33d Fighter Wing

33d Fighter Wing

The 33d Fighter Wing (33 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida where it is a tenant unit.

The 33 FW is an AETC training unit. Its main mission is to train U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy pilots and maintainers on the F-35 Lightning II. The wing will reach full strength in 2014, with more than 2,000 military personnel and 260 contractors. Annual capacity is planned for 2,150 pilot and maintenance students. A minimum of 59 F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C aircraft supporting Air Force training in the F-35A, Marine training in the F-35B, and Navy and Marine training in the F-35C, as well as international partner training in the various versions of the aircraft.

The 33d Fighter Wing, known as the "Nomads" for its constant travel throughout the world, has a long, distinguished history. The unit was first activated at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico on 15 October 1947, but can trace its lineage to the 33d Pursuit Group that served in multiple theaters during World War II. Throughout the years, the wing has participated in numerous operations worldwide. During the Vietnam War the wing deployed eight squadrons of F-4 Phantoms, scoring two aerial victories. Beginning in 1979, the wing began operating the F-15 Eagle. In the 1980s, the unit took part in Operation Urgent Fury, the rescue of American medical students from Grenada, and Operation Just Cause, the campaign to remove Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. In the 1990s, the wing joined coalition forces for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, scoring 16 aerial kills, the most of any single unit.

Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the Nomads provided armed over-watch throughout North America for Operation Noble Eagle, securing two Presidents of the United States, multiple Space Shuttle launches and other high-visibility events. The 33d Fighter Wing closed its operations with the F-15 Eagle in September 2009 and became the Department of Defense's first F-35 Lightning II training wing on 1 October 2009.