Alabama's Maxwell welcomes first active-duty flying training unit since 1945

On 31 January 2024, detachment 3 of the 58th Operations Group was officially activated during a ceremony at Maxwell AFB (AL).

Earlier, Scramble Magazine first reported that Maxwell would receive the Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf and become the Formal Training Unit (FTU).

The active-duty 58th OG/Det.3, as an associate unit, will provide mission support to Air Force Reserve Command's 908th Airlift Wing flying training mission and local support to Air Education and Training Command’s (AETC's) mission of managing the MH-139A helicopter training courseware and syllabi.

Det.3 will also assist in the responsibility of providing trained Grey Wolf pilots and special mission aviators to four major commands. This, ensuring aircrew are members are trained and qualified for worldwide employment in nuclear security, VIP transportation operations and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training support.

The geographically separated Det.3, and the 58th OG both belong to the 58th Special Operations Wing, based at Kirtland AFB (NM). The 58th SOW’s parent organisation is the 19th Air Force located at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (TX) which belongs to USAF's AETC.