- 944th Fighter Wing
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 944th Fighter Wing
caption= 944th Fighter Wing emblem
dates=1 Jul 1987 -Present
country=United States
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Air Force
type=
role=
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=Luke AFB ,Arizona
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=
decorations= TheUnited States Air Force 's 944th Fighter Wing is an initial fighter training (IFT) unit located atLuke AFB ,Arizona .Mission
The mission of the 944th Fighter Wing is to train
F-16 pilots and provide combat ready warriors for the expeditionaryAir Force .History
The 944th Fighter Wing (
Air Force Reserve ),Luke AFB ,Arizona , is one of more than 50 flying units in the U.S.Air Force Reserve . The unit was activated atLuke AFB on1 Jul 1987 . The 944th FW flies theF-16 C/D (Block 32 model). The unit is currently funded and manned for 15F-16 aircraft.The unit reports to Headquarters
Tenth Air Force ,NAS Fort Worth JRB,Texas , theAir Force Reserve Command .The mission of the 944th Fighter Wing is to train
F-16 pilots and provide combat ready warriors for the expeditionaryAir Force . During peacetime, the 944th trains reservists for worldwide deployments and has participated in real-world operational deployments in support ofOperation Provide Comfort II andOperation 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 duringOperation Enduring Freedom . Additionally, approximately 100 reservists were mobilized in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle.The 944th 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.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 reservists that meet one weekend each month. The reservists represent a wide variety of civilian careers, including airline pilots, doctors, engineers, elected officials, teachers, plumbers, mechanics, corporate managers and federal employees.
Assignments
Major command
*
Air Force Reserves (1 Jul 1987 -Present)Numbered Air Force
*
Tenth Air Force (1 Jul 1987 -Present)Previous designations
*944th Fighter Wing (
1 Oct 1994 -Present)
*944th Fighter Group (1 Jun 1992 -1 Oct 1994 )
*944th Tactical Fighter Group (1 Jul 1987 -1 Jun 1992 )quadrons assigned
*
301st Fighter Squadron (1 Jul 1987 -Present)Bases stationed
*
Luke AFB ,Arizona (1 Jul 1987 -Present)Aircraft & Missiles operated
*
F-16 C/D (1 Jul 1987 -Present)External links
* [http://www.luke.af.mil Luke Air Force Base, Arizona]
* [http://www.afreserve.com Air Force Reserves]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.