Dover Air Force Base
| Dover Air Force Base | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | KDOV |
| IATA code | DOV |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 9 m (30 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 6 km southeast of Dover |
| Street | DE 1 / DE 9 |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1941 |
| operator | United States Air Force |
| Flight movements |
124,000 |
| Runways | |
| 01/19 | 2927 m × 46 m concrete |
| 14/32 | 3933 m × 46 m asphalt |
The Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB ( IATA code : DOV , ICAO code : KDOV , FAA : DOV ) is an air base of the US Air Force southeast of the city of Dover in US -Bundesstaat Delaware . It has existed since 1941.
Stationed units
Dover AFB is currently home to the Air Mobility Command's (AMC) 436th Airlift Wing (436 AW) , also known as the Eagle Wing , and the Air Force Reserve Command's (AFRC) 512th Airlift Wing , known as the Liberty Wing . It was the only base that exclusively operated the C-5 Galaxy wide-body transport aircraft , through the 3rd and 9th Airlift Squadron, the former has since switched to the C-17 ; also by two units of the Air Force Reserve (326th and 709th Airlift Squadron).
Air Mobility Command Museum
The Air Mobility Command Museum is housed in hangar 1301 on Dover AFB . The hangar is dedicated to military transport and refueling aircraft and their maintenance personnel. It houses a large number of fully preserved corresponding machines. During the day, guided tours are offered by volunteers, many of whom are former pilots, navigators, flight engineers, or shippers who can share their own experience. The hangar comprises over 1,900 m² of aircraft hangar plus 120 m² of exhibition space. Another 590 m² in the adjoining building include a small cinema, the museum shop, an exhibition workshop and various offices. On an additional 9,300 m² outside area, further aircraft on display allow a closer look. The museum also maintains a large archive related to the history of the AMC as well as Dover AFB. In 1994, Building 1301, Dover Air Force Base was added to the United States ' National Register of Historic Places .
particularities
- The base operates the largest military morgue under the US Department of Defense and is therefore used as a transshipment point for soldiers killed in both war and peacetime. Dover AFB is traditionally where the remains of soldiers killed outside the United States are first brought before handover to their families. Thus the fallen in Dover reach American soil for the first time after their missions and are therefore received with military honors.
- The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs , also located on the premises of Dover AFB, examines the bodies of civilians who have died under exceptional circumstances, such as: B. the victims of the mass murder / suicide of Jonestown 1978. This is also where the identification of the remains of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger 1986 took place, as well as those of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 . The Carson Center was also used for much of the identification of military personnel killed in the 9/11 attacks .
- Before making a decision about further troop broadcasts to Afghanistan , President Barack Obama visited the base on the evening of October 28, 2009 and personally received the coffins of some US soldiers.
- Two areas of the 436th Aerial Port Squadron's warehouse collapsed on February 18, 2003 as a result of a record snowstorm. Two of the six loading ramps were also destroyed. No one was injured, but the property damage was estimated at around a million dollars .
Command and use
Commander-in-Chief
- First Air Force from December 17, 1941
- Air Service Command from December 19, 1942
- First Air Force from March 17, 1943
- Continental Air Forces from June 6, 1945
- renamed: Strategic Air Command from March 21, 1946
- Tactical Air Command from April 1, 1946
- Continental Air Command from December 1, 1948
- Air Defense Command from January 1, 1951
- Military Air Transport Service from April 1, 1952
- renamed to: Military Airlift Command from January 1, 1966
- Air Mobility Command since June 1, 1992
* Between September 1, 1946 and August 1, 1950, the base was temporarily made inactive. During this time Dover AFB was subject to higher military jurisdiction.
Main user
- 45th Bombardment Group , May 16 - August 30, 1942
- 312nd Air Base and HQ Squadron, August 31, 1942 - April 10, 1944
- 365th Fighter Group , August 12 - November 19, 1943
- 83rd Fighter Group , November 22, 1943 - April 10, 1944
- renamed 125th Base Unit, April 10 - September 15, 1944
- renamed 125th AAF Base Unit, September 15, 1944 - March 31, 1946
- 320th AAF Base Unit, April 1, 1946 - August 23, 1948
- renamed 4404th Standby Base Squadron, August 23, 1948 - November 27, 1949
- 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , August 13 - November 10, 1950
- 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , November 1, 1952 - July 1, 1958
- 80th Air Base Squadron, Feb. 1, 1952 - Aug. 1, 1953
- 1607th Air Base Group, Aug. 1, 1953
- renamed 1607th Air Transport Wing , November 9, 1953 - January 8, 1966
- Aerial Port of Embarkation, May 1, 1954 - February 15, 1978
- 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , March 8, 1956 - June 20, 1963
- 4728th Air Defense Group , Feb. 8, 1957 - July 1, 1958
- 95th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , July 1, 1963 - January 31, 1973
- 436th Military Airlift Wing (later Airlift Wing) , Nov. 8, 1966-present
- 912. Military Airlift Group, September 25, 1968 - July 1, 1973
- 512th Military Airlift Wing (later Airlift Wing) , July 1, 1973-present
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ AirportIQ 5010: Dover Air Force Base. GCR1.com, accessed May 20, 2020 .
