AZ Mil Hist 2

The History of Luke AFB And now you know – “The Rest of the Story”

Luke Air Force Base (AFB) is the largest fighter training base in the western world located in the 12th largest metropolitan area in the . Boasting more than 138 aircraft and approximately 5,600 active-duty and reserve military members and civilian employees, the base has produced over 60,000 pilots for America's Combat Air Force since 1941.

Located west of Phoenix, Arizona, Luke AFB is home to the 56th Fighter , the largest fighter wing in the world and the only US Air Force active-duty F- 16 training wing. As part of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command, and home to 23 squadrons with both F-35A Lightning II aircraft and F-16s, the 56th graduates more than 400 F-16 pilots and 300 air control professionals annually.

The wing is also responsible for three additional squadrons under the 54th Fighter Group located at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, where F-16 training will move as Luke AFB transitions to become the sole pilot training center for the new F-35. The F-35, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is a fifth-generation intended to be the Air Force's premier strike aircraft through the first half of the 21st Century. It is a multirole fighter that is expected to eventually phase out the service's F-16s and A-10s. In addition to Luke, the oversees the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is steward of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1.8 million acres of Sonoran desert.

The base is named for the first aviator to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor--2d Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Born in Phoenix in 1897, the "Arizona Balloon Buster" scored 18 aerial victories during World War I (14 of these were German observation balloons) in the skies over France before being killed, at age 21, on Sept. 29, 1918. Lt. Luke’s biography will be reviewed in more detail on the chapter web site in a later article.

The Luke AFB story began over 75 years ago. On August 8, 1940, the same day the Battle of Britain began, President Franklin D. Roosevelt directed the US military to produce 12,000 pilots annually. In response to that order, the Army Air Corps conducted feasibility studies for the construction of eight new airfields. On February 13, 1941, Phoenix City Manager Donald C. Scott announced that the War Department had approved a site two miles north of the town of Litchfield Park, Arizona, for the construction of an advanced single engine flying training base.

The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres of land, which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective March 24, 1941. On March 29, 1941, the Del. E.

1 Webb Construction Co. began excavation for the first building at what was known then as Litchfield Park Air Base. The site not only had almost year-round flying weather, but it also enjoyed proximity to vast stretches of Sonoran Desert that were ideal for bombing and gunnery practice. Two days later, Lt Col Ennis C. Whitehead arrived in the area to supervise construction of the base and to act as its first commander.

Another base known as Luke Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, released its name when the base was transferred to the Navy in June 1941. The fledgling Arizona base was then named Luke Field, at the request of Lt. Col. Whitehead, who went on to become an Air Force lieutenant general as commander of Air Defense Command in 1950.

The Original Luke Main Gate

The first class of 45 students, Class 41 F, arrived June 6, 1941 to begin advanced flight training in the AT-6, although only a few essential buildings had been completed. Flying out of Sky Harbor Airport until the Luke runways were ready, pilots received 10 weeks of instruction and the first class graduated Aug. 15, 1941. Capt. Barry Goldwater served as director of ground training the following year. One of the students trained at Luke was the singing cowboy, Gene Autry, whose story was told in the previous article.

An integral part of Luke's fighter pilot training mission is the vast nearby desert training range. In use since September 1941, the range consists of 1.8 million acres of relatively undisturbed Sonoran Desert southwest of between Yuma and Tucson south of Interstate 8. The range was later named for

2 Major General Barry M. Goldwater, USAF Reserve, the aforementioned director of ground training, who also served as a five-term US Senator from Arizona.

The range complex is the nation’s second largest military reservation. Roughly the size of Connecticut, the immense size of the complex allows for simultaneous training activities on nine air-to-ground and two air-to-air ranges. Its great, unpopulated expanse and superb flying weather allows pilots to safely push their airplanes to the limit.

During World War II, Luke was the largest fighter training base in the Army Air Corps, graduating more than 17,000 fighter pilots from advanced and operational courses in the AT-6, P-38, P-40, and P-51 aircraft, earning the nickname, "Home of the Fighter Pilot." By February 7, 1944, pilots at Luke had achieved a million hours of flying time. By 1946, however, the number of pilots trained dropped to 299 and the base was deactivated November 30 that year.

Soon after combat broke out in Korea, Luke field was reactivated on February 1, 1951 as Luke Air Force Base, part of Air Training Command under a reorganized U.S. Air Force. Students progressed from the P-51 Mustang to the F-84. Flying training at Luke changed to the F-100, and on July 1, 1958, the base was transferred from Air Training Command to . Luke continued its tradition of providing fighter training for allied nations when an F-104 program for German Air Force pilots and a program in the F-5 for pilots from Third world nations began in 1964.

