page_title: MacDill Air Force Base
section_title: 56th Tactical Fighter Wing / 56th Tactical Training Wing
hierarchical_section_title: MacDill Air Force Base / History / Tactical Air Command / 56th Tactical Fighter Wing / 56th Tactical Training Wing
caption_attribution_description: English: F-16 of the 56th Tactical Fighter Training Wing MacDill AFB Florida
context_page_description: MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
  The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing, assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force of the Air Mobility Command. The 6 ARW is commanded by Colonel Stephen Snelson.
  MacDill Air Force Base, located in south Tampa, was constructed as MacDill Field, a U.S. Army Air Corps, later U.S. Army Air Forces, installation just prior to World War II. With the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service in September 1947, it became MacDill Air Force Base. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was a Strategic Air Command installation for B-47 Stratojet bombers. In the early 1960s, it transitioned to a Tactical Air Command installation briefly operating the F-84 Thunderstreak jet fighter before transitioning to the F-4 Phantom II. During the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, it operated F-4 Phantom II fighters under various fighter wings, followed by F-16 Fighting Falcons in the mid- and late 1980s and early 1990s.
context_section_description: On 30 June 1975, the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing became the new host unit at MacDill, being reassigned from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.  Operational squadrons of the wing were:
  61st Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 27th TFS, yellow tail stripe)
  62d Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 73rd TFS, blue tail stripe)
  63d Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 94th TFS, red tail stripe)
  13th Tactical Fighter Squadron (white tail stripe, inactivated at MacDill during conversion from F-4D to F-16A/B in 1981 and reactivated at Misawa AB, Japan as an F-16 squadron)
  72nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (black tail stripe)
  (F-16A/B/C/D Activated 1 July 1981, inactivated 19 June 1992)
  In 1975, the 56th TFW assumed the F-4E aircraft of the reassigned 1st TFW and all aircraft tail codes were changed to "MC".
  The wing conducted F-4E replacement training for pilots, weapon systems officers, and aircraft maintenance personnel and conducted a service test of TAC's "production oriented maintenance organization" (POMO) in 1976 and converted to the POMO concept in March 1977.  In addition, the wing converted from the F-4E to F-4D between October 1977 and September 1978.
  In 1980 and 1981, the wing upgraded to the Block 10 General Dynamics F-16A/B Fighting Falcon.  With the arrival of the F-16, the wing designation was changed to 56th Tactical Training Wing (56 TTW) on 1 October 1981.  The aircraft were upgraded to the more capable Block 30 and 42 F-16C/D in 1991.
  In 1983, the new Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) was activated, and in 1987 it became United States Central Command (USCENTCOM).  Also in 1987, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was activated at MacDill AFB, occupying the former facilities of USREDCOM.
  At Super Bowl XVIII and again at Super Bowl XXV, both played at Tampa Stadium, 56th Tactical Training Wing aircraft performed the flyover and Missing man formation at the conclusion of the National Anthem.
  On 1 October 1991, the 56th TTW was redesignated as the 56th Fighter Wing (56 FW).  Following inactivation of Tactical Air Command (TAC), the 56 FW was reassigned to the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC) on 1 June 1992.
caption: General Dynamics F-16A Block 10B Fighting Falcon, AF Ser. No. 79-0397 of the 61st TFS.
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