Homestead Air Reserve Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| IATA: HST - ICAO: KHST | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | USAF | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 7 ft (2 m) | ||
| Coordinates | 25° 19' 18" N 89° 23' 01" W |
||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 05/23 | 11,200 | 1,314 | Concrete |
Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base (JARB) (formerly Homestead Air Force Base), is a United States Air Force base located in South Miami-Dade County, Florida adjacent to the city of Homestead. It is the home of the 482nd Fighter Wing.
Contents |
[edit] 482nd Fighter Wing
The mission of the 482nd Fighter Wing is to train and equip reservists to respond to wartime and peacetime taskings as directed by higher headquarters. The wing specifically trains for: Mobility, Deployment, and Employment. The operational component of the 482d FW is the 93d Fighter Squadron, which flies the General Dynamics Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. The squadron's aircraft can be identified by the letters “FM” (“Florida Makos”) and the Mako shark emblem displayed on the tail.
The 482nd FW is part of the Air Force Reserve Command and Tenth Air Force. It supports the operations of several “tenant” units, including the “scramble” capability of a detachment of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) F-15 fighter interceptors in addition to the U.S. Customs Miami Air Branch drug enforcement air interdiction mission.
During the Atlantic hurricane season, the 482nd FW routinely supports forward deployment of the Air Force Reserve’s “Hurricane Hunters” weather reconnaissance mission, and joint relief operations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In October of 2005, Homestead Air Reserve Base teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring over 1 million tons of relief supplies to South Floridians recovering from Hurricane Wilma.
[edit] History
[edit] World War II
Homstead Airfield began as a United States Army Air Force facility on 16 September 1942 when the 427th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron assumed control of an isolated airstrip located about a mile inland from the shore of Biscayne Bay which had been turned over to the government by Coconut Grove-based Pan American Ferries, Inc., which had carved it out of the rocky landscape in the 1940s.
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Army Air Force officials decided the site would better serve defense needs as a maintenance stopover point for aircraft being ferried to the Caribbean and North Africa.
For its first six months of existence, Homestead Army Air Field served as a scheduled stop on a well traveled air route from northeast U.S. to the Caribbean and Africa. The 54th, 75th and 76th Ferrying Squadrons were assigned to the airfield in support of that mission.
On 30 January 1943, the base assumed a more vital wartime role with the activation of the 2d Operational Training Unit (2d OTU). The mission of the permanently assigned cadre of nine officers, 15 enlisted men, and 12 civilian flight instructors was to provide advanced training for aircrew members who would one day pilot Douglas C-54 Skymaster, Consolodated C-87 Liberator Express and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transport aircraft along the 188,000 miles of the USAAF Air Transport Command's (ATC) globe-girdling routes.
During this period of time the base was under two commands. The runway itself, Homestead Army Air Field, belonged to Station 8, Caribbean Caribbean Wing of ATC, while the 2d OTU fell under the War Department’s Domestic Transportation Division with the 1st and 3d Air Transport Squadrons bring it's flying components.
As the need for trained transport pilots grew during 1943, officials in Washington decided to beef up the training program at Homestead. As a result, the entire base was transferred to ATC’s Ferrying Division, and by the end of the year, the 2d OTU’s sole mission was to prepare C-54 transport air crews to fly the famed “Hump” from Burma to China.
On 15 August 1944 command of Homestead AAF consolidated under the 563d AAF Base Unit. By 1945, Homestead AAF represented the largest four-engine transport training operation in the entire ATC – the 2d OTU had graduated 2,250 C-54 pilots, 14,505 copilots, 224 navigators, 85 radio operators and 1,375 flight engineers. But it all came to a rather abrupt end.
On 15 September 1945, three years to the day of the base’s founding, a massive hurricane barreled through, sending winds of up to 145 mph whistling through the cinderblock buildings. Enlisted housing facilities, the nurses' dormitory and the base exchange were all destroyed. The roof was ripped off what would later be Bldg. 741, the "Big Hangar". The base laundry and fire station were both declared total losses. The few remaining aircraft were tossed about like leaves.
Following an evaluation of the damage, the decision was made. On 25 October 1945, officials announced that Homestead AAF would shut down, with a target date for complete closure of December. Military control of Homestead officially ended on 14 December 1945.
After being closed by the military, Homestead was known as Dade County Airport, and operated as a civilian facility for almost a decade.
[edit] Strategic Air Command
In the early 1950s, as the Korean War was winding down, defense officials once again looked toward Homestead with an eye at making the site a key player in our continental defense. In mid-1954, an advance party arrived at the old airfield to begin cleaning it up, and on 8 February 1955 the 4226th Air Base Squadron was activated.
On 1 November 1955 Homestead was upgraded to a group level with the activation of the 379th Air Base Group which managed a major construction and rehabilitation program through 1957. 51 buildings on the base were rehabilitated by February 1955, and the base was readied for two Strategic Air Command Boeing B-47 Stratojet jet bomber wings.
The 379th Bomb Wing was activated at Homestead on 1 November 1955. It consisted of the following squadrons:
- 524th Bomb Squadron
- 525th Bomb Squadron
- 526th Bomb Squadron
- 527th Bomb Squadron (1 Nov 1958 - 9 Jan 1961)
The squadrons received their B-47s in April 1956 and commenced training for air refueling and strategic bombardment operations. Within a year, the 19th Bomb Wing was transferred to Homestead on 1 June 1956 from Pinecastle AFB Florida. It consisted of the following squadrons:
- 28th Bomb Squadron (B-47, 1956-1962) (B-52H Feb 1962 - 1968)
- 30th Bomb Squadron (1956 - 1 Jan 1962, assigned to 4133d Strategic Wing, Grand Forks AFB, ND)
- 93d Bomb Squadron (1956 - 1 Aug 1961, assigned to 4239th Strategic Wing, Kincheloe AFB, MI)
- 525th Bomb Squadron (9 Jan 1961 - 15 Mar 1961, assigned to 4136th Strageic Wing, Minot AFB, ND)
- 526th Bomb Squadron (9 Jan 1961 - 1 June 1961, assigned to 4139th Strategic Wing, K I Sawyer AFB, MI)
- 659th Bomb Squadron (1 Nov 1958 - 1 July 1961)
- 19th Air Refueling Squadron (KC-97) (1 Jun 1956 - 1 Apr 1960)
- 303d Air Refueling Squadron (KC-135) (1 Nov 1959 - 1 Apr 1961)
- 407th Air Refueling Squadron (KC-135) (1 Apr 1962 - 2 Jul 1968)
With the activation of the 19th BW, the 823d Air Division was activated to command the two bomb wings at Homestead. The units were initailly under Second Air Force until 1 January 1959, when the 823d was placed under Eighth Air Force.
In 1957 both the 347th and 19th wings deployed to the Refelx Base at Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, in January, then to Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco, from April though July. By 1960, Homestead housed more than 6,000 permanently assigned members, twice the size of its busiest World War II days, and a fleet of Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers. The 19th BW maintained a portion of its tactical resources on continual overseas alert until April 1961.
The 347th BW transferred its B-47s beginning in October 1960 and moved without personnel or equipment to Wurtsmith Air Force Base Michigan in January 1961. With the departure of the 347th, the 19th Bomb Wing became the host unit at Homestead.
The 28th Bomb Squadron converted to the new Boeing B-52H Stratofortress aircraft in 1961, with the remaining squadrons of the 19th being transferred to various SAC Strategic Wings. This left the 19th with one squadron of B-52s. It was, in effect, a strategic wing, but was not redesignated as such.
The 19th wing won the Fairchild Trophy in the SAC bombing and navigation competition of 1966. The B-52s of the 28th BS participated in the "Chrome Dome" Mission wherein some flew Airborne Alert 24/7.
The 28th Bomb Squadron deactivated when 19th Bomb Wing was moved without personnel or equipment to Robins Air Force Base Georgia, when Homestead was transferred to Tactical Air Command on 25 July 1968. The 823d Air Division was transferred to McCoy Air Force Base Florida on 2 July 1968
[edit] Cuban Missile Crisis
On 1 June 1962 the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing was deployed to Homestead from George AFB, California in response to the growing Communist threat from Cuba. The 31st TFW flew the North American F-100 Super Sabre.
In October 1962, Homestead was a major staging base for the contemplated invasion of Cuba. The newly-built B-52H aircraft from the 19th Bomb Wing were evacuated to Wurtsmith AFB, Oscoda, Michigan, where they stood at Nuclear Alert. F-100 Super Sabre fighter-bombers armed for ground attack filled the runways for immediate deployment to Cuba. Army troops with heavy equipment arrived by road, rail, and a vast air-lift - accommodated in a tent city built on all available open space.
The 31st TFW, in cooperation with two other tactical fighter wings assigned here for the duration of the crisis, had already identified targets on Cuba and were prepared to strike at a moment’s notice. The world was on the brink of war, with Homestead at the very edge.
After several weeks of tension, the Soviets backed down. The missiles were removed. The crisis was over, but many of the changes to Homestead spawned by the Soviet threat remained. Though still nominally a SAC Base, Homestead now was tasked with a dual mission: to stand ready to project strategic air power around the globe, and to maintain an operationally ready tactical air force.
[edit] Air Defense Command
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron deployed its F-106s to Homestead. Air Defense Command (ADC) headquarters decided after the crisis, to establish permanently assigned units to counter any air intrusion by Soviet/Cuban fighters. ADC established three Fighter-Intereceptor squadrons at Homestead as part of the ADC 32nd Air Division. These squadrons were:
- 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (1963-1969)
- 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (1963-1969)
- 482d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (1965-1969)
All squadrons flew the Lockheed F-104A/B Starfighter.
In late 1967, 26 aircraft of the 319th FIS were retrofitted with the more powerful J79-GE-19, rated at 17,900 lb.s.t. with afterburner, which was the same type of engine fitted to the F-104S version developed for Italy.
The ADC squadrons remained at Homestead until 1969 when the F-104s were retired and the squadron deactivated. These were the last F-104 squadrons with the USAF.
[edit] Tactical Air Command
With the presence of potentially hostile aircraft in Cuba, the 31st TFW was permanently assigned to Homestead on 9 November 1962, with an air defense mission. During the 1960s, the role of Tactical Air Command at Homestead AFB increased rapidly. F-100D/F squadrons of the 31st TFW were:
- 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron (red colors)
- 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron (blue colors)
- 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron (green colors)
- 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron (yellow colors)
[edit] Vietnam War
In 1966, demands from NATO and the Vietnam War led to the division of the 31st TFW into several segments. In April, the 307th TFS was permanently reassigned to the 401st TFW at Torrejon Air Base Spain to accommodate USAFE requirements. The 31st TFW and it's remaining three fighter squadrons were deployed to Tuy Hoa Air Base South Vietnam on 16 December 1966.
During its time in Vietnam, a placeholder unit, the 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing assumed the host duties at Homestead to perform the air defense mission. For the next several years, squadrons from various TAC bases were assigned to Homestead to fulfill that role. These squadrons were:
- Reassigned from the 474th TFW, Cannon AFB, New Mexico
- 478th Tac Ftr Sq 1 Nov 66-21 May 70 (ZE, F-4D, F-4E, green tails)
Aircraft assigned to the 309th TFS, 21 May 1970. Squadron transferred to 474th TFW at Takhli RTAFB Thailand, then deployed TDY to 354th TFW, Kusan AB, South Korea - 430th Tac Ftr Sq 15 Nov 66-15 Sep 68 (F-4D, red tails)
Aircraft sent to 474th TFW, Det. 1 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base South Vietnam. Squadron transferred to 474th TFW at Takhli RTAFB Thailand as F-111A squadron
- 478th Tac Ftr Sq 1 Nov 66-21 May 70 (ZE, F-4D, F-4E, green tails)
- Reassigned from the 479th TTW, George AFB, California
- 436th Tac Ftr Sq 15 Jul 68-30 Oct 70 (ZD, F-4D, F-4E)
Assets of 560th TFW assigned to 306th TFS, 31 Oct 1970. Squadron transferred w/o/p/e to Holloman AFB New Mexico as 436th TTS. - 68th Tac Ftr Sq 1 Oct 68-20 Jun 69 (ZG, F-4D, F-4E)
Squadron and Aircraft deployed TDY to 354th TFW, Kusan AB, South Korea
Returned to 4531st TFW from 354th TFW 9 Dec 69
Remained at Homestead until 30 Oct 70 with squadron and Assets transferred to 4403d TFW England AFB, Louisiana
- 436th Tac Ftr Sq 15 Jul 68-30 Oct 70 (ZD, F-4D, F-4E)
- Reassigned from the 23d TFW, McConnell AFB, Kansas
- 560th Tac Ftr Sq 25 Sep 68-23 Jun 69(ZF, F-4D, F-4E)
Squadron and Aircraft deployed TDY to 354th TFW, Kusan AB, South Korea
Returned to 4531st TFW from 354th TFW 17 Dec 69
Remained at Homestead until 30 Oct 70 when squadron and assets of 560th TFS assigned to 308th TFS, 31 Oct 1970,
- 560th Tac Ftr Sq 25 Sep 68-23 Jun 69(ZF, F-4D, F-4E)
On 1 July 1968 TAC officially took control of Homestead AFB and placed it under Ninth Air Force. The SAC 19th Bomb Wing transferred to Robins Air Force Base Georgia, and the 823d Air Division was transferred to McCoy Air Force Base Florida.
[edit] Post Vietnam
The 31st Fighter Wing returned from the Vietnam War on 15 October 1970 as an McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II organization. Its deployed squadrons were reactivated at Homestead from assets of the deactivated 4531st TFW
- 436th TFS -> 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron (ZD, Inactivated 15 Jul 1971)
- 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron (ZD/ZF, red tail stripe, Activated 15 July 1971 from assets of 306th TFS)
- 560th TFS -> 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron (ZF, green tail stripe)
- 478th TFS -> 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron (ZE/ZF, blue tail stripe)
The 31st TFW standardized on the "ZF" tail code in 1972. On 1 July 1978 the 306th TFS was reactivated as an F-4E squadron (ZF, yellow tail stripe) Also in 1978, the 482d Tactical Fighter Wing (AFRES), activated at Homestead. The 482d TFW was the first Air Force Reserve unit to receive the F-4 Phantom fighter jet.
