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Luke Air Force Base


Part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC)


Luke AFB, 1979


Location of LAFB in Maricopa County, Arizona.

IATA: LUF – ICAO: KLUF – FAA: LUF
Summary
Airport type Military: Air Force Base
Owner U.S. Air Force
Location Glendale, Arizona
Built 1941
Commander Brig. An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many The ICAO (ˌaɪˌkeɪˈoʊ Airport code or location indicator is a four-letter Alphanumeric Code designating each airport around A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an Airport, navigation aid, or Weather station, and is used for manned An Air Force Base ( AFB) is a Military base of any of a number of Air forces including the United States Air Force (USAF and the South African Glendale ( is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. Gen. Noel T. Jones
Occupants 56th Fighter Wing
Elevation AMSL 1,085 ft / 331 m
Coordinates 33°32′06″N 112°22′59″W / 33.535, -112.38306
Website www.luke.af.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3L/21R 10,012 3,052 Asphalt
3R/21L 9,904 3,019 Concrete
Sources: official web site[1] and FAA[2]

Luke Air Force Base (IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF, FAA LID: LUF) is a United States Air Force base located seven miles (11 km) west of the central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The United States Air Force 56th Fighter Wing (56 FW is the host wing for Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The term above mean sea level ( AMSL) refers to the Elevation (on the ground or Altitude (in the Air) of any object relative to the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land. A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many The ICAO (ˌaɪˌkeɪˈoʊ Airport code or location indicator is a four-letter Alphanumeric Code designating each airport around The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an Airport, navigation aid, or Weather station, and is used for manned The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A central business district ( CBD) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city Glendale ( is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. Maricopa County (ˌmɛɹɨˈkoʊ̪pə is located in the central part of the U The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [2] It is also about 15 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, Luke AFB is a major training base of the Air Education and Training Command, training pilots in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) was established July 1 1993 with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. Since 1998, there have been 17 crashes with the most recent being that on March 10, 2008 when the F-16 jet piloted by David J. Mitchell crashed. The pilot was able to eject, but was found dead lying by his parachute when personnel arrived hours later.

Contents

Overview

The base is named for the first aviator to receive the Medal of Honor– Lt. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. Frank Luke Jr. Born in Phoenix in 1897, the “Arizona Balloon Buster” scored 18 aerial victories during World War I (14 of these German observation balloons) in the skies over France before being killed, at age 21, on Sept. Frank Luke Jr (19 May 1897 in Phoenix Arizona &ndash 29 September 1918 near Murvaux France) was an American fighter ace ranking second among U 29, 1918.

The 56th Operations Group is the host unit at Luke. It is part of Air Education and Training Command. Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) was established July 1 1993 with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. The wing is composed of four groups of 27 squadrons, including eight fighter squadrons. There are several tenant units on base, including the 944th Fighter Wing, assigned to 10th Air Force and the Air Force Reserve.

The base population includes about 7,500 military members and 15,000 family members. With about 80,000 retired military members living in greater Phoenix, the base services a total population of more than 100,000

Units

The 21st FS is a a USAF squadron that trains pilots of the Taiwanese Air Force, and the 425th FS does the same for the Singaporean Air Force. The 308th Fighter Squadron ( 308 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 309th Fighter Squadron ( 309 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 310th Fighter Squadron ( 310 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 425th Fighter Squadron ( 425 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 61st Fighter Squadron ( 61 FS) is part of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Republic of China Air Force Personnel53000

Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D-3-CV Corsair II (68-6226) of the 310th TFTS, May 1971. The United States Air Force 's 944th Fighter Wing is an initial fighter training (IFT unit located at Luke AFB, Arizona.

McDonnell F-4C-21-MC Phantom (63-7675) of the 550th TFS, 18 Mar 1972.

McDonnell Douglas F-15A-8-MC Eagle (73-0092) of the 555th TFTS, July 1975. Aircraft retired to AMARC 8 July 1991.

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 61st Fighter Squadron taxis prior to a mission during Red Flag-Alaska 07-1 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

History

Major Commands

Major Host Units Assigned

United States Army Air Forces
Litchfield Park Air Base
Luke Army Airfield

United States Air Force
Luke Air Force Base

Note: Luke Army Airfield placed on temporary inactive status (1946-1951)

Operational History

In 1940, the U.S. Army sent a representative to Arizona to choose a site for an Army Air Corps training field for advanced training in conventional fighter aircraft. Air Training Command (ATC is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. Tactical Air Command (TAC it an inactive United States Air Force organization Air Combat Command ( ACC) is a major command (MAJCOM of the United States Air Force. Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) was established July 1 1993 with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. The 58th Special Operations Wing ( 58 SOW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque The United States Air Force 56th Fighter Wing (56 FW is the host wing for Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres (583 ha) of land which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective March 24, 1941. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, On March 29, 1941, the Del. E. Webb Construction Co. Delbert E Webb ( May 17 1899 &ndash July 4 1974) was an American Construction magnate Real estate developer began excavation for the first building at what was known then as Litchfield Park Air Base. Another base known as Luke Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, released its name so the Arizona base could be called Luke Field. Pearl Harbor is a Harbor on the Island of O{{okina}}ahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Advanced flight training in the AT-6 began at Luke in June that same year. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 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.

During World War II, Luke was the largest fighter training base in the Air Corps, graduating more than 12,000 fighter pilots from advanced and operational courses in the AT-6, P-40, P-51 and P-38, earning the nickname, “Home of the Fighter Pilot. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ” By Feb. 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 Nov. 30 that year.

Soon after combat developed in Korea, Luke field was reactivated on Feb. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. 1, 1951 as Luke Air Force Base, part of the Air Training Command under the reorganized U. S. Air Force. Students progressed from the P-51 Mustang to the F-84 until 1964, then the F-104 Starfighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Flying training at Luke changed to the F-100, and on July 1, 1958, the base was transferred from Air Training Command to Tactical Air Command. 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-4 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 first F-16 Fighting Falcon, which officially began training fighter pilots Feb. 2, 1983. Luke units continued to set the pace for the Air Force. The 58th TTW had two squadrons – the 312th and 314th Tactical Fighter Training Squadrons – conducting training in the newest C and D models of the 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. As a result of defense realignments , the 312th, 426th and 550th TFTSs were inactivated as were the 832nd Air Division and the 405th TTW. 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 the Air Force legacy and its history during the defense draw down. The 56th FW is one of the most highly decorated units in Air Force history. Units flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon are the 21st, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 308th, 309th, 310th, and 425th Fighter Squadrons.

See Also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Luke Air Force Base, official web site
  2. ^ a b FAA Airport Master Record for LUF (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20

External links


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