Laughlin AFB Graduates Class 26-06, Awards Silver Wings to 24 Officers

Laughlin Air Force Base marked the continuation of Del Rio-area pilot training when 24 officers from Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 26-06 earned their silver wings, the base public affairs office reported March 3, 2026. The public affairs summary identified the graduates as U.S. Air Force and Japanese officers and confirmed Laughlin’s ongoing role in bilateral pilot training.

A Laughlin AFB Facebook post tied the ceremony to a specific date, stating, "Please welcome the newest Air Force pilots from Class 26-06! ✈️ 24 officers graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training on February 26," which supports the public affairs timeline that placed the event in late February. The base release itself was published March 3, 2026; the March 3 posting is the primary official notice provided by Laughlin public affairs for Class 26-06.

Class 26-06’s mix of U.S. and Japanese officers highlights Laughlin’s international training partnerships at the 47th Flying Training Wing, which oversees Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, Texas. The base’s public affairs summary explicitly noted the presence of both U.S. and Japanese officers among the 24 graduates, underscoring allied interoperability in the Del Rio training pipeline even as specific names and follow-on aircraft assignments were not included in the public summary.

For visual and historical context, a separate DVIDS photo gallery documents a prior Laughlin graduation, Class 26-01, in October 2025. The DVIDS caption reads, "U.S. Air Force Col. Tyler Ellison, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, left, presents the Certificate of Graduation to 2nd Lt. Matthew Minnich, 47th Student Squadron student pilot, right, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 9, 2025. Twenty-five U.S. Air Force officers were awarded silver wings during the ceremony, symbolizing their completion of the Undergraduate Pilot Training program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)" The DVIDS entry for that gallery lists Photo ID 9361587, VIRIN 251010-F-IL807-2310, Date Taken 10.10.2025, Date Posted 10.14.2025, resolution 4130x3303, and notes the gallery under the 47th Flying Training Wing.

The March 3, 2026 public affairs item for Class 26-06 did not publish a roster or identify individual graduates; the Facebook post supplies the February 26 ceremony date but does not include author metadata in the provided snippet. DVIDS material for Class 26-01 is explicitly separate and names Col. Tyler Ellison, 2nd Lt. Matthew Minnich, and photographer Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen; those names and the DVIDS count of 25 graduates apply to the Oct. 2025 graduation only.

Laughlin AFB’s March 3 release and the February 26 social media post together confirm that the Del Rio-area training pipeline remains active, producing internationally partnered graduates. The base has signaled continued throughput through Class 26-06, even as public affairs has not yet released individual graduate names or next-step assignments for the 24 officers who received their silver wings.