12th Flying Training Wing | |
---|---|
Active | 1950– present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Type | Training |
Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
Garrison/HQ | Randolph Air Force Base |
Engagements |
|
Decorations |
PUC AFOUA w/ V Device RVGC w/ Palm |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Colonel Joel L. Carey |
Notable commanders |
Nicholas Kehoe Lloyd W. Newton |
The 12th Flying Training Wing (12 FTW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) as part of AETC's Nineteenth Air Force. It is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The wing is also the parent organization for the 479th Flying Training Group (479 FTG), a geographically separated unit (GSU) located at NAS Pensacola, Florida. The wing is also the parent organization for the 306th Flying Training Group (306 FTG), a geographically separated unit (GSU) located at The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. The 12 FTW is the only unit in the Air Force conducting both pilot instructor training and combat systems officer training.
The wing's predecessor unit, the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, fought in combat during the Vietnam War and was the host unit at two major air bases in South Vietnam. Its F-4 Phantom II aircraft flew thousands of combat missions between 1965 and 1971 before being withdrawn from combat as part of the United States drawdown of forces in Southeast Asia.
Its World War II predecessor unit, the 12th Bombardment Group, as part of Twelfth Air Force, supported the Allied drive from Egypt to Tunisia during the North Africa Campaign, then reassigned to Tenth Air Force in India and flew most of its missions in Burma between April 1944 and May 1945, supporting the British Fourteenth Army.