D aircraft from 1988 to 1990, providing support personnel and equipment to units in Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
from August 1990 - March 1991.
Air Education and Training Command
The end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
led to the BRAC
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
commissions, and the downsizing of the Air Force to a smaller organization. By 1990, it was believed that the Air Force had five more tactical bases than needed to support the number of fighter aircraft in the revised DoD Force Structure Plan. In evaluating Air Force tactical fighter bases it was decided first to close MacDill AFB in 1993, although under political pressure later it was realigned to a new mission.
The 56th Fighter Wing, due to it's seniority and historical heritage, would remain active. The wing was moved administratively to Luke AFB, Arizona on 1 April 1944, assuming the assets of the 58th Fighter Wing. The inherited 311th FS, 312th FS and 314th FS, all on F-16C/Ds at Luke, were also inactivated and replaced by the 61st, 62d and 63d FS which had relocated from the 56th FW from MacDill in name-only re-designations. With Luke now earmarked as the sole active duty USAF F-16 training base, the 56th was re-designated the 56th Fighter Wing
When the wing moved to Luke AFB, the F-15C/D Eagle air defence training previously conducted by the 58th was moved Tyndall AFB Florida, where the Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
Air Defense mission was being reorganized under First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
. The resident Luke F-15E Strike Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
squadron training at Luke was to cease later in 2004 with the 461st and 550th Fighter Squadrons being inactivated and their assets transferred to the 4th Fighter Wing
4th Fighter Wing
The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit....
at Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
The 56th Fighter Wing then increased to an allocation of seven F-16 squadrons with the relocation of the 308th and 309th Fighter Squadrons from Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
battered Homestead AFB, Florida to join the 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 310th and 425th Fighter Squadrons. The 425th FS, being a joint USAF-Republic of Singapore Air Force
Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
squadron providing advanced weapons and tactics continuation training for RSAF F-16 pilots,
The line up of eight squadrons was completed in 1997 with the establishment of the 21st Fighter Squadron to train Taiwanese Air Force pilots. BRAC 2005, reduced the number of F-16 training squadrons to six, with the inactivation of the 63d FS on 22 May 2009 and 61st FS on 27 August 2010, reducing its primary aircraft authorization (PAA) from 201 to 138 aircraft. The Secretary of the Air Force announced in July 2011 that two of the 56th's F-16 squadrons are projected to move to Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, in 2013 and 2014, redeploying more than 1,000 personnel and 56 aircraft, but remaining assigned to the 56th FW.
Lineage
- Established as 56th Fighter Wing on 28 July 1947
- Organized on 15 August 1947
- Redesignated 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 20 January 1950
- Inactivated on 6 February 1952
- Redesignated 56th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), and activated, on 28 December 1960
- Organized on 1 February 1961
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 January 1964
- Redesignated 56th Air Commando Wing, and activated, on 16 March 1967
- Organized on 8 April 1967
- Redesignated: 56th Special Operations Wing on 1 August 1968
- Redesignated: 56th Tactical Fighter Wing on 30 June 1975
- Redesignated: 56th Tactical Training Wing on 1 October 1981
- Redesignated: 56th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991.
Assignments
- Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, 15 August 1947 - Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 1 October 1947 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 1 December 1948
- Attached to 26th Air Division [Defense], 10 December 1949 – 19 February 1950
- Attached t0 30th Air Division [Defense], 20 February 1950-
- Eastern Air Defense ForceEastern Air Defense ForceThe Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
, 1 September 1950 – 6 February 1952
- Eastern Air Defense Force
- Remained attached to 30th Air Division [Defense] to 6 February 1952
- Air Defense Command, 28 December 1960
- Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense SectorSault Sainte Marie Air Defense SectorThe Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, being stationed at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan.- History :...
, 1 February 1961
- Duluth Air Defense SectorDuluth Air Defense SectorThe Duluth Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 30th Air Division, being stationed at Duluth Airport, Minnesota...
, 1 October 1963 – 1 January 1964 - Pacific Air Forces, 16 March 1967
- Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air ForceThe Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, 8 April 1967
- Attached to Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
, 8 April 1967 – 26 February 1974 - Attached to United States Support Activities Group/ Seventh Air Force, 27 February 1974 – 30 June 1975
- Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 30 June 1975 - Nineteenth Air ForceNineteenth Air ForceThe Nineteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base and belonging to the Air Education and Training Command...
, 1 April 1994–present
- Ninth Air Force
Components
- 56th Fighter (later, 56th Fighter-Interceptor, 56th Operations) Group56th Operations GroupThe 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
: 15 August 1947 – 6 February 1952; 1 November 1991 – 4 January 1994; 1 April 1994–present
- 1st Air Commando (later, 1st Special Operations) Squadron1st Special Operations SquadronThe 1st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It operates MC-130 Combat Talon II aircraft providing special operations capability...
: 20 December 1967 – 15 December 1972 - 13th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron13th Fighter SquadronThe 13th Fighter Squadron is part of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan.-History:The 13th flew antisubmarine patrols in the Gulf of Mexico from, June–August 1942 and served as an operational and replacement training unit from, April 1942–October 1943...
: 15 January 1976 – 1 July 1982 - 18th Special Operations Squadron: 25 August 1971 – 31 December 1972
- 21st Helicopter (later, 21st Special Operations) Squadron: 27 November 1967 – 30 June 1975
- 22d Special Operations Squadron22d Special Operations SquadronThe 22nd Special Operations Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force that operated in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War for two years from 25 Oct 1968, until 30 September 1970...
: 25 October 1968 – 30 September 1970 - 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron: 15 March 1972 – 30 June 1975
- 61st (later, 61st Tactical Fighter Training) Squadron: 30 June 1975 – 1 November 1991
- 62d Tactical Fighter (later, 62d Tactical Fighter Training) Squadron: 1 February 1961 – 16 December 1963; 30 June 1975 – 1 November 1991
- 63d Tactical Fighter (later, 63d Tactical Fighter Training) Squadron: 30 June 1975 – 1 November 1991
- 72d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron: 1 July 1982 – 1 November 1991
- 97th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 December 1950 – 20 May 1951
- 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron361st Tactical Electronic Warfare SquadronThe 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 56th Special Operations Wing, stationed at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. It was inactivated on 30 June 1974...
: 1 September 1972 – 30 June 1974 - 554th Reconnaissance Squadron: 15 December 1970 – 30 September 1972
- 602d Fighter602d Special Operations SquadronThe 602d Special Operations Squadron was a United States Air Force squadron that operated in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.-History:...
: 8 April 1967 – 31 December 1970 - 606th Air Commando Squadron: 8 April 1967 – 15 June 1971
- 609th Air Commando Squadron609th Special Operations SquadronThe 609th Special Operations Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The squadron was constituted on 1 October 1942, and was originally designated the 349th Night Fighter Squadron. Its last assignment was with the 56th Special Operations Wing based at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand. ...
: 15 September 1967 – 1 December 1969 - 4501st Tactical Fighter Replacement Squadron: 30 June 1975 – 15 January 1976.
Stations
- Selfridge Field (later, AFB), MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 15 August 1947 – 6 February 1952 - K.I. Sawyer AFB, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 1 February 1961 – 1 January 1964 - Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, 8 April 1967 – 30 June 1975 - MacDill AFB, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 30 June 1975 – 31 March 1994 - Luke AFB, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 1 April 1994–present