The 61st Fighter Squadron (61 FS) is an active USAF unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, AZ. It operates the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, conducting Instructor Pilot training. The 61FS, known as the ‘Top Dogs’, fly F-35A aircraft, to train instructor pilots and initial qualification pilots for Air Combat Command (ACC) assignments. This patch is awarded to the “TOP GRADUATE” per class (I’m told) as they are the “TOP DOG”, and does not come with velcro attached.
