Mountain Home Air Force Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Mountain Home Air Force Base is a 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...

installation located in southwestern

Southwestern Idaho

Southwestern Idaho is a geographical term for the area along the state of Idaho's borders with Oregon and Nevada. It includes the populous areas of the Boise metropolitan area, Treasure Valley and Magic Valley.-Counties:Ada |Adams |Boise |Canyon |...

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The base is in Elmore County

Elmore County, Idaho

Elmore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 27,038, down 7.2% from 29,130 in 2000. The largest city and county seat is Mountain Home....

, 12 miles (20 km) southwest of the city of Mountain Home

Mountain Home, Idaho

Mountain Home is the largest city and county seat of Elmore County, Idaho. The population was 14,206 at the 2010 census. Mountain Home is the principal city of the Mountain Home, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Elmore County....

, which is 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Boise

Boise, Idaho

Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...

, via Interstate 84

Interstate 84 in Idaho

In the U.S. state of Idaho, Interstate 84 heads southeast from the Oregon state line, it spurs to Interstate 184 in Boise. Eventually I-84 spurs Interstate 86 and mainline I-84 heads southeast towards Utah and I-86 is continues due east and heads to Pocatello, meeting with Interstate 15.-Future:...

.

The host unit at Mountain Home since 1972 has been the 366th Fighter Wing
366th Fighter Wing
The 366th Fighter Wing is a Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho...

(366 FW) of the 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), nicknamed the "Gunfighters." The base's primary mission is to provide combat airpower and combat support capabilities to respond to and sustain worldwide contingency operations.

Part of the base is a census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

(CDP); the population was 3,238 at the 2010 census

United States Census, 2010

The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...

Units

Mountain Home AFB is the home of the 366th Fighter Wing

366th Fighter Wing

The 366th Fighter Wing is a Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho...

(366 FW), which reports to 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). The mission of the 366 FW is to prepare Airmen and their families, professionally and personally, for expeditionary operations and foster an environment that promotes integration of all facets of wing operations.

The wing comprises four groups and three operational fighter squadrons:

366th Operations Group (Tail code: "MO")

389th Fighter Squadron

The 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...

(F-15E Strike Eagle

F-15E Strike Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...

)

391st Fighter Squadron

The 391st Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...

(F-15E Strike Eagle

F-15E Strike Eagle

)

428th Fighter Squadron

The 428th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Currently, it operates F-15SG Strike Eagle aircraft conducting formal training missions to qualify Republic of Singapore Air Force crew in the F-15SG under the auspices of Peace Carvin...

(F-15SG)

366th Maintenance Group
366th Mission Support Group
366th Medical Group

In addition, the 726th Air Control Squadron gives an air picture to the aircraft as they train. An active Idaho 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...

unit, the 266th Range Squadron, controls and maintains emitter sites within the 7412 square miles (19,197 km²) operational training range located in southern Idaho

Southwestern Idaho

History

Construction of the field began in October 1942, and it officially opened August 7, 1943.

World War II

Crews started building the base in November 1942 and the new field officially opened on August 7, 1943. Shortly thereafter, airmen at the field began training United States Army Air Force crews for World War II. The 396th Bombardment Group
396th Bombardment Group
The 396th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Third Air Force, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944....

(Heavy) was the first unit assigned and its planned mission was to train crews for the B-17 Flying Fortress. However, before the first B-17s arrived, plans for the field changed and the 396th was transferred to Moses Lake AAF

Grant County International Airport

Grant County International Airport is a public use airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is owned by the Port of Moses Lake....

, Washington.

Instead of training B-17 crews, Mountain Home airmen began training crews for the B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...

. The first group to do so was the 470th Bombardment Group
470th Bombardment Group
The 470th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Fourth Air Force, being stationed at Tonopah Army Airfield, Nevada. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944....

(Heavy), which trained at Mountain Home from May 1943 until January 1944, when the unit moved to Tonopah AAF

Tonopah Army Air Field

Tonopah Army Air Field was a World War II United States Army Air Force training airfield located seven miles east of the central business district of Tonopah, a city in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It was active between 1942 and 1945.- Origins :...

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

. The 490th Bombardment Group
490th Bombardment Group
The 490th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the III Bomber Command, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....

(Heavy) replaced the 470th and trained B-24 crews until it deployed to RAF Eye

RAF Eye

RAF Eye is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 11 miles NE of Stowmarket in Suffolk.- USAAF use:Eye airfield was constructed by the 827th and 859th U S Army Engineer Battalions during 1943, with additional work by British contractors. It was completed early in 1944 and...

