It is the world's largest Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations.

The 56th graduates dozens of F-35 and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and 300 air control professionals annually.

In a major ADC reorganization, to respond to the command's difficulties under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage,[5] the 56th was inactivated along with its 56th Fighter-Interceptor Group on 6 February 1952.

[6] Almost nine years later the wing was reactivated at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan, where it replaced the 56th Fighter Group as Sawyer began to grow in size as SAC's 4042d Strategic Wing began to add combat elements, requiring a larger support base.

[1] The wing controlled a single tactical unit, the 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, which was capable of carrying the nuclear armed AIR-2 Genie.

All wing aircraft, including those at home and those at Phelps Collins were armed and placed on fifteen minute alert status.

It was assigned the 606th Air Commando Squadron, a composite unit flying Helio U-10 Couriers, Fairchild C-123 Providers, Douglas A-26 Invader and North American T-28 Trojans, and the 602d Fighter Squadron flying Douglas A-1 Skyraiders at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.

[19] Wing elements participated in the Operation Ivory Coast, the Son Tay Prison raid on 21 November 1970.

In addition to acting as host for MacDill, the wing operated nearby Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida.

[1] The wing conducted F-4D/E replacement training for pilots, weapon systems officers, and maintenance personnel until July 1982.

It was equipped with UH-1P helicopters from 1976 to 1987, to support Avon Range logistics needs, search and rescue efforts, and humanitarian missions.

The 56th became the unit for transitioning USAF and select allied nation pilots into the new fighter, while continuing to augment NORAD's air defense forces in the southeastern US.

It upgraded to F-16C and F-16D aircraft between 1988 and 1990, providing support personnel and equipment to units in Southwest Asia from August 1990 – March 1991.

The wing reached its peak in 1997 when the 21st Fighter Squadron was added to train pilots for the Republic of China Air Force.

[24] The group consists of approximately 800 personnel, maintains $2.2 billion in F-16 assets and executes a $144 million operations and maintenance budget to carry out F-16 training.