| NAS Fort Worth JRB Carswell Field |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Entrance sign to NAS Fort Worth JRB | |||
| IATA: FWH – ICAO: KNFW – FAA LID: NFW | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military: Naval Air Station | ||
| Operator | United States Navy | ||
| Location | Fort Worth Westworth Village White Settlement, Texas |
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| Built | 1932 | ||
| In use | Active | ||
| Commander | Captain R.A. Bennett | ||
| Occupants | U.S. Navy Reserve U.S. Marine Corps Reserve U.S. Air Force Reserve U.S. Air National Guard |
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| Elevation AMSL | 650 ft / 198 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17/35 | 12,000 | 3,658 | Concrete |
| Source: official web site[1] and FAA[2] | |||
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base or NAS Fort Worth JRB (IATA: FWH, ICAO: KNFW, FAA LID: NFW) includes Carswell Field, a military airfield located 5 nautical miles (9 km; 6 mi) west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by United States Navy.[2] It is located in the cities of Fort Worth, Westworth Village, and White Settlement in the western part of the Fort Worth urban area.[3][4]
Several Navy headquarters and operational units are based at NAS Fort Worth JRB, including aviation squadrons, intelligence commands and Seabees. The Air Force Reserve Command's Tenth Air Force headquarters and 301st Fighter Wing continue to be based at the installation, as well as the 136th Airlift Wing of the Texas Air National Guard. A number of Marine Corps aviation and ground units are also co-located at NAS Fort Worth JRB.
Aircraft types initially based at NAS Fort Worth JRB were the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet and McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain II. Current based Navy aircraft are the C-40 Clipper and McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain II. The only Air Force aircraft is the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Texas Air National Guard flies the C-130 Hercules. Currently based Marine Corps aircraft are the F/A-18 Hornet and KC-130 Hercules. Recently, the Army based a squadron of RC-12 aircraft at NAS Fort Worth JRB.
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The base originated in 1941 as Tarrant Field Airdrome. The airdrome became Fort Worth Army Air Field on 2 January 1942 and was renamed Carswell Air Force Base in 1948, in honor of Major Horace S. Carswell, Jr. Carswell Air Force Base was one of the first Strategic Air Command bases established in the Cold War period.
In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission decided to relocate forces from Naval Air Station Dallas to Carswell Air Force Base and the new base was to be named NAS Fort Worth JRB. When commissioned, this installation was the first Joint Service Reserve Base in the United States.
On October 1, 1994, the Navy established itself as the host command, renaming the 1,805-acre (7.30 km2) base; Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Joint Reserve Base, but also retaining the name Carswell Field. Two U.S. Marine Corps squadrons and a small contingent of Navy personnel had permanently relocated at that time and all moves were completed by 1998.
Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Joint Reserve Base, part of Navy Installation Command's Navy Region Southeast, is a joint defense facility which plays a pivotal role in training and equipping air crews and aviation ground support personnel. The Navy Fort Worth "team" ensures reservists receive quality training in preparation for mobilization readiness; here to serve the reservists, tenants, and surrounding communities while accomplishing its primary purpose of defense readiness for the United States.
On September 20, 2009, the airport was used as a refuelling stop for the Space Shuttle Discovery's return flight to the Kennedy Space Center that was being piggybacked from Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. After refuelling it was flown on to Barksdale Air Force Base.
The base, now part of Navy Installations Command, is under the oversight of Commander, Navy Region Southeast. It hosts a variety of fighter/attack and airlift units from the reserve components of Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. Airfield operating procedures and equipment (e.g., PAR and ILS) reflect a combination of service requirements, although as the operators of the local ATC system, DON imposes Navy procedures as the operations standard.
NAS Fort Worth JRB units schedule a variety of airspace. The key area for fighter operations is the Brownwood Military Operations Area (MOA). This area, originally developed to serve Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve (COMNAVAIRRESFOR) and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing fighter and fighter/attack squadrons stationed at the former NAS Dallas, now serves as the primary airspace resource for all fighter/attack units assigned to NAS Fort Worth JRB. It is scheduled by the NAS Operations Department; consolidated scheduling was evaluated for a period of time and the decision made to return this area to the Navy for scheduling. Nevertheless, user comments indicate that access to the area is allocated to its several users on a fair and equitable basis.
The recent decision to join the Brady and Brownwood MOAs will provide additional maneuver airspace for AIC/ACM training. When scheduled concurrently, these areas enable numerous aircraft from several units to participate in joint fighter/bomber training exercises. Brownwood MOA is the subject of an innovative test to improve the dissemination of SUA status information to non-participating aircraft. This test, conducted to address action items in meeting FAA Free Flight planning commitments, will use a combination of recently deployed airspace scheduling and reporting systems, including the FAA SAMS and DoD MAMS. The trials’ intent is to provide more accurate (“near real-time”) area status via the Internet to civil users, especially to regional air carriers particularly affected by required rerouting around Brownwood MOA. Should the test and the technology prove successful and cost-effective, the result could address long-standing civil dissatisfaction with the quality and timeliness of FAA-distributed SUA status information. In particular, such functionality may be appropriate for incorporation into the next generation of Automated Flight Service Station modernization equipment.
The base's runway is also used by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, as their large Fort Worth assembly facility (where the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-35 Lightning II are built) is located adjacent to the base.
The Commanding Officer of NAS Fort Worth JRB is Captain R.A. Bennett.
Federal Medical Center, Carswell, a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, is located in the northeast corner of NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.[5] Its address is Building 3000 along J Street.[6]
Naval Units:
Marine Corps units:
Air Force Reserve units:
Air National Guard units:
Army Reserve units:
The base was one of the sites for the filming of James Stewart's 1955 classic "Strategic Air Command."
On the NBC series "The West Wing", Democratic Presidential nominee Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) reported for Marine Corps Reserve duty at Fort Worth for F/A-18 Hornet flight operations. The show incorrectly referred to the base as "National Guard Training Center Fort Worth", and the squadron shown was VMFA-134 "Smokes". In reality, the "Smokes" were stationed at MCAS Miramar prior to their 2007 transition to cadre status. The Marine Corps Reserve F/A-18 squadron actually based at NAS Fort Worth is VMFA-112 "Cowboys".
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