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

in April 1944. The 494th Bombardment Group
494th Bombardment Group
The 494th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 19th Air Division, stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 2 April 1966...

then replaced the 490th, once more training Liberator crews.

The base also received fighter aircraft to add realism to its training. A few P-38 Lightning

P-38 Lightning

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...

and P-63 Kingcobra

P-63 Kingcobra

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a United States fighter aircraft developed in World War II from the Bell P-39 Airacobra in an attempt to correct that aircraft's deficiencies...

pursuit planes arrived in January 1945 to simulate attacks on B-24s. In June 1945, Mountain Home also briefly served as a training base for the new B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

with the 301st Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) training for combat, but the Japanese surrender in August brought a swift end to the new mission and, for a time, to the base at Mountain Home.

The base was placed in inactive status in October 1945.

Postwar era

The base remained inactive until December 1948 when the newly independent United States Air Force

United States Air Force

reopened the base. A provisional unit, the 4205th Air Base Group, was activated on 12 December to prepare the newly re-designated Mountain Home Air Force Base for operational use

5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing

Mountain Home's first operational USAF unit was the Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

(SAC) 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group which was reassigned from Clark Field in the Philippines, being assigned on 26 May 1949. The mission of the 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group (later 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) was long-range strategic reconnaissance, primarily of the periphery of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. It's primary operational squadron was the 72d Reconnaissance Squadron, which had been had been assigned to the group from Ladd AFB, Alaska Territory where it had operated RB-29 Superfortress for several years. On 3 September 1949, aircraft of the 72d identified the first evidence of a successful explosion of a Soviet nuclear weapon in the Semipalatinsk test site in Eastern Kazakhstan on 29 August 1949

The pending assignment of the new RB-36 Peacemaker to the 5th SRW, along with the inadequacy of its World War II facilities to support the large aircraft led SAC to move the 5th SRW to Fairfield-Suisun AFB, California on 9 November 1949. The provisional 4209th Base Service Squadron was assigned to the base which supervised construction activities to modernize facilities and also construct a 12,000-foot runway. The base was formally closed on 25 April 1950, however the 5th SRW maintained control of Mountain Home from Fairfield-Suisn AFB, maintaining it as a subbase.

Military Air Transport Service

In early 1951, enough construction was completed that jurisdiction of Mountain Home was transferred to Military Air Transport Service

Military Air Transport Service

The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...

(MATS), which assigned it to the Air Resupply And Communications Service

Air Resupply And Communications Service

The Air Resupply And Communications Service is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.- Mission :The mission of ARCS was:...

(ARCS). ARCS was Special Operations organization, which performed Psychological Warfare missions. Mountain Home AFB was selected as a training base for ARCS, for which it was well-suited due to the relative remoteness of the facility.

ARCS formed the 580th, 581st, and 582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wings at the base, equipping with wings with C-119 Flying Boxcar

C-119 Flying Boxcar

The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...

, B-29 Superfortress, and SA-16 Albatross aircraft and trained to support covert special operations. Once manned, equipped and trained, the groups deployed to various parts of the world, performing classified missions during the early part of the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

9th Bombardment Wing

In early May 1953, the major construction on the base was completed, and SAC was able to use its long runway for strategic bomber operations. Jurisdiction of Mountain Home AFB was transferred back to SAC on 1 May 1953.

SAC moved its 9th Bombardment Wing to the base and began flying B-29 bombers and KB-29H refueling aircraft. The 9th converted to the new B-47 Stratojet bomber and the KC-97 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft in September 1954, and kept alert bombers ready for war at a moment's notice and continued its mission as a SAC deterrent force through the early Cold War

Cold War

years of the 1950s and early 1960s.

In 1959, construction of three HGM-25A Titan I missile sites began in the local area. The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron

569th Strategic Missile Squadron

The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It was inactivated on 1 April 1965.-History:...

controlled these sites and was assigned to the 9th Bombardment Wing in August 1962. To prepare for the addition of missiles to its bomber forces, the USAF re-designated the wing as the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing in April 1962.

Two years later, SAC's mission at MHAFB began to wind down as part of the phaseout of the B-47. In November 1964, the Air Force announced that the Titan I was also being phased out. In late 1965 SAC phased down operations at Mountain Home, and jurisdiction was transferred to 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...

for use.

