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 . Subordinate organizations . The wing operates three flying squadrons , the Air Force ' s 58th Fighter Squadron ( 58 FS ) , the Navy ' s Strike Fighter Squadron 101 ( VFA - 101 ) and the Marine Corps ' Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 ( VMFAT - 501 ) , along with the 33d Operations Support Squadron , the 33d Maintenance Operations Squadron , the 33d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron , the 33d Maintenance Squadron and the 728th Air Control Squadron . 33d Operations Group ( 33 OG ) 33d Maintenance Group ( 33 MXG ) History . The headquarters of the 33d Fighter Wing became operational upon movement to Otis Air Force Base , Massachusetts , in mid - November 1948 . The wing trained to maintain tactical proficiency and participated in exercises and aerial demonstrations November 1948 – November 1949 . It assumed an air defense mission in December 1949 and provided air defense in the northeastern United States until inactivated in February 1952 . Once again it provided air defense in the northeastern United States , October 1956 – June 1957 , but was non - operational from 1 July 1957 – 18 August 1957 . In April , the wing activated at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida and embarked on a program of tactical training operations to maintain proficiency . It operated a test support division , July 1965 – December 1967 , and a special test squadron , December 1967 – April 1971 , in support of tests for weapon systems , aircraft armament and munitions , and tactical procedures of the Tactical Air Warfare Center . The first Tactical Air Command F - 4D Phantom II s assigned to a combat unit arrived at the 33d at Eglin on 21 June 1966 . The wing also provided F - 4 replacement training from 15 December 1966 – 28 February 1967 . Through deployment of combat - ready tactical components , with personnel and equipment transferred to Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) units upon arrival , the wing provided fresh aircraft and aircrews for the forces in Southeast Asia and in Korea . The wing also transferred two of its combat - ready squadrons to PACAF , the 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron in May 1968 and the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron in April 1969 . The wing ' s last combat - ready squadron , the 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron , deployed to Southeast Asia for combat operations from April – October 1972 and again from June – September 1973 . The wing supported the 4485th Test Squadron of the Tactical Air Warfare Center in weapon systems evaluation program tests from January – December 1973 , and periodically thereafter until July 1978 . Aircrews ferried F - 4Es to Israel in October 1973 . The Wing augmented intercept defense forces of the North American Air Defense Command ( NORAD ) beginning 1 January 1976 – 15 January 1979 and 4 January 1982 – 5 April 1982 . While awaiting delivery of F - 15s , the 60 Fighter Squadron conducted F - 15 mission qualifications training for 18 July Wing from 15 July 1979 – 30 April 1980 . The wing provided personnel and equipment to fly combat air patrols and air intercept missions for contingency operations in Grenada from October – November 1983 , and Panama December 1989 – January 1990 . Modern era . During combat operations while deployed in Southwest Asia from 26 August 1990 – 12 April 1991 , wing personnel were credited with sixteen air - to - air victories . Wing personnel and aircraft continued rotations to Saudi Arabia to protect coalition assets and to ensure that Iraq complied with treaty terms . From 1992 to 2002 the 33d Operations group continued to deploy aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia , Canada , the Caribbean , South America , Jamaica , Iceland , Italy , and Puerto Rico and participated in various operations . The 33 OG lost 13 members in the bombing of Khobar Towers , Saudi Arabia on 25 June 1996 . The 33d Fighter Wing divested itself of its F - 15C and F - 15D Eagle aircraft in 2008 and 2009 and completed the transition from Air Combat Command ( ACC ) to Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) on 1 October 2009 . At the same time , it became the first American F - 35 Lightning II training unit . On 13 January 2011 , the 33d Fighter Wing received four F - 16s from the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB , Arizona . The jets will help establish a " battle rhythm , " as the wing stands up the first Joint Training Center for the fifth generation F - 35 Joint Strike Fighter . In July 2011 , the wing received its first two F - 35A Lightning II aircraft . Components . Wing Group Squadron