The 33rd Fighter Wing is a graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II, organized under 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command. It is a tenant unit on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, an Air Force Materiel Command base. The wing also has geographically separated organizations at Tyndall Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Mission
The mission of the 33rd Fighter Wing is to train world-class F-35 pilots and maintainers, air battle managers and intelligence personnel.
Personnel and Resources
The wing is supported by 800 U. S. Air Force personnel, contributing to a total of 1,500 U.S. military, government civilian and contractor personnel assigned to the F-35 Integrated Training Center. Annual student capacity is planned for 100 pilots and 2,100 maintainers by 2018. The first F-35 aircraft supporting U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and international partner training arrived in July 2011. Deliveries will continue through 2018, with 59 total aircraft expected.
Organization
The 33rd Fighter Wing manages the F-35 ITC, training F-35 pilots and maintainers for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, as well as foreign nations. The wing operates five squadrons aligned under the operations and maintenance groups. In addition to these two groups, the Academic Training Center manages the training systems, support centers, classrooms, simulators, and ground training devices.
33rd Operations Group
The 33rd Operations Group is comprised of the 58th Fighter Squadron, the 337th Air Control Squadron and the 33rd Operations Support Squadron. The group stood up the F-35 Intelligence Formal Training Unit at Eglin in 2014 and also operates the Air Force Special Operations Forces IFTU at Hurlburt Field.
The 58 FS "Mighty Gorillas" are authorized to operate 24 assigned F-35A aircraft, planning and executing a training curriculum in support of U.S. Air Force and international partner pilot training requirements. The F-35A is a low-observable, multi-role fighter aircraft armed with fifth-generation sensors and weapons able to perform air superiority, air interdiction and close air support missions. The F-35A made its maiden flight on December 15, 2006, and first arrived at the ITC, July 14, 2011.
The 337 ACS trains air battle managers for the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Additionally, its members provide command and control support for Tyndall's F-22 Raptor training mission and train international officers for tactical command and control operations.
The 33 OSS "Jokers" provide wing-level operational intelligence training, weapons and tactics, aircrew flight equipment, training and scheduling support for the flying squadrons.
33rd Maintenance Group
The mission of the 33rd Maintenance Group is to deliver safe, reliable and on-time aircraft to support F-35 pilot and maintainer training. The group has oversight of all aircraft maintenance, sortie generation, weapons loading operations and logistics integration for the 33 FW.
The group also consists of two squadrons, the 33rd Maintenance Squadron and the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
The 33 AMXS "Dragons" provide safe and reliable on-equipment maintenance for the 58 FS flying operations with crew chiefs, weapons, and specialist support.
The 33 MXS "Wizards" provide both on- and off-equipment maintenance and oversight supporting F-35 flying operations for the assigned Air Force and Navy flying squadrons. Support is provided by the following flights to ensure continued aircraft availability: accessories (Egress, Fuels), aerospace ground equipment, armament, fabrication (low observable, non-destructive inspection metals tech) and maintenance (wheel and tire).
The Academic Training Center
The ATC is a government-owned, contractor-operated, state-of-the-art 260,000-square-foot facility that provides all academic and simulation training for F-35 pilots and maintainers. Students receive interactive and self-paced lectures on modern, hands-on computer-based systems. They also hone their skills on a myriad of advanced training devices, such as the full mission simulator, a 360-degree F-35 flight trainer, or the weapons load trainer, in which maintenance students practice hands-on maintenance skills on a full-scale model of the F-35 fuselage. The ATC also hosts the Training System Support Center, the nerve center for all F-35 configuration management and course materials (syllabi, aircraft training devices) for the U.S. and partner nations.
Associated Units
The F-35 ITC is home to other collocated units that participate in F-35 training.
Strike Fighter Squadron 101 "Grim Reapers", known as VFA-101, is the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Replacement Squadron that is authorized to operate 15 assigned F-35C aircraft, planning and executing a training curriculum in support of Navy aviator training requirements. The F-35C carrier variant is a low-observable, multi-role fighter aircraft designed to provide unmatched airborne power projection from the sea. The F-35C bears structural modifications from the A and B variants, necessitated by the increased resiliency required for carrier operations. The maiden flight of the F-35C took place on June 7, 2010, and the aircraft was first delivered to the F-35 ITC on June 22, 2013. Strike Fighter Squadron 101 is assigned to Commander, Strike Fighter Wing, US Pacific Fleet, Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.
The 359 Training Squadron is assigned to the 82nd Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas. They conduct technical and military training for U.S. Air Force enlisted initial skills for F-35 crew chiefs, avionics and armament Air Force Specialty Codes at Eglin and non-destructive inspection, aircraft structural maintenance and low observable AFSCs at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The squadron also manages a joint-use $16.5M dormitory for Airmen, Marine and Sailor pipeline students.
Field Training Detachment 19 and the 372nd Training Squadron is also assigned to the 82 TW and provides transition maintenance training to maintainers who are transitioning from other types of aircraft.
The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Detachment at Eglin provides technical and maintenance training for U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy personnel slated for F-35B and F-35C units.