57th Wing
The 57th Wing, as the most diverse wing in the Air Force, provides advanced, realistic, and multi-domain training focused on ensuring dominance through air, space, and cyberspace. The 57th Wing builds innovative leaders in tactics, training and high-end warfighting to ensure world-wide combat air forces are prepared for tomorrow's victories, while overseeing dynamic and challenging flight operations at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 57th Wing is comprised of the United States Air Force Weapons School, 57th Maintenance Group, 57th Operations Group, USAF Aerial Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds), and the USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School (AMMOS).
United States Air Force Weapons School
Comprised of 21 squadrons, the USAF Weapons School teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide the world's most advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to the Combat Air Forces, Mobility Air Forces and Space Forces. Every six months, the school produces approximately 130 graduates who are expert instructors on weapons, weapons systems, as well as air, space and cyberspace integration.
Students are fully qualified instructors, chosen by a central selection board, and among the top of their peers. During the course, they receive an average of 400 hours of graduate-level academics and participate in demanding combat training missions in their respective weapons systems. The culmination of the course is the Advanced Integration phase, a three-week staged battle over the Nevada Test and Training Range, where students demonstrate their ability to effectively employ and integrate multiple weapons systems to defeat complex peer-level adversaries. Upon graduation, the new weapons officers return to the field to serve as unit weapons and tactics officers, providing advanced instruction and battlefield guidance to their commanders, operations officers, and personnel.
The 14 USAFWS squadrons based at Nellis are the 6th Weapons Squadron (WPS) (F-35), 8th WPS (Tac C2/EC-130/RC-135), 16th WPS (F-16), 17th WPS (F-15E), 19th WPS (Intelligence/RQ-4/U-2), 26th WPS (MQ-9), 32d WPS (Cyber), 34th WPS (HH-60G/HC-130J), 57th WPSS (Operational Support), 66th WPS (A-10/JTAC), 315th WPS (ICBM), 328th WPS (Space), 433rd WPS (F-22) and the 561st WPS (TTP). The 7 USAFWS geographically separated squadrons include the 14th WPS at Hurlburt Field, Florida (AC-130/MC-130/U-28/CV-22), 29th WPS at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas (C-130), 57th WPS at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (C-17), 77th WPS at Dyess AFB, Texas (B-1), 325th WPS at Whiteman AFB, Missouri (B-2), 340th WPS at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (B-52), and the 509th WPS at Fairchild AFB, Washington (KC-135). For more information see the USAF Weapons School Fact Sheet.
57th Operations Group educates, exercises, and advocates the integration of airpower into the joint fight and supports the preparation of the combat air forces' (CAF) maintainers and aircrews. To execute its mission, the 57 OG oversees the operations of ten squadrons, eight located at Nellis AFB, and two geographically separated squadrons (three detachments), for a total of five geographically separated locations.
414th Combat Training Squadron conducts exercise Red Flag, a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies that maximizes the combat readiness and survivability of participants by providing a robust, realistic training environment. It is conducted on the vast Nevada Test and Training Range Complex. For more information, see the 414 CTS Fact Sheet. Additionally, they support the Red Flag Rescue detachment at Davis-Monthan, AZ.
548th Combat Training Squadron, along with its detachment at Barksdale AFB, La., executes Green Flag-East exercises, providing operational control, safe employment, and realistic close air support training for tactical aircrews and tactical air control parties at the US Army Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.
549th Combat Training Squadron, in conjunction with the 12 CTS, hosts Green Flag-West exercises, providing close air support training for Joint and Coalition personnel in the integration and employment of air, space, and cyber power in conjunction with ground force operations.
65th Aggressor Squadron, utilizes the DoD’s first 5th Generational Fighter jet, the F-35 to prepare Combat Air Forces, joint and allied aircrews for tomorrow's victories through challenging, realistic threat replication, training, test support, academics, and feedback. They accomplish this as the USAF's professional adversaries, flying aircraft for Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises, USAF Weapons School syllabus support, priority test mission support and road shows that visit various units throughout the CAF.
6th Combat Training Squadron, in conjunction with its detachment at Fort Sill, Ok. and Camp Bullis, TX, provides Air-Ground Warriors education and training in doctrine, concepts, tactics, techniques and procedures by which air and ground forces plan, request, coordinate, and control joint firepower on the battlefield.
