Luke Air Force Base

Location of LAFB in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Luke Air Force Base (IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF) is a large Air Force Base located west of Phoenix on the outskirts of the city of Glendale, Arizona.

Overview

The base is named for the first aviator to receive the Medal of Honor– Lt. 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. 29, 1918.

The 56th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Luke. It is part of [[Air Education and Training Command]. The wing is composed of four groups, 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

• 56th Operations Group (OG)

  The 56th OG has operational control and responsibility for the entire fighter-training mission at Luke. The tail code of the assigned F-16 aircraft to the 56 OG is "LF". Squadrons and aircraft tail markings are:

  • 21st Fighter Squadron "Gamblers" (white)
  • 308th Fighter Squadron (green/white chex)
  • 309th Fighter Squadron "Wild Ducks" (blue)
  • 310th Fighter Squadron "Tophats" (green)
  • 425th Fighter Squadron (black)
  • 61st Fighter Squadron "Top Dogs" (yellow)
  • 62d Fighter Squadron "Spike" (white)
  • 63d Fighter Squadron (red)
  • 56th Operations Support Squadron
  • 56th Training Squadron

• 56th Maintenance Group (MXG)

  The 56th MXG provides aircraft maintenance on more than 180 F-16s for the Air Force's only active duty F-16 training wing.

• 56th Mission Support Group (MSG)

  The 56th MSG sustains the F-16 Fighting Falcon, provides for the community, and delivers responsive combat support.

• 56th Medical Group (MDG)

  The 56th MDG is an outpatient only Medical Treatment Facility, which serves more than 84,000 beneficiaries in the Phoenix area.

• 
  Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D-3-CV Corsair II (68-6226) of the 310th TFTS, May 1971.
• 
  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 Host Units Assigned

United States Army Air Forces

• 74th Air Base Gp (15 June 1941 - 31 July 1942)
• 668th Air Base Sq (1 Aug 1942 - 30 Jun 1944)
• 3028th AAF Base Unit (1 Jul 1944 - 30 Nov 1946)

United States Air Force

• 127th Air Base Gp (1 Feb 1951 - 31 Oct 1952)
  (Manned by AZ and MI ANG Personnel)
• 3600th Air Base Gp (1 Nov 1952 - 30 Jun 1958)
• 4510th Air Base Gp (1 Jul 1958 - 15 Oct 1969)
• 58th Tactical Fighter Wing (15 Oct 1969 - 1 Apr 1994)
• 56th Fighter Wing (1 Apr 1994 - Present)

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. The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres (6 km²) of land which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective March 24, 1941. On March 29, 1941, the Del. E. Webb Construction Co. began excavation for the first building at what was know 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. Advanced flight training in the AT-6 began at Luke in June that same year. 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.” 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. 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. 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.

References

• FAA Airport Form 5010 for LUF PDF
• GlobalSecurity.org (source of history)

External links

• Luke Air Force Base (official web site)
• Luke AFB Services Squadron
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAA airport information for LUF
  • AirNav airport information for KLUF
  • ASN accident history for LUF
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLUF