Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is a key Air Combat Command
installation, located within the city limits of Tucson, Ariz., with
a colorful history and a long tradition of excellence in service to
our country. Although now a Tactical Air Command base, it is
best known for being the graveyard of old airplanes.
The 355th Wing is the host unit providing
medical, logistical, and operational support to all D-M units. The
wing's missions are to train A-10 and OA-10 pilots and to provide
A-10 and OA-10 close support and forward air control to ground
forces worldwide. The wing is also tasked to provide command,
control, and communications countermeasures in support of tactical
forces with its EC-130H aircraft and, employing the EC-130E
aircraft, provide airborne command, control, and communications
capabilities for managing tactical air operations in war and other
contingencies worldwide.
D-M became a military base in 1925, but its
origins can be traced to the earliest days of civil aviation. In
1927, Charles Lindbergh, fresh from his non-stop crossing of the
Atlantic Ocean, flew his "Spirit of St. Louis" to Tucson to dedicate
Davis-Monthan Field -- then the largest municipal airport in the
United States.
The base was named in honor of Lieutenants Samuel H. Davis
and Oscar Monthan, two Tucsonans and World War I era pilots who
died in separate military aircraft accidents. Davis, who died in a
Florida aircraft accident in 1921, attended the University of
Arizona prior to enlisting in the Army in 1917. Monthan enlisted in
the Army as a private in 1917, was commissioned as a ground officer
in 1918 and later became a pilot. He was killed in a crash of a
Martin bomber in Hawaii in 1924.
In 1940, with a war cloud on the horizon, the
field was selected for expansion. During World War II, D-M served as
an operational training base for B-18 "Bolos," and B-24 "Liberator"
and, nearing the war's end, B-29 "Superfortress." |
Air Force Graveyard
With the end of the war, operations at the
base came to a virtual standstill. It was then the base was selected
as a storage site for hundreds of decommissioned aircraft,
particularly the excess B-29s and C-47 "Gooney Birds." Tucson's dry
climate and alkali soil made it an ideal location for aircraft
storage and preservation, a mission that has continued to this
day.
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command ushered in the Cold War
era at D-M in May 1946, in the form of two B-29 bombardment groups.
Once again, the skies of the "old Pueblo," Tucson's nickname, were
filled with the sights and sounds of the "Superfortress."
On 2 March 1949, the Lucky Lady II, a B-50A
(serial number 46-010) of the 43rd Bombardment Group, completed the
first nonstop round-the-world flight, having covered 23,452 miles in
94 hours and 1 minute. Lucky Lady II was refueled four times in the
air by KB-29 tankers of the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron. For this
outstanding flight, the Lucky Lady II crew received the Mackay
Trophy, given annually by the National Aeronautic Association for
the outstanding flight of the year, and the Air Age Trophy, an Air
Force Association award, given each year in recognition of
significant contributions to the public understanding of the air
age.
The jet age came to the base in 1953, when SAC
units converted to the new B-47 "Stratojet." That same year, the Air
Defense Command appeared on the base with a squadron of F-86A "Sabre
Jet" fighters.
In the early 1960s, the 390th Strategic
Missile Wing and its 18 Titan II sites were activated. This
unit inactivated in 1984. In July 1963, a wing of U-2 strategic
reconnaissance aircraft was assigned to the base and began flying
global missions. The U-2s remained at the base until 1976, when they
were transferred to Beale AFB, Calif.
The year 1964 brought back the combat crew
training mission of the World War II years -- this time for the Air
Force's newest and most sophisticated fighter, the F-4 "Phantom." In
July 1971, the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying the A-7 "Corsair
II" aircraft, was activated at the base and the F-4s moved to Luke
AFB, Ariz., near Phoenix.
Tactical Air Command
On Oct. 1, 1976, the base was transferred to
Tactical Air Command after 30 years under SAC. It was also that year
the 355th TFW accepted the first A-10A "Thunderbolt." Since 1979,
D-M has been the training location for pilots in the
A-10.
The 1980s brought several diverse missions to
D-M, and the headquarters charged with overseeing them was the 836th
Air Division, which was activated Jan. 1, 1981. Shortly thereafter,
the base welcomed the 868th Tactical Missile Training Group, which
trained the crews to operate, maintain, and defend the Ground Launch
Cruise Missile system. The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron, equipped
with the EC-130H "Compass Call" aircraft, was the next to arrive,
followed by the 602nd Tactical Air Control Wing, a unit responsible
for the Air Force's tactical air control system west of the
Mississippi River.
The most recent unit to join the 355th Wing is
the 42nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron who arrived at D-M
from Keesler AFB, Miss. The squadron's EC-130E Hercules aircraft
carry an airborne battlefield command and control center capsule,
and provides continuous control of tactical air operations in the
forward battle area and behind enemy lines.
On May 1, 1992, the 836th Air Division was
inactivated and the 355th Fighter Wing was redesignated the 355th
Wing in tune with the Air Force's philosophy of one base, one wing,
one commander. The 355th Wing is comprised of the 355th Operations
Group, the 355th Logistics Group, the 355th Medical Group, and the
355th Support Group.
Nearly every major air command, the Air Force
Reserve and the Air National Guard are represented among the
associate units at D-M. Among the base's associate units are the
12th Air Force headquarters, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration
Center, 305th Rescue Squadron, and Detachment 1, 120th Fighter
Interceptor Group.
Twelfth Air Force is charged with commanding,
administering, and supervising tactical air forces west of the
Mississippi River. As one of ACC's numbered air forces, 12th Air
Force operates combat-ready forces and equipment for air superiority
-- gaining and maintaining control of airspace; interdiction --
disrupting enemy lines of communication and logistics; and close air
support -- working with U.S. and allied forces to defeat the enemy
at the point of contact.
AMARC is responsible for more than 5,000
aircraft stored at D-M. An Air Force Material Command unit, AMARC is
responsible for the storage of excess Department of Defense and
Coast Guard aircraft. The center annually in-processes about 400
aircraft for storage and out-processes about the same number for
return to the active service, either as remotely controlled drones
or sold to friendly foreign governments.
The 305th Rescue Squadron, and Air Force
Reserve unit, flies the HH-60G "Pavehawk" helicopters. Its primary
mission is search and rescue. Detachment 1, 120th FIG, an Air National Guard
unit, flies the F-16 "Fighting Falcon." Each week, two F-16s rotate
to the base from their home base in Great Falls, Mont. These
aircraft can scramble in less then five minutes to identify,
intercept, and, if necessary, destroy any airborne threat to U.S.
security.
Other federal agencies using the base include
the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Customs Service Air
Service Branch, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center, and a detachment of the Naval Air
Systems Command.
Approximately 6,000 military and 1,700
civilian employees work at Davis-Monthan and nearly 13,000 military
retirees reside in the Tucson area.
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