67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing

In November 1965 TAC began to activate elements of its new 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (67th TRW) at Mountain Home, formally activating the wing on 1 January 1966. The mission of the 67th TRW was to conduct photographic, visual, radar, and thermal reconnaissance operations. While having these operational commitments, it also conducted replacement training for 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,...

crew members being deployed to Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

.

In September 1966, the wing's 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron transferred to the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base

Tan Son Nhut Air Base

Tan Son Nhut Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. It is located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...

, South Vietnam. As required, the 67 TRW also supported operations when crew members ferried RF-4Cs to the war theater.

Beginning in 1968, the 67th also conducted tactical fighter operations with the addition of a squadron of F-4D Phantom IIs. This fighter mission lasted until late 1970 when the F-4Ds were reassigned. When U.S. forces began the drawdown from South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

, the 67th TRW designation moved in July 1971 to Bergstrom AFB

Bergstrom Air Force Base

Bergstrom Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

347th Tactical Fighter Wing

With the move of the RF-4Cs to Bergstrom, TAC activated its 347th Tactical Fighter Wing at Mountain Home, which has been phased down by PACAF at Yokota AB, Japan in May 1971. With the activation of the 347th, TAC chose it to be the first wing equipped with the new General Dynamics F-111F, an advanced version of the F-111A which had been unsuccessfully tested in the Vietnam War in Operation Combat Lancer March 15 to April 22, 1968. It differed from the F-111A in having more advanced electronics, more powerful engines, and major structural improvements.

The first F-111F entered service with the 374th TFW in January 1972. The entire wing became operationally ready in October 1972. The 347th had a short stay at Mountain Home, conducting F-111F training until October, when the 366 TFW moved from Vietnam to Mountain Home. Upon its arrival, the 366th absorbed all the personnel and equipment of the 347th, which was inactivated.

366th Fighter Wing

The 366th Fighter Wing
366th Fighter Wing
The 366th Fighter Wing is a Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho...

(in various designations) has been the host unit at Mountain Home for over 35 years, following its return from the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

in late 1972.

Before the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing's arrival at Mountain Home, the 389th, 390th, and 391st Tactical Fighter Squadrons had returned from South Vietnam, joined the 347th, and began converting to F-111F aircraft. For the first time since it left for Vietnam, the wing once again had its three original flying units.

Operations continued unchanged for several years. The wing tested its readiness in August 1976 when a border incident in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

prompted the United States to augment its military contingent in South Korea as a show of force. The 366th deployed a squadron of 20 F-111 fighters, which reached Korea only 31 hours after receiving launch notification. Tensions eased shortly afterward and the detachment returned home.

In early 1991, the Air Force announced that the 366th would become the Air Force's premier "air intervention" composite wing. The wing would grow with the addition of a squadron of EF-111A Raven

EF-111A Raven

The General Dynamics/Grumman EF-111A Raven was an electronic warfare aircraft designed to replace the B-66 Destroyer in the United States Air Force...

electronic warfare aircraft and a squadron of B-1B Lancer

B-1 Lancer

The Rockwell B-1 LancerThe name "Lancer" is only applied to the B-1B version, after the program was revived. is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force...

bombers to become a dynamic, five squadron wing with the ability to deploy rapidly and deliver integrated combat airpower.

The air intervention composite wing's rapid transition from concept to reality began in October 1991 when Air Force redesignated the wing as the 366th Wing. The wing's newly reactivated "fighter squadrons" became part of the composite wing in March 1992. The 389th Fighter Squadron began flying the dual-role F-16C Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

, while the 391st Fighter Squadron was equipped with the new F-15E Strike Eagle

F-15E Strike Eagle

. These two squadrons provide Gunfighters round-the-clock precision strike capability.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the resultant initiation of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), the 366th Wing once again got the call. While the 34th Bomb Squadron deployed to Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....

as the B-1

B-1 Lancer

component of the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing, the wing sent a Base Operations Support package to Al Udeid Air Base

Al Udeid Air Base

Al Udeid Air Base is a military base west of Doha, Qatar. It houses foreign coalition personnel and assets. It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command, headquarters of United States Air Forces Central Command, and home to both No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF and the...

, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

, to transform the bare base into a fully functional airfield for large-scale combat operations. In October 2001, the 391st Fighter Squadron deployed to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

, while the 389th Fighter Squadron went to Al Udeid in November.

