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 wing’s mission is innovative professionals leading advanced, realistic, multi-domain training focused on winning the high-end fight.
The 57th Wing is comprised of the USAF Weapons School, 57th Maintenance Group, 57th Operations Group, 57th Adversary Tactics Group, USAF Aerial Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds), USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School and the 561st Joint Tactics Squadron.
United States Air Force Weapons School
Composed of 19 squadrons, the USAF Weapons School teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide the world’s most advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to officers and enlisted specialists of the combat air forces and mobility air forces. Every six months, the school produces approximately 100 graduates who are expert instructors on weapons and 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. The culmination of the course is Weapons School Integration, a four-week series of combat missions over the Nevada Test and Training Range, where students demonstrate their ability to manage battles of increasing complexity and effectively integrate multiple weapons systems. 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 12 USAFWS squadrons based at Nellis are the 6th Weapons Squadron (F-35A), 8th WPS (EC-130H, RC-135, E-8C, E-3C, CRC and Advanced Weapons Director), 16th WPS (F-16), 17th WPS (F-15E), 19th WPS (Intelligence), 26th WPS (MQ-9), 34th WPS (HH-60G/HC-130J), 57th WPSS (Operational Support), 66th WPS (A-10C/JTAC), 315th WPS (ICBM), 328th WPS (Space/Cyber) and 433rd WPS (F-15C/F-22).
The seven geographically separated units include the 14th WPS at Hurlburt Field, Florida, (AC-130/MC-130/U-28), 29th WPS at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, (C-130), which also has the 29th Detachment at Rosecrans ANGB, 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).
57th Operations Group educates, exercises, and advocates the integration of airpower into the joint fight and supports the preparation of the combat air forces’ maintainers and aircrews. To execute its mission, the 57th OG oversees operations of six squadrons and two detachments located at Nellis AFB and four geographically separated locations.
414th Combat Training Squadron conducts exercise Red Flag, a realistic multi-domain 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.
549th Combat Training Squadron, in conjunction with the 12th 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.
6th Combat Training Squadron, in conjunction with its detachment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 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/Host Aviation Resource Management activities. They provide Air Traffic Control capabilities that enable flying units to conduct advanced operational test, tactics development and training missions. They’re also responsible for radar, airfield and weather systems maintenance, flight simulator operations/training, and weapons support.
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 U.S. Army’s National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.
548th Combat Training Squadron, along with its detachment at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 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, Louisiana.
57th Adversary Tactics Group boasts the worlds’ most capable and professional aggressor force to train U.S. personnel and coalition partners during exercises and deployments, while overseeing U.S. Air Force-wide Air, Air Defense, Space and Information Aggressor initiatives and threat academic programs. To accomplish this mission, it directs operations of seven squadrons, including three geographically separated units.
57th Adversary Tactics Support Squadron consolidates and coordinates shared elements of the Aggressor mission, allowing the presentation of complete enemy target sets to customers. Additionally, the squadron provides standardization at the Group level for processes and programs common to multiple Aggressor units.
57th Information Aggressor Squadron mission is to know, teach and replicate advanced, realistic and credible adversary cyber and information operations to train U.S. Air Force, joint and coalition personnel and assess DOD weapon systems.
177th Information Aggressor Squadron is an Air National Guard unit located at McConnell AFB, Kansas, that provides operational effects through adversarial replication for the state of Kansas, the Air Force, and the DOD by gaining persistent access and exploiting all forms of Cyber assets using network tactics, close access and intelligence analysis.
64th Aggressor Squadron prepares U.S., allied and partner nation aircrews for aerial combat with accurate and realistic threat replication training. They accomplish this as the U.S. Air Force’s professional adversaries, flying F-16 (64th 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 joint and coalition forces for full spectrum combat operations by providing part-task and fully integrated realistic surface-to-air threat replication, training and instruction.
527th Space Aggressor Squadron operating from Schreiver AFB, Colorado, prepares Joint and Allied Forces to fight in and through contested space environments by analyzing, teaching and replicating realistic, relevant and integrated space threats.
26th Space Aggressor Squadron is an associated Air Force Reserve unit that is collocated with the 527 SAS at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, which prepares Joint Forces and Coalition Partners to fight in and through contested space environments by analyzing, teaching and replicating realistic, relevant and integrated space threats.
57th Maintenance Group
The Air Force’s most complex maintenance group provides on- and off-equipment maintenance for over 140 assigned A-10, F-15C/E, 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/757th 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 accomplishment of scheduled/unscheduled maintenance requirements. The Aircraft Maintenance Units support flying operations for the United States Air Force Weapon School, 64th Aggressor Squadron and Test and Evaluation missions. The AMUs are comprised of aircraft ranging from F-15C/D/E, F-16C/D, F-22, F-35 and A-10.
57th Munitions Squadron is responsible for providing program management, precision measurement, precision diagnostic equipment maintenance and munitions support for A-10C, F-15C/D/E, F-16C/D, F-22A, F-35A and HH-60G aircraft as well as joint and coalition forces. The MUNS Flights are PMEL, Systems, Materiel, and Production.
United States Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School prepares aircraft maintenance, munitions, and logistics readiness leaders for tomorrow’s victories. USAF AMMOS provides the Air Force’s premier advanced maintenance, munitions and logistics training, expanding combat capability through graduate-level education. Graduates are highly skilled tactical and operational maintenance, munitions, and logistics readiness officers and SNCOs, capable of effectively leading aircraft maintenance, munitions, logistics readiness operations at home station or deployed. They can skillfully manage aircraft fleet-health, and overall unit personnel readiness and training challenges to ensure combat-ready weapons systems in support of an air campaign. Graduates plan and execute a unit’s flying hour program and can effectively deploy forces to successfully accomplish expeditionary combat operations. They can also design and execute munitions operations and production. Graduates are charged to effectively share their knowledge as mentors to their senior leaders, peers, and subordinates. They also act as an adviser to wing leadership on aircraft maintenance, munitions, and logistics readiness issues at home station or deployed.
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.
The U.S. 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, see the Thunderbirds Fact Sheet or visit their website.