fbpx

Luke AFB 21st Fighter Squadron F-16

Luke AFB 21st Fighter Squadron F-16 poster art.

The 21st Fighter Squadron (21 FS) is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training for the pilots of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force.

Congress approved the PEACE FENGHUANG Program in 1992 under the signature of former President George Bush. PEACE FENGHUANG is Chinese for “Phoenix”, the mystical Egyptian bird that arose from ashes and is based on the fact that a similar program had been proposed but subsequently cancelled by President Jimmy Carter. The current program is in excess of $5.9 billion and is the second largest foreign military sales program in the history of the U.S. Air Force. Training foreign pilots is not new to Luke Air Force Base. The first foreign students to train in the “Valley of the Sun” were Chinese pilots during World War II. In February 1942, the first Chinese pilots were trained in the P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt and eventually the P-51 Mustang. These pilots had a major impact in the defense of China. Many of these pilots became members of a Taiwan squadron designated 21st Fighter Squadron “Blackjacks”.

avatarsam
sam-signature-2

Design by Samantha Beaty

Missouri
Samantha is an Air Force veteran and an extremely talented illustrator, if you want to see more amazing art browse her portfolio.

Browse Samantha's Portfolio