Luke Air Force Base

Luke Air Force Base is located in Maricopa County, Arizona, primarily within the city limits of Glendale and 15 miles west of Phoenix. Established in 1941 as Luke Field, the installation was constructed by the Del E. Webb Construction Company on land leased from the city of Phoenix. It is named for Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., a World War I Medal of Honor recipient and flying ace. During World War II, the base functioned as a training facility for the U.S. Army Air Forces, providing instruction for pilots in the AT-6 Texan, P-40 Warhawk, P-51 Mustang, and P-47 Thunderbolt. The base was deactivated in 1946 and reactivated in 1951 under the Air Training Command to support pilot requirements for the Korean War. In 1953, the 3600th Air Demonstration Team, known as the Thunderbirds, was organized at the site.

The base is operated by the United States Air Force under the Air Education and Training Command. The host unit is the 56th Fighter Wing, which trains pilots and maintenance technicians for F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35A Lightning II aircraft. The 56th Operations Group includes the 21st, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 308th, 309th, 310th, and 425th Fighter Squadrons. Tenant units include the Air Force Reserve Command’s 944th Fighter Wing, which operates the 52nd and 69th Fighter Squadrons, and the Arizona Air National Guard’s 107th Air Control Squadron. The installation also hosts the U.S. Marine Corps 6th Engineer Support Battalion and the Naval Operational Support Center Phoenix.

The base hosts squadrons of F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35A Lightning II aircraft. Infrastructure includes the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, a 1.9-million-acre complex used for air-to-air and air-to-ground training operations. Facility assets include a 32,055-square-foot Naval Operational Support Center that contains a drill hall, classrooms, and medical examination areas. The base previously utilized a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center for air defense operations.