An equipment change in 1980 brought the F-4D to the 31st TFW, and in 1981, the 31st TFW and Homestead AFB again took on a new task: the training of F-4 aircrews. On 31 March 1981 the 31st TFW became the 31st Tactical Training Wing.
Training was to remain the base’s primary mission until 1 October 1985 the wing converted to the General Dynamics Block 15 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon and returned to an operational tactical fighter wing status. However, with the arrival of the F-16s, the 306th TFS was again deactivated. Also the tail code of the 31st changed to "HS" on 1 December 1986.
In October 1991 the wing upgraded to the Block 40 F-16C/D and was redesignated at the 31st Fighter Wing. On 1 June 1992 the wing was assigned to the new Air Combat Command.
[edit] Hurricane Andrew
The August 1992 Hurricane Andrew was the second most destructive hurricane in U.S. history, and the final of three Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States in the 20th century.
Just prior to the storm's landfall in Southeast Florida, the 31st TFW dispersed its fighter squadrons to safe areas away from the storm's path. These locations were:
- 307th FS -> to 347th FW, Moody AFB, Georgia
- 308th FS -> to 347th FW, Moody AFB, Georgia
- 309th FS -> to 363d FW, Shaw AFB, South Carolina
The effects of Hurricane Andrew caused the almost total destruction of Homestead Air Force Base. Although both President George H. W. Bush and President Clinton promised to rebuild Homestead, the BRAC designated the installation for realignment to the Air Force Reserve, with the 31st Fighter Wing's squadrons being permnently reassigned to their dispersal bases, Moody AFB and Shaw AFB on 1 October 1992.
Civilian personnel and Civil Engineering units of the 31st FW worked to reconstruct Homestead in 1993 and 1994. In March 1994, Homestead officially reopened, however the 31st FW aircraft squadrons did not return to the base. On 1 April 1994 Headquarters, ACC inactivated the 31st Fighter Wing base support units, and effectively ending ACC ownership of the base. Homestead was redesignated from an Air Force Base to an Air Reserve Station.
The 31st Fighter Wing was transferred, without personnel or equipment to Aviano Air Base Italy, taking over the host duties there.
[edit] Air Force Reserve Command
With Homestead being assigned to the reserves, the 482nd Fighter Wing became the host unit. The 482d was activated in October 1978 at Homestead, flying F-4C Phantom II fighter aircraft. The 482d was the first unit in the Air Force Reserve to fly the Phantom, which was, at that time, the predominant fighter in use by the Air Force. The wing converted to the modern F-16A in 1989 and upgraded to the F-16C model in 1995.
During the reconstruction period after Hurricane Andrew (1992 - 1994), the 482d operated from MacDill AFB Florida.
In 2000, 482nd Security Forces Squadron members were deployed in support Operation Southern Watch at Ali Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, for air base Defense.
In 2001, the 482nd FW deployed to Laage Air Base, Germany, for Exercise Millennium Falcon, which provided dissimilar-in-combat training with German Mig-29s. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the 482nd FW was active in Operation Noble Eagle.
Elements of the 482nd Fighter Wing deployed in October 2001 to the Middle East as part of a regularly scheduled aerospace expeditionary force rotation to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. While there, the reservists also began flying combat missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan. Throughout the 90-day deployment, the reservists flew between nine and 15 hours a day.
[edit] BRAC 2005
The 2005 Base Realignment And Closure Commission recommended:
- To realign Hill AFB. It would distribute the 419th Fighter Wing F-16s to the 482d Fighter Wing, Homestead Air Reserve Base, FL (six aircraft) and to another base. The Air Force would distribute Reserve aircraft to Homestead Air Reserve Base (31) to create an optimum sized squadron that would support the homeland defense Air Sovereignty Alert mission.
- DoD recommended to realign Richmond International Airport AGS, VA. It would Distribute the 192d Fighter Wing’s F-16s to the 482nd Fighter Wing Homestead ARB, FL (three aircraft) and other installations. The F-16s from Richmond (49) would be distributed to Homestead (31) to enable the capability to support the homeland defense Air Sovereignty Alert mission.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article includes content from Homestead Air Reserve Base History Website, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource. That information was supplemented by:
- Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1989
- Donald, David, "Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War".
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Rogers, Brian, "United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978", 2005
- [1] Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia Of Military Aircraft
