The 47th Operations Group is responsible for training U.S. Air Force and allied nation pilots in the Undergraduate Pilot Training Program. The 47th OG provides management, control, standardization, and evaluation of all aspects of flying training operations and airfield management at Laughlin. The group consists of three flying training squadrons, an operations support squadron and a student squadron.
Earning the wings of an Air Force pilot is extremely challenging. Each student pilot flies nearly 100 hours in the T-6A supplemented by over 60 hours of simulator and augmented reality training. Following the successful completion of the T-6A syllabus, students earn their silver Aviator Wings and go on to fly the T-38C Talon for an additional 100 hours if they are tracked to fly fighter/bombers or go on directly to an MWS unit if they are selected to fly anything else from airlift and tankers to Special Operations platforms.
The 85th FTS and the 434th FTS fly the T-6A Texan II to provide student pilots the fundamentals of airmanship to include contact flying, instrument procedures and navigation (day and night), low-level operations, and introductory formation procedures. The training provided by the instructors from these two squadrons forms the basic flight skills crucial to every Air Force aviator’s flying career.
The 87th FTS employs the T-38C Talon and provides students with advanced flight training in contact, navigation, instrument/navigation procedures, and formation procedures for fighter/bomber track students. The training students receive in the T-38C serves as the bedrock foundation for the critical thinking and airmanship required in employing high performance warfighting aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning II.
The 96th FTS became operational at Laughlin in April 1998. This squadron manages approximately 100 reserve pilots who fly as instructor pilots along with the active-duty Instructor Pilots in both the T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon.
The 47th OSS has responsibility for maintaining airfield operations at the 6th busiest airfield in the Air Force to include the control tower, radar approach control facility, airspace, and airfield management. The squadron is also responsible for managing the flight records for all aircrew as well as aircraft life support systems. Additionally, the 47th OSS provides oversight for all weather services in support of the flying mission.
The 47th STUS provides academic instruction for UPT students and provides oversight for aircraft simulator operations and all civilian simulator instructors. All students, American and international, are assigned to the squadron during their time at Laughlin.
(Current as of June 2025)