57th Operations Support Squadron manages Nellis' diverse airfield, airspace, and flight scheduling operations to enable units to conduct advanced operational, test and training missions. It is also responsible for scheduling, training, weapons, tactics and planning staff functions.
12th Combat Training Squadron readies tactical air control parties, weather teams, and brigade combat teams to execute decisive, world-wide multi-spectrum combat operations during Green Flag-West exercises at the US Army's National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.
57th Information Aggressor Squadron executes cyberspace operations by emulating current and emerging threat capabilities and tactics and providing adversary operational and tactical influence operations and network operations integrated with Air, Space and Ground Aggressors to train the warfighter.
64th Aggressor Squadron prepares Combat Air Forces, joint and allied aircrews for tomorrow's victories through challenging, realistic threat replication, training, test support, academics, and feedback. They accomplish this as the USAF's professional adversaries, flying F-16 (64 AGRS) aircraft for Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises, USAF Weapons School syllabus support, priority test mission support and road shows that visit various units throughout the CAF.
507th Air Defense Aggressor Squadron readies the Combat Air Forces, joint, and allied aircrews with challenging and realistic specialized academics, hands-on-training, and subject matter experts on adversary surface-based threats, composite force employment, and electronic combat to defeat potential adversaries.
57th Maintenance Group is the Air Force's most complex maintenance group provides on- and off-equipment maintenance for over 183 assigned A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22 and F-35 aircraft to support 10 flying programs, and all visiting Red Flag, Green Flag, and operational test and evaluation aircraft.
57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron accomplishes on-equipment maintenance of assigned aircraft, to include aircraft servicing, before and after flight inspections, launch and recovery, munitions loading, and any unscheduled maintenance requirements that occur during the flying day. The squadron's Aircraft Maintenance Units (AMUs) include Tomahawk (F-16C/D), Viper (F-16), Bolt (F-35) and Lightning (F-35).
757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron accomplishes intermediate-level maintenance on aircraft and support equipment components, maintaining avionics, laser guided weapons systems, pneudraulics, fuel systems, engines, measurement/diagnostic equipment, electro-environmental, and egress systems. Squadron AMUs include Strike (F-15E) and Raptor (F-22).
57th Munitions Squadron provides munitions support, equipment calibration, and program management, while managing weapons standardization, quality assurance, manpower, client support, equipment, and facilities for the Nellis maintenance complex.
United States Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School AMMOS executes a graduate-level curriculum comprised of the most advanced training in tactical aircraft maintenance, logistics, and munitions to central board-selected officers and senior non-commissioned officers across all Major Commands to include the Air Reserve Component. It prepares graduates to effectively plan, execute, and teach the deployment, employment, sustainment, and recovery of a Wing aviation unit, anytime, anywhere. They can skillfully manage aircraft fleet-health and overall unit readiness challenges to ensure combat-ready weapons systems in support of an air campaign.
561st Joint Training Squadron hones the warfighter's capability by providing timely tactical lessons learned and current tactics, techniques and procedures to ensure training results in increased readiness and lethality. It is the focal point for a flexible, responsive, and real-time process that collects, vets, disseminates, and integrates relevant and timely information and is a central source for current tactical doctrine and tactical resources.
United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron - Thunderbirds “America's Ambassadors in Blue,” the Thunderbirds plan and present precision aerial maneuvers to exhibit the capabilities of modern high performance aircraft and the lofty degree of professional skill required to operate these aircraft in a precision aerial demonstration. Team members carry out their unique mission as a special salute to their brothers and sisters in arms who are fighting America's battles in air, space, and cyberspace. They have performed for more than 300 million people in all 50 states and many countries around the world.
From mid-March through mid-November each year, the Thunderbirds are on the road, planning and presenting precision aerial demonstrations in one of America's front-line multi-role fighter aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Objectives of the squadron are to demonstrate to the public the professional competence of Air Force members, to support Air Force community relations and people-to-people programs, and to support Air Force recruiting and retention programs. For more information, visit their website at www.airforce.com/thunderbirds.
(Current as of October 2022)