Following the wing's return from Southwest Asia, the Air Force began consolidating its B-1 Lancer

B-1 Lancer

and 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...

forces. This led to the reallocation of the wing's bombers and tankers. The 22 ARS' aircraft began transferring to McConnell AFB, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, in May 2002 and the squadron inactivated the following August. The 34 BS' B-1Bs began moving to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, in June and the squadron officially moved in September. Following the departure of these assets, the Air Force re-designated the 366th as a Fighter Wing. With these changes, the wing's 10-year mission as the Air Force's only standing air expeditionary wing came to an end. A continued reconstruction of the 366 Fighter Wing was official with the 2005 base realignment, coinciding with the large scale integration of the 150+ F-22 Raptors. After the F-16 departure, Mountain Home Air Force Base was chosen to become an F-15E installation because of its ideal training terrain range that is suited for air-to-ground, and air-to-air training missions.

Over the horizon radar

About 1985, Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....

activated the 776th Radar Squadron

776th Radar Squadron

The 776th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Materiel Command, stationed at Moscow Air Force Station, Maine. It was inactivated on 1 October 1997....

at Bangor ANGB. The mission of the squadron was to operate two Over the horizon radar (OTH-B) very long-range early warning radar sites. The squadron operated a OTH-B Transmitter site at Christmas Valley AFS, Oregon, 43°16′45"N 120°22′45"W and a receiver site at Tule Lake AFS, California 41°42′00"N 121°10′40"W. These systems were inactivated in 1997, and the unit was inactivated.

Thunderbirds crash

The base was the site of a Thunderbirds crash on September 14, 2003, which fortunately resulted in no fatalities. Immediately after takeoff, Captain Chris Stricklin, flying Thunderbird 6, serial #87-0327 (opposing solo), attempted a "Split S

Split S

The Split S is an air combat maneuver mostly used to disengage from combat. To execute a Split S, the pilot half-rolls his aircraft inverted and executes a descending half-loop, resulting in level flight in the exact opposite direction at a lower altitude....

" maneuver (which he had successfully performed over 200 times) based on an incorrect mean-sea-level elevation

Elevation

The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....

. Similar in desert appearance, MHAFB is 1100 feet (335 m) higher than the Thunderbirds' home at Nellis AFB

Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...

near Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, Nevada

Nevada

.

Climbing to only 1670 feet (509 m) above ground level

AGL

AGL may refer to:* A Graphics Language, a high level language to control early HP plotters* Abergele and Pensarn railway station, United Kingdom, from its National Rail code* Above ground level, in aviation* Adobe Glyph List...

instead of 2500 feet (762 m), Stricklin had insufficient altitude to complete the descending half-loop maneuver. He guided the F-16C

F-16 Fighting Falcon

aircraft down runway 30, away from the spectators and ejected less than one second before impact. His parachute deployed when he was just above the ground and Stricklin survived with only minor injuries. No one on the ground was injured, but the $20 million aircraft was completely destroyed.

video of crash of Thunderbird 6 - 2003-09-14

Official procedure for demonstration "Split-S" maneuvers was changed, and the USAF

United States Air Force

now requires Thunderbird pilots and airshow ground controllers to both work in above-MSL (mean-sea-level) altitudes, as opposed to ground control working in AGL (above-ground-level) and pilots in MSL, which led to two sets of numbers that had to be reconciled by the pilot. Thunderbird pilots now also climb an extra 1000 feet (305 m) before performing the Split S maneuver.

Previous names

Army Air Base, Mountain Home, Nov 1942
Mountain Home Army Air Field, 2 Dec 1943.
Mountain Home Air Force Base, 13 Jan 1948–Present

Major commands to which assigned

Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

, 29 August 1942
Fourth Air Force
Fourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....

, 15 February 1945
Continental Air Forces, 16 April 1945

Temporary inactive status, 5 Oct 1945.

Subbase of Gowen Army Airfield, Idaho, 9 Oct 1945

Subbase of Walla Walla Army Airfield, Washington, 31 Dec 1945-30 September 1946

Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

, 21 March 1946

Activated on 1 December 1948

Inactivated on 25 April 1950

Subbase of Fairfield-Suisun (later, Travis) AFB, California, c. 1 Apr 1950-24 Jan 1951

Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...

, 24 January 1951

Activated on 1 Feb 1951

Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

, 1 May 1953
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...

, 1 January 1966
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 ....

, 1 June 1992 – Present

Major units assigned

396th Bombardment Group
396th Bombardment Group
The 396th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Third Air Force, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944....

