Great Falls Air National Guard Base
Great Falls Air National Guard Base | |
|---|---|
| Part of Montana Air National Guard (MT ANG) | |
| Located near: Great Falls, Montana | |
|
F-15C of the Montana ANG taking off Great Falls ANGB | |
  Great Falls ANGB Location of Great Falls Air National Guard Base, Montana | |
| Coordinates | 47°28′55.20″N 111°22′14.46″W / 47.4820000°N 111.3706833°W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
 United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-Present |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison |
 120th Airlift Wing |
| Airfield information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| IATA: GTF – ICAO: KGTF | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 3,680 ft / 1,121.7 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.120fw.ang.af.mil | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Great Falls Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Montana Air National Guard 120th Airlift Wing.[1]
Overview
The 120th Airlift Wing (AW) of the Montana Air National Guard occupies 141 acres (0.57 km2) of leased land on the Great Falls International Airport (IAP), located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of downtown Great Falls, Montana. The 120th FW flies an airlift mission, utilizing the C-130H.[1]
The 120th FW occupies three administrative, one services, and 43 industrial buildings totaling approximately 392,372 square feet (36,452.6 m2) with 350 full-time personnel. A unit training drill is conducted twice a month and results in a surge of up to a total of 943 personnel.[1]
BRAC 2005 sent the unit's F-16 Fighting Falcons to ANG bases in Alabama and Iowa; F-15 Eagles were assigned to replace them.[1] The unit was re-designated the 120th Airlift Wing on 1 March 2014, flying the C-130H.
History
The airport was leased by the U.S. War Department during World War II and became a home for the 7th Ferrying Command of the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war. During the war years, more than 7,500 bombers and fighter aircraft passed through Great Falls on their way to the war fronts in Europe and the Pacific. While using the airport as an air base, the U.S. Army acquired an additional 740 acres (3.0 km2) of land and built many buildings and other facilities. The airport remained under government control until June 1948, at which point the newly established Department of Defense deeded the airport back to the City of Great Falls with the stipulation that the facility could revert to military control in the event of a national emergency. The airport was released from this clause in 1961.[1]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.