| Unit Name: | 57th Wing |
| Dates: | 20 November 1940 – present |
| Country: | United States |
| Branch: | Air Force |
| Type: | Operational Test and Evaluation |
| Command Structure: | Air Combat Command |
| Current Commander: | Brig Gen Richard Goodman |
| Garrison: | Nellis Air Force Base |
| Notable Commanders: | John P. Jumper T. Michael Moseley Joseph Ashy Jeannie Leavitt |
| Decorations: | DUC AFOUA |
The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy into a combat arena to conduct integrated combat operations.
The 57 WG is home to advanced air combat training. The wing provides training for composite strike forces which include every type of aircraft in the USAF inventory. Training is conducted in conjunction with air and ground units of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and air forces from US allied nations. The crews do not come to learn how to fly, but instead learn how to be combat aviators.
The wing was reorganized in 2005 to reflect its current structure.
The 57th OG consists of Aggressor squadrons that replicate adversary threat tactics while training combat air forces aircrews.
64th Aggressor Squadron: 15 Sep 2005 – present
65th Aggressor Squadron: 9 June 2022 – present
57th Adversary Tactics Support Squadron
57th Information Aggressor Squadron
507th Air Defense Aggressor Squadron
547th Intelligence Squadron
Composed of 16 squadrons, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to officers of the combat air forces.
"America's Ambassadors in Blue," the Thunderbirds have performed for more than 300 million people in all 50 states and 60 countries around the world.
USAF's most diverse maintenance group with over 2,200 Airmen, civilians and contractors in 3 squadrons, 8 Aircraft Maintenance Units, 13 flying hour programs and Air Combat Command's largest A-76 backshop service provider contract worth over $230M. Provides sortie generation, munitions and on- and off-equipment maintenance for 132 assigned A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-15 Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35A Lightning II and F-22A Raptor aircraft to support the test, tactics and training missions.
Provides graduate-level instruction to maintenance and munitions officers and senior non-commissioned officers to perform as expert field level logistics leaders.
The Thunderbirds and the USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School report directly to the 57th Wing commander.
See 57th Operations Group for complete lineage and timeline information.
See 57th Adversary Tactics Group and USAF Weapons School for the flying components of the 57th Wing.
See USAF Air Demonstration Squadron for the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.Established on 15 March 1948, the 57th Fighter Wing replaced 57th Fighter Wing (Provisional) in April 1948. It operated Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and several satellite bases, and provided air defense of Alaska, April 1948-December 1950. In addition, the wing provided intra-theater troop carrier and airlift support, 1948–1950, using several attached troop carrier squadrons. In January 1951, it was replaced by 39th Air Depot Wing.
The 57th moved to Nevada and replaced the 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, in October 1969. At Nellis, it trained tactical fighter aircrews, conducted operational tests and evaluations, demonstrated tactical fighter weapon systems, and developed fighter tactics and from February 1970 to October 1979 and operated Nellis AFB for all base tenants. The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron (the "Thunderbirds") was assigned to the wing in February 1974 and has remained an integral part of the wing to present. The 57th assumed operational control of "Red Flag" exercises in October 1979; developing realistic combat training operations featuring adversary tactics, dissimilar air combat training, and electronic warfare. It incorporated intelligence training after March 1980. In 1990 the aggressor mission transferred to 4440th TFTG and later to the 414th CTS. The wing added instruction in hunter/killer counter electronic warfare tactics until 1996.
From 1992–1999, the wing operated detachments at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, and Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, that flew and tested the F-111 Aardvark, B-1B Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress respectively. It added the 66th Rescue Squadron, equipped with HH-60 helicopters, on 1 February 1993, while the squadron was deployed in Southwest Asia. From 1991 to present, the 57th provided combat aircrew capabilities, operating the USAF Weapons and the USAF Combat Rescue Schools, developing techniques and procedures and conducting operational test and evaluation on all major aircraft in the AF inventory.
With the reactivation of the 432d Wing at Creech Air Force Base on 1 May 2007, the elements that comprised the 57th Operations Group, were transferred to the 432nd Wing.
The 57th Adversary Tactics Group, which was established in 2005, merged into the 57th Operations Group on 31 March 2020.[1]
Organized on 20 April 1948
Redesignated 57th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 20 January 1950
Inactivated on 1 January 1951
Activated on 15 October 1969 by redesignation of 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing
Redesignated: 57th Tactical Training Wing on 1 April 1977
Redesignated: 57th Fighter Weapons Wing on 1 March 1980
Redesignated: 57th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991
Redesignated: 57th Wing on 15 June 1993.
Groups
20 April 1948 – 1 January 1951 (detached 10 December 1950 – 1 January 1951)
1 November 1991 –
Attached 1 October 1979 – 28 February 1980
Assigned 1 March 1980 – 1 November 1991
Squadrons
Schools
Brig Gen Joel T. Hall