(Heavy), 16 February–10 April 1943
470th Bombardment Group
470th Bombardment Group
The 470th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Fourth Air Force, being stationed at Tonopah Army Airfield, Nevada. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944....

(Heavy), 1 May 1943–1 January 1944
467th Bombardment Group
467th Bombardment Group
The 467th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the Strategic Air Command, being stationed at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 4 August 1946....

(Heavy), 8 September–17 October 1943
490th Bombardment Group
490th Bombardment Group
The 490th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the III Bomber Command, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....

, Heavy, 4 December 1943–20 April 1944
494th Bombardment Group
494th Bombardment Group
The 494th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 19th Air Division, stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 2 April 1966...

(Heavy), 15 April–1 June 1944

4205th Air Base Group, 12 December 1948-16 July 1949
5th Reconnaissance Group, Very Long Range, Photo, 29 May-16 July 1949
5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 16 July–11 November 1949

1300th Air Base Wing, 1 November 1951-30 April 1953
580th Air Resupply and Communications Wing, April 16, 1951 – September 17, 1952
581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing
581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing
The 581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.-Units:...

, July 23, 1951 – June 26, 1952

582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wing
582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wing
The 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at RAF Molesworth, England.-History:The 582d ARW was activated at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho on 24 September 1952...

, September 24, 1952 – May 1, 1953

9th Bombardment Wing, Medium
9th Reconnaissance Wing
The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California...

(later 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing), May 1, 1953 – June 25, 1966
813th Air Division, July 1, 1959 – July 1, 1964
569th Strategic Missile Squadron
569th Strategic Missile Squadron
The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It was inactivated on 1 April 1965.-History:...

, June 1961-March 1965

67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, January 1, 1966 – July 15, 1971
347th Tactical Fighter Wing, May 15, 1971 – October 31, 1972
366th Tactical Fighter Wing, October 31, 1972 – October 1, 1991

Redesignated 366th Wing, October 1, 1991 – September 27, 2002

Redesignated 366th Fighter Wing

366th Fighter Wing

The 366th Fighter Wing is a Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho...

, September 27, 2002 – present

Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities

The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron

569th Strategic Missile Squadron

Operated three HGM-25A Titan I ICBM sites: (1 Jun 1961-25 Jun 1965)

569-A, 12 miles SW of Hot Spring, Idaho 42°40′14"N 115°52′02"W
569-B, 7 miles E of Oreana, Idaho 43°03′58"N 116°15′50"W
569-C, 3 miles NE of Orchard, Idaho 43°20′42"N 115°59′33"W

The activation of the 569th SMS marked the last such activation of a Titan I squadron within Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

. The 569th would join with two Titan I squadrons at Lowry AFB, to be the last Titan I squadrons to undergo inactivation in June 1965.

Today, all three of the squadron's launch sites are in remote areas and temperatures in the areas tend to be extreme, ranging from over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer to -20 F in the winter. 569-A is largely obliterated, with none of the three silos appearing to remain. Site "B" is also largely obliterated and has been turned into a toxic waste dump site. Site "C" appears to be largely intact. Whomever owns it has erected several buildings on the site, with part of it being used as an auto graveyard.

Geography

Mountain Home AFB is located at (43.049511, -115.866452),
at an elevation

Elevation

of 2996 feet (913 m) above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.7 km²), and 0.10% is water.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 8,894 people, 1,476 households, and 1,452 families residing in the CDP. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

was 896 per suare mile (346/km²). There were 1,590 housing units at an average density of 160 per square mile (62/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.2% White, 6.9% Black or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.8% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races

Race (United States Census)

, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.5% of the population.

There were 1,476 households out of which 76.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 91.9% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 1.6% were non-families. 1.4% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 49.7% from 25 to 44, 1.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 180.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 219.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,634, and the median income for a family was $31,377. Males had a median income of $24,865 versus $20,664 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

for the CDP was $17,671. About 6.5% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

External links

Mountain Home AFB history from Strategic-Air-Command.com
Mountain Home AFB at GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Units

History

World War II

Postwar era

5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing

Military Air Transport Service

9th Bombardment Wing

67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing

347th Tactical Fighter Wing

366th Fighter Wing

Over the horizon radar

Thunderbirds crash

Previous names

Major commands to which assigned

Major units assigned

Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities

Geography

Demographics

See also

Further reading

External links