See: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport for civil airport information

Birmingham Air National Guard Base is the home of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 117th Air Refueling Wing

117th Air Refueling Wing

The United States Air Force's 117th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard air refueling unit located at Birmingham International Airport, Alabama.-Mission:...

.

Overview

Birmingham ANGB consists of approximately 147 acres and essential facilities to support the mission of the 117th Air Refueling Wing

117th Air Refueling Wing

The United States Air Force's 117th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard air refueling unit located at Birmingham International Airport, Alabama.-Mission:...

 and its assigned units.

The 117th ARW occupies 101 facilities including offices, mission support structures, maintenance hangars, POL storage and refueling station and a Joint Hospital. As of 2002 the Wing had 9 authorized KC-135 Stratotanker

KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...

s. The current compliment of personnel is 275, including military and civilian employees. This expands to 1,243 personnel for UTA weekends and during activation.

The Alabama Army National Guard

Alabama Army National Guard

The Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...

 (ARNG) has facilities and units co-located on the base. These facilities provide for aircraft hangar and maintenance, the 109th Evacuation Hospital and OMS storage facility. The 109th Evac Hospital also supports ARNG/ANG weekend drill activities and unit activation's. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 has two radar sites within the confines of the base

History

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force's Third Air Force

Third Air Force

The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

. In the present day, the Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 has a base which includes nine KC-135R Stratotanker

KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...

 aircraft assigned to the 117th Air Refueling Wing

117th Air Refueling Wing

The United States Air Force's 117th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard air refueling unit located at Birmingham International Airport, Alabama.-Mission:...

 (117 ARW), an Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....

 (AMC)-gained unit of the Alabama Air National Guard

Alabama Air National Guard

The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...

. The 117 ARW was previously designated as the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (117 TRG) and later as the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (117 TRW), a Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command

Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

 (TAC) / Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....

 (ACC)-gained unit operating the RF-4C Phantom II

F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...

reconnaissance aircraft.

A lease between the Federal Government and The Armory Commission of Alabama, dated 22 January 1961, currently with four Supplemental Agreements, established the initial boundaries and conveyed the lands and buildings for the purpose of military aviation. A Lease Amendment between the Birmingham Airport Authority and the Commission in 1988 established the real estate relationship between the airport authority and the Armory Commission. The lease term expires in the year 2036 but shall continue year to year without notice unless terminated by the Commission.

Prior to 1996, the base was bisected by two city streets - East Lake Blvd and Shelby Blvd. As a part of the Master Plan update, East Lake Blvd was rerouted around the base perimeter, Shelby Blvd was transferred to the ANG with a lease amendment, and the individual land parcels were consolidated into one tract of land. This consolidation greatly improved internal traffic circulation, security and unit operations. Prior to the road relocation, this area was in a municipal environment with the utilities routed along the city street easements and rights of way. Electric service was initially supplied by overhead wires and buildings individually metered for consumption and billing. This was changed recently to economize energy costs by establishing with the utility a main feeder with a single primary meter. The ANG provides secondary distribution to the on-base facilities through a system of underground conduits. The overhead wiring remains in service to provide electrical service for street lights and other units occupying the base.

In September 1994, the 117th Air Refueling Wing and 106th Air Refueling Squadron were formed and equipped with KC-135 tanker aircraft. Simultaneously, a major revision outlined in the Base Master Plan was initiated to complete improvements in the infrastructure to support the new mission, to unify the existing real estate holdings into one contiguous environ and to implement facility improvements and additions necessary to support the mission. The Master Plan recommendations included the relocation of a city thoroughfare, consolidation of three real estate parcels and the completion of almost $64 million in facility improvements and construction. To date, all but one of the recommended projects are complete, and it is in the final stages of design.