Page 18 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt April 7, 2017

18 April 2017 Thunderbolt www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb http://www.luke.af.mil
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by Airman 1st Class ALEXANDER COOK
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
we have taken our pilots and trained them to fly our fighter aircraft.”
to its gro The first The fir
The Air Education and Training Command is vital in its mission to recruit, educate and train today’s Airmen to keep our Air Force mission- ready.
During World War II, Luke Field produced 17,321 graduates from fighter training programs for the U.S. and its allies.
F-15 Eag in 1974 f ond supe Falcon. arrived i Wing w wing Oct service’s In 1991, and four reassign
Luke Air Force Base in Arizona has been a part of the Air Training Com- mand and AETC for approximately half of its lifetime and has been the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force since 1989. While typical wings have three squadrons, Luke has al- ways had four or more.
The base was initially equipped with F-51 Mustang and F-84 Thun- derjet aircraft. In 1957, Luke joined the supersonic age when the North American F-100 Super Sabre was assigned to the base. That was fol- lowed in 1964 by foreign military sales programs, Luke’s first international training partnerships, in the F-104 Starfighter and the F-5A Freedom Fighter.
On Ma landed a riod in t
U.S. Air Force graphic by Michelle Deleon
Air Education and Training Command celebrated its 75th anniversary Jan. 23 — a date much more important in our nation’s heritage than a simple mark in time. Jan. 23, 1942, proved to be the birth of a professional Air Force – men and women pre- cisely selected and trained to fly, fight and win our nation’s wars.
“Even during World War II, Luke was the largest training base,” said Richard Griset, 56th Fighter Wing historian. “The training mission is a great mission, and we’ve done it for a long time. Since the very beginning
The A-7D Corsair arrived in 1969, but was reassigned when the U.S. Air Force decided to make Luke the Air Force’s primary F-4 Phantom II train- ing base. The F-4 was used extensive- ly throughout the Vietnam War due
From t F-35 Lig that is has been of fight then, L
Courtesy photo
A view to the east Feb. 9, 1943, from the control tower of Luke Field revealed completed con- Two U.S. Air Force AT-6Cs fly in 1943 near Luke Field. The AT-6s were the first struction of the base. flown by Luke in 1941.
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