Air Defense Command Luke AFB

The Air Defense Command at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, was an integral part of the United States’ air defense network during the Cold War. Established in the early 1950s, the command's primary mission was to train fighter-interceptor crews and provide air defense for the southwestern United States. Over the years, Luke AFB hosted several Air Defense Command units equipped with aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre and F-104 Starfighter. As the threat of Soviet bombers diminished and air defense priorities shifted, the Air Defense Command presence at Luke was eventually phased out, with the base transitioning to a primary training center for Tactical Air Command and later Air Education and Training Command.