944th Fighter Wing

944th Fighter Wing
	Members of the 944th Fighter Wing salute as Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander, taxis to the runway Feb. 12, 2007, to depart for Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 302nd Fighter Squadron, which traces its roots to the Tuskegee Airmen, will be inactivated at Luke AFB but will return to the Air Force Reserve Command when it stands up as an F-22 associate unit at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
Active	1 July 1987-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Wing
Role	Fighter Training
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
Tail Code	"LR"
Decorations	AFOUA ; RVGC w/ Palm
Insignia
943d Rescue Group emblem

The 944th Fighter Wing (944 FW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 944th FW is an associate unit of the 56th Fighter Wing, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and if mobilized the wing is gained by AETC.

Overview[edit | edit source]

The mission of the 944th Fighter Wing is to train F-16 pilots and provide combat ready fighter pilots for the Air Force. During peacetime, the 944th trains reservists for worldwide deployments and has participated in real-world operational deployments in support of Operation Provide Comfort II and Operation Northern Watch (Northern Iraq), and Deny Flight/Decisive Edge (missions over Bosnia-Herzegovina), Operation Southern Watch (Southern Iraq) and has flown combat missions over the AOR during Operation Enduring Freedom. Additionally, approximately 100 reservists were mobilized in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle.

The unit reports to Headquarters Tenth Air Force (10 AF) at NAS Fort Worth JRB/Carswell ARS, Texas, and Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command. Within the active Air Force, the wing was previously operationally-gained by the former Tactical Air Command and its successor, the Air Combat Command. It is currently gained by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The unit has an authorized strength of 1,050 personnel. Roughly one-quarter (231) of assigned personnel are full-time Air Reserve Technicians (ARTs) who provide continuity between weekend training periods. The annual payroll comes to almost $22 million. The value of unit resources, weapon systems, capital assets, and inventory comes to almost $300 million. The unit maintains facilities housing over 207,300 square feet (approximately 19.7 percent of Luke AFB facility space). The majority of personnel are traditional reservists that meet during one required weekend unit training assembly (UTA) each month, augmented by numerous additional weekends and weekdays in an additional drill or active duty status. The reservists represent a wide variety of civilian careers, including airline pilots, doctors, engineers, elected officials, teachers, plumbers, mechanics, corporate managers and local, state and federal government employees.

Units[edit | edit source]

944th Operations Group

69th Fighter Squadron

History[edit | edit source]

The 944th Fighter Wing (944 FW) of the (Air Force Reserve Command) at Luke AFB, Arizona, is one of more than 50 flying units in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. The unit was activated at Luke AFB on 1 July 1987. The 944 FW flies the F-16C/D (Block 32 model). The unit is currently funded and manned for 15 F-16 aircraft.

The 944 FW was the first Air Force Reserve fighter unit to fly operational missions with the coalition task force over Northern Iraq in support of Provide Comfort II in 1992-1993. The unit flew 1,090 hours or 308 sorties with only one sortie lost due to maintenance.