56th TRAINING WING

The 56th Training Wing, headquartered at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, traces its lineage to its activation during World War II as the 56th Fighter Group. Renowned for its combat achievements in the European Theater, the unit became one of the highest-scoring American fighter groups of the war. Reactivated and redesignated over the decades, the 56th assumed its current role as a premier training wing in 1994, focusing on advanced fighter pilot instruction, especially for the F-35 Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Today, the 56th Training Wing is recognized as the largest fighter wing in the United States Air Force, playing a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of combat-ready pilots.