Peterson Air Force Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peterson AFB/Colorado Springs Airport | |||
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| IATA: COS - ICAO: KCOS | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||
| Operator | USAF/City of Colorado Springs | ||
| Serves | Colorado Springs, Colorado | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 6,187 ft (1885.8 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17L/35R | 13,501 | 4,115 | Concrete |
| 17R/35L | 11,022 | 3,360 | Asphalt |
| 12/30 | 8,269 | 2,520 | Asphalt |
Peterson Air Force Base (Peterson AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Peterson AFB is home to US Northern Command, NORAD, Air Force Space Command, Army Space Command, the 21st Space Wing (host unit) and the 302d Airlift Wing (reserve). The Colorado Springs Post Office (ZIP Code 80914) serves Peterson AFB postal addresses.[1]
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[edit] History
Peterson AFB was established on May 6, 1942 at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. It was renamed on December 13, 1942 from Colorado Springs Army Air Base to Peterson Field in honor of a fallen airman that lost his life in an aircraft crash on the base. [2]
The base began heavy bomber combat crew training in 1943 utilizing the B-24 Liberator. In June 1944 the mission at the base changed, this time to fighter pilot training employing P–40 Warhawks.
On December 31, 1945, the Army inactivated the base, turning the property over to the City of Colorado Springs. During the next six years the base was deactivated and reactivated several times, until it finally reactivated for good in 1951. On March 1, 1976, Peterson Field was renamed Peterson Air Force Base.[2]
Strategic Air Command assumed control of the base on October 1, 1979. Then, on September 1, 1982, the Air Force Space Command was activated at Peterson. The 21st Space Wing was activated to replace two other wings on May 15, 1992.[3]
On July 28, 2006, operations formerly conducted in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) were relocated to Peterson Air Force Base for purposes of efficiency. Cheyenne Mountain complex will be left on warm standby until such time the protection of the mountain is again required. NORAD officials no longer feel there is a threat of an intercontinental nuclear attack which could disrupt NORAD's operations.[4]
[edit] Current Tenant Units
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ ZIP Code Lookup (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service (December 15, 2006). Retrieved on December 15, 2006.
- ^ a b PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE HISTORY Peterson AFB Website. Retrieved December 6, 2006
- ^ Peterson AFB. Global Security Website. Retrieved December 6, 2006
- ^ NORAD AND USNORTHCOM change underway. July 28, 2006. NORAD Website. Retrieved December 6, 2006