Also during this period, on June 1, 1953, the Air Force activated the new 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke. The unit adopted the name “Thunderbirds,” influenced in part by the strong Native American culture and folklore from the southwestern United States where Luke is located. The team would perform precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force high performance aircraft to people throughout the world. (You might have seen their flyover at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale on 1 February 2015.) The Thunderbirds were based at Luke until they moved to their present home at Nellis AFB, Nevada in June 1956 to simplify logistics and maintenance for the aircraft.

During the 1960s, thousands of American fighter pilots left Luke to carve their niche in the annals of Air Force history in the skies over Vietnam. In July 1971, the base received the F-4C Phantom II and assumed its role as the main provider of fighter pilots for Tactical Air Command and fighter forces worldwide. In November 1974, the Air Force's newest air superiority fighter, the F-15 Eagle, came to Luke. It was joined in December 1982 by the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which officially began training fighter pilots February 2, 1983.

Luke units continued to set the pace for the Air Force. The 58th Tactical Training Wing (TTW) had two squadrons--the 312th and 314th Tactical Fighter Training Squadrons - conducting training in the newest C and D models of the

3 Fighting Falcon. The 405th TTW received the first E model of the F-15 Eagle in 1988 and two of its squadrons-the 461st and 550th-began training in this dual-role fighter.

In July 1987, the Reserve function at Luke changed when the 302nd Special Operations Squadron deactivated its helicopter function and the 944th Tactical Fighter Group was activated to fly the F-16C/D.

The early 1990s brought significant changes to the base. The F-15A and B models were transferred out, and the 58th TTW, being the senior wing at Luke, was re-designated the 58th Fighter Wing and once again became the host unit at Luke.

In April 1994, after 24 years at Luke, the 58th Fighter Wing was replaced by the 56th, as part of the Air Force Heritage program. Air Force officials established the program to preserve Air Force legacy and history during a time of military draw down. The 56th FW is one of the most highly decorated aviation units in history and has a legacy tracing back to 1941. Since then, the 56th FW has moved a number of times and has undergone a few name changes before arriving at Luke AFB April 1, 1994.

The US Marine Corps came to Luke on September 12, 2009. Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) Bulk Fuel Company Charlie (BFCC) brought roughly 30 full- time personnel and 320 part-time reservists who drill on weekends once a month. The MARFORRES BFCC mission is to provide fuels storage and distribution to elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force and individual combat-ready augmentees to gaining force commanders. The BFCC operations and training concept is to conduct field drill periods at Luke Auxiliary Field No. 1 and other off- base locations throughout Arizona.

On March 30, 2012, the standup of the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) also brought the US Navy to Luke Air Force Base. The NOSC mission is to provide administrative, medical and training support to 19 U.S. Navy Reserve units. NOSC also provides casualty assistance calls to support the families of Arizona Sailors and funeral honors support to Arizona Navy veterans. The unit provides Navy public affairs support such as attending community events. It supports more than 750 Navy Reservists in 16 units with a full time staff of 20 active-duty and civilian members.

The 56th Fighter Wing conducted a change of mission ceremony on May 21, 2015, formally incorporating the F-35 Lightning II as part of the wing's new mission statement. The change in the mission statement is historical for Luke because the base has been an F-16 Fighting Falcon installation for 19 years. The 56th FW last changed its mission 25 years ago.

Luke currently has 23 F-35s and by 2024, Luke is scheduled to have six fighter squadrons and 144 F-35s. The 62nd Fighter Squadron stood up in June 2015

4 as Luke's second F-35 squadron. In the next few years, 10 other countries are planning to conduct F-35 training at Luke, including Norway, Italy, Turkey, Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea. Australia has already arrived and is flying with the .

In addition to flying and maintaining the F-35, Luke Airmen also deploy to support on-going operations in Afghanistan and to combatant commanders in other locations around the world. In 2012, more than 370 Luke Airmen deployed.

Luke AFB began as Litchfield Park Air Base with a very important new mandate to support our nation’s defense. As the threat, the mission, and the base have evolved over the years, Luke has continued to fulfill this mandate with impressive precision. The nation has recognized Luke’s unfailing reliability by awarding the same responsibility to Luke for the new F35 fighter.

Note: The information presented here has been derived from various sections on the US Air Force web sites of the 56th Fighter Wing/Public Affairs and the Air Force Thunderbirds. – Fred Williams, LTC, USAF (R)

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