| NAS JRB Willow Grove | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NAS Willow Grove in the 1940s | |||
| IATA: NXX – ICAO: KNXX – FAA LID: NXX | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military: Naval Air Station | ||
| Owner | United States Navy | ||
| Location | Horsham Twp, Pennsylvania | ||
| Built | 1928 | ||
| Commander | CAPT David Opatz | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 335 ft / 109 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 15/33 | 8,002 | 2,439 | PEM |
| Sources: official web site[1] and FAA[2] | |||
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove or NASJRB Willow Grove (IATA: NXX, ICAO: KNXX, FAA LID: NXX) was a Naval Air Station owned by the U.S. Navy and located in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States[3] four miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Willow Grove,[2] which is north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The installation was changed to the Horsham Air Guard Station after the U.S. Navy left in the Spring of 2011.
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It began in 1926 when Harold Frederick Pitcairn constructed a hangar and a grass airstrip in Horsham, Pennsylvania. The name "Willow Grove" came from the nearest town. At the time, Horsham was a rural township with little significance. From 1926 to 1942 Pitcairn used the airfield for design, construction and testing of a number of aircraft, including the Mailwing which was used by the United States Postal Service.
After the start of World War II, the United States purchased the grounds, and launched a classified anti-submarine warfare program at the base. Following World War II and into the Cold War, it became an operational and training bases for aviation activities of the Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Army Reserve and Army National Guard, a duty it continues to this day. As part of its joint recruitment efforts, the base was an annual host to one of the largest air shows on the East Coast until 2006.
Willow Grove is home to the following:
Willow Grove was most recently home to the following military aviation units:
On May 28, 2006, the Base Realignment and Closure commission recommended that this base be closed as part of the 2005 BRAC round, that the tenant Air Force Reserve Command airlift wing be deactivated and that Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve flying units relocate to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey as tenant units. This may be subject to change by the President of the United States and the United States Congress.
On September 30, 2007, pursuant to direction of BRAC 2005, the Air Force Reserve Command disestablished the 913th Airlift Wing at Willow Grove ARS, redistributing its C-130 Hercules aircraft to other active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve units.
On February 29, 2008, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania released a report detailing a plan for a joint interagency installation (JII), with a mission of national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness. However, on November 13, 2009, Pennsylvania dropped the plan for the JII based on the gradual removal of the 111th Fighter Wing. Future plans for the base include using a portion for the National Guard and reserve troops. [4]
The airfield shut down on March 31, 2011; VR-64, VR-52, and a C-12 detachment were transferred to McGuire Air Force Base.[5][6]
Currently, the 111th Fighter Wing, operating the A-10 Thunderbolt II, has lost all its aircraft to other ANG Squadrons under BRAC; the unit will take on a new role (so far undecided) in the near future. The unit will no longer operate aircraft.
Final closure of NAS JRB Willow Grove occurred on September 15, 2011. The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is expected to take custody, and the facility will be designated Willow Grove Air National Guard Base. A handful of National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers will remain, and the Air Force will maintain administrative offices on the property. The surplus land containing the runways will be turned over to Horsham Township for redevelopment; Horsham and other adjoining townships in Montgomery and Bucks Counties are currently debating the nature of this redevelopment.[7]
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