56th Maintenance Group

The 56th Maintenance Group (MXG) provides aircraft maintenance on 133 F-35s and F-16s for the Air Force’s only active-duty F-35 and F-16 training wing. The 56th MXG generates more than 21,000 sorties compiling 28,000 flight hours per year, which plays a pivotal role in conducting safe and efficient training for more than 300 pilots every year. As the largest maintenance group in the Air Force, the 56th Maintenance Group consists of 2,151 members to maintain the F-35s, F-16s and engine assets. The 56th MXG also directly contributes to Luke’s second mission: training more than 3,000 maintenance technicians and 1,000 mission-ready F-35 and F-16 crew chiefs each year.

MAINTENANCE GROUP STAFF

The Maintenance Group Staff (MXO) accomplishes several distinctively different vital tasks. The group staff consists of Maintenance Training, Maintenance Operations, Quality Assurance and Weapons Standardization. MXO has an administrative relationship with the Air Force Engineering and Technical Services. Additionally, MXO serves as the group’s liaison to the 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 12.

The group staff’s mission is managing fleet health and maintenance programs to train the world’s finest maintainers and pilots. They accomplish this through the following key functions: building, executing and analyzing the maintenance and flying schedule; managing and providing training for all group personnel; and managing key group programs and enforcing standards.

56TH AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE SQUADRON

The 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMS) provides flightline and intermediate maintenance for more than 70 F-35A aircraft. Manned with U.S. Air Force and civilian personnel and contractors, the squadron’s primary focus is to ensure mission-ready aircraft are maintained to support the training mission for U.S. Air Force active and reserve components, F-35 pilots as well as Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Italian Air Force, Turkish Air Force and foreign military sales F-35 pilots. To accomplish this task, the squadron is divided into three aircraft maintenance units supporting their associated fighter squadrons. This squadron’s aircraft maintenance units are the 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Top Dogs,” the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Spikes” and the 63rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron “Panthers.”

756TH AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE SQUADRON

The 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMS) provides flightline and intermediate maintenance for 77 Block 20, 25 F-16C/D aircraft. Manned with U.S. Air Force and civilian personnel and 369 contractors, the squadron’s primary focus is to ensure mission-ready aircraft are maintained to support the training mission for U.S. Air Force active and reserve components and Republic of Singapore air F-16 pilots. To accomplish this task, the squadron is divided into four aircraft maintenance units supporting their associated fighter squadrons. This squadron’s aircraft maintenance units are the 21st Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Gamblers,” the 425th Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Black Widows,” the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Top Hats” and the 310th Aircraft Maintenance Unit “Wild Ducks.”

56TH EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE SQUADRON

The 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron (EMS) provides an essential combination of both intermediate and flightline aircraft maintenance capabilities to support the F-35 and F-16 training missions. Manned with 586 military and civilian personnel, the squadron is organized into five flights: fabrication, maintenance, armament, munitions and aerospace ground equipment. The men and women of the 56th EMS are responsible for providing structural maintenance repair, corrosion control, phase inspections, aerospace ground equipment and armament system maintenance support. The squadron is also responsible for providing munition assets in support of the wing’s pilot training mission as well as to all necessary organizations within the 56th Fighter Wing.

56TH COMPONENT MAINTENANCE SQUADRON

The 56th Component Maintenance Squadron’s (CMS) primary mission is to perform specialized maintenance on F-16 and F-35 components, systems and support equipment. This includes inspection, repair and scheduled maintenance of aircraft propulsion, avionics, pneudraulics and electro-environmental, egress and fuel systems for the Air Force’s largest fighter wing. Additionally, the 56th CMS repairs and calibrates test, measurement and diagnostic equipment used by more than 190 organizations at Luke Air Force Base and throughout the southwestern United States.

The 56th CMS, with a workforce of 285 personnel, is organized into four flights: Propulsion; Accessories; Avionics; and Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment.