57th Wing The 57th Wing ( 57 WG ) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Warfare Center , stationed at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada . The 57 WG ' s mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy into a combat arena to conduct integrated combat operations . Mission . The 57 WG is home to advanced air combat training . The wing provides training for composite strike forces which include every type of aircraft in the Air Force inventory . Training is conducted in conjunction with air and ground units of the Army , Navy , Marine Corps and air forces from US allied nations . The crews do not come to learn how to fly , but instead learn how to be combat aviators . Units . The wing was reorganized in 2005 to reflect its current structure . It consists of four groups and two direct reporting units to the wing : The Thunderbirds and the USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School report directly to the 57th Wing commander . History . Established on 15 March 1948 , the 57th Fighter Wing replaced 57th Fighter Wing ( Provisional ) in April 1948 . It operated Elmendorf AFB , Alaska , and several satellite bases , and provided air defense of Alaska , April 1948 - December 1950 . In addition , the wing provided intra - theater troop carrier and airlift support , 1948 – 1950 , using several attached troop carrier squadrons . In January 1951 , it was replaced by 39th Air Depot Wing . The 57th moved to Nevada and replaced the 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis Air Force Base , in October 1969 . At Nellis , it trained tactical fighter aircrews , conducted operational tests and evaluations , demonstrated tactical fighter weapon systems , and developed fighter tactics and from February 1970 to October 1979 and operated Nellis AFB for all base tenants . The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ( the " Thunderbirds " ) was assigned to the wing in February 1974 and has remained an integral part of the wing to present . The 57th assumed operational control of " Red Flag " exercises in October 1979 ; developing realistic combat training operations featuring adversary tactics , dissimilar air combat training , and electronic warfare . It incorporated intelligence training after March 1980 . In 1990 the aggressor mission transferred to 4440th TFTG and later to the 414th CTS . The wing added instruction in hunter / killer counter electronic warfare tactics until 1996 . Modern era . From 1992 – 1999 , the wing operated detachments at Cannon Air Force Base , New Mexico , Ellsworth Air Force Base , South Dakota , and Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana that flew and tested the F - 111 , B - 1 , and B - 52 respectively . It added the 66th Rescue Squadron , equipped with HH - 60 helicopters , on February 1 , 1993 while the squadron was deployed in Southwest Asia . From 1991 to present , the 57th provided combat aircrew capabilities , operating the USAF Weapons and the USAF Combat Rescue Schools , developing techniques and procedures and conducting operational test and evaluation on all major aircraft in the AF inventory . With the reactivation of the 432d Wing at Creech Air Force Base on May 1 , 2007 , the elements that comprised the 57th Operations Group , were transferred to the 432nd Wing . Components . Groups Squadrons Schools