Page 6 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, Oct 5 2018

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October 2018 56Th operaTions group Thunderbolt www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb http://www.luke.af.mil
550th Fighter Squadron Silver Eagles
Mission: Train the world’s best air superiority combat pilots, maintainers and support spe- cialists while developing air dominance advocates for the U.S. Air Force.
Vision: The Air Force’s Ex-
ample Total Force Integration
Team — powered by Airmen — fu-
eled by innovation.
Demographics: Eleven instructor pilots, 63 main- tainers, 16 base operational support personnel, one flight surgeon, three contractors (medical, training, standardization and evaluation)
Leadership
Commander: Lt. Col. Julius romasanta
Director of operations: Lt. Col. Matthew Thomas Responsibilities: The 550th FS is an active associa- tion unit working alongside the 173rd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard at Kingsley Field, Or- egon. The 550th FS is the largest fighter squadron in Air Education Training Command and responsible for training more than 60 F-15C pilots and 25 intel- ligence specialists per year while executing more than 4,000 sorties and 4,900 flying hours annually. Fun facts: The 550th FS activated as the 550th Night Fighter Squadron during WWII and served in New Guinea and the Philippines before being deactivated in 1945. The squadron reactivated in 1970 at Luke, deactivated in 1995 and reactivated in 2017 at Kingsley Field, Oregon.
56th Training Squadron
Mission: Train the world’s greatest F-35 and F-16 pilots by providing peerless instruction, virtual train- ing and training systems manage- ment.
Demographics: There are 16 offi- cers, nine government civilians and more than 200 contract employees. Leadership
Commander: Lt. Col. Matthew Hayden
Director of operations: Lt. Col. Andy Pitts (F-35) and Lt. Col. Nathan Harrold (F-16)
Responsibilities: Building the future of airpower, the TrS provides 100 percent of the Air Force’s ini- tially qualified F-35 pilots and more than 60 percent of the initially qualified F-16 pilots, totaling almost one-half of all the Air Force’s fighter pilots each year. It conducts the world’s finest instruction in aircraft systems, air-to-air, air-to-ground, suppres- sion of enemy air defenses fundamentals, special missions and high performance aircraft physiology. Additionally, the TrS manages all lesson content, courseware, aircrew training devices, graduation evaluation program, and the 56th Fighter Wing’s programmed flying training for 13 F-16 and F-35 training syllabi executed across three geographically separated training locations.
Fun facts: Our contract employees have survived more than 4,500 hours of aerial combat and have been awarded 12 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 98 Air Medals and one Purple Heart.
61st Fighter Squadron Top Dogs
Mission: We build the future of airpower. Demographics: Eleven assigned instructor pilots, eight enlisted, one flight surgeon, one civilian and
19 attached instructor
pilots.
Leadership
Commander: Lt. Col. rhett Hierl- meier
Director of operations: Lt. Col. Christopher Marslender
Responsibilities: Provides world-class instruc- tion to F-35 student pilots. Integrates Austra- lian F-35s and F-35 instructor pilots into daily operations. Establishes the training system foundation for the U.S. Air Force and seven F-35 partner nations. Creates common tactics, training profiles and syllabi to be used by all partner nations while meeting the needs of the Combat Air Force. Advances the F-35 program and supports efforts to achieve F-35 initial operating capability.
Fun facts: Before each sortie, Top Dog pilots and maintainers render the Top Dog Salute, signified by wiping the blood of the fresh kill with the back of the hand across the jowl, then raising a “Number 1” to signify the first World War II fighter squadron with 100 kills and the most combat aces.
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