1st Fighter Wing

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The 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) is a United States Air Force fighter wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It is part of Air Combat Command’s Fifteenth Air Force and works with the 633d Air Base Wing to run Langley as a host base. Its history goes back to the 1st Fighter Group, formed in 1918, making the wing one of the Air Force’s oldest fighting units.

The wing began at March Field, California, in 1947. It was among the first to fly the F-86 Sabre in 1949 and has moved among different commands over the years, serving in air defense roles and later as a tactical fighter wing. In 1976 it became the first unit to operate the F-15 Eagle, and in 2005 it became the first to field the F-22 Raptor.

Langley has long been the wing’s home base. In 2010, Langley joined with Fort Eustis to form Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The wing has taken part in major operations around the world, including Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990–1991, enforcing no-fly zones over Iraq in the 1990s, and deployments in Europe during operations Allied Force and related missions. After the 9/11 attacks, the wing defended the homeland under Operation Noble Eagle and continued to operate in Southwest Asia through the Iraq War era.

In 2023, F-22s from the 1st Fighter Wing helped down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic, marking the first air-to-air kill by an F-22. The mission involved support from other U.S. Air Force units.

The wing’s motto is Aut Vincere Aut Mori—Conquer or Die—and its emblem was approved in 1957. The 1st Fighter Wing has earned multiple decorations for its performance over the years.