McConnell Air Force Base

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McConnell Air Force Base
Air Mobility Command.svg
Aerial view of the air base
Characteristics
ICAO code KIAB
IATA code IAB
Coordinates

37 ° 37 '23 "  N , 97 ° 16' 2"  W Coordinates: 37 ° 37 '23 "  N , 97 ° 16' 2"  W.

Height above MSL 418 m (1371  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 15 miles southeast of Wichita , Kansas
Street Kansas State Route 15, Kansas Turnpike
Basic data
opening August 1941
operator United States Air Force
Runways
1L / 19R 3658 m × 60 m concrete
1R / 19L 3658 m × 90 m concrete / asphalt

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The McConnell Air Force Base is a military airfield in the United States Air Force and the location of the 22  air refueling unit of the Air Mobility Command , the 931st Air Refueling Group of the Air Force Reserve Command and the 184th intelligence unit of the Kansas Air National Guard . The airfield is located around 15 kilometers southeast of Wichita .

history

Before World War II

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker stationed at the air base
A KC-135 Stratotanker refuels a B-2 Spirit

The history of the airport began in October 1924 when a national aviation congress with over 100,000 visitors took place in Wichita. City planners took advantage of this event to promote funding for a local airport. The foundation stone was laid on June 28, 1929.

In World War II

In August 1941, the Kansas National Guard's 127th Surveillance Squadron was established and was the first military unit to be stationed at Wichita Airport. The unit's equipment consisted of a North American T-6 BC-1A, a Douglas C-47 and four Stinson L-1s . On October 6, 1941, the unit was placed on expanded readiness and remained an integral part of the United States Army Air Corps until October 6, 1945 .

During the Second World War , the airport shared a runway with the Boeing factory , which manufactured the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress . In 1942, the Air Force Materiel Command therefore took control of the airport in order to accept the finished machines and coordinate the transfer to other bases. On October 11, 1946, the last military personnel was withdrawn and control of the airport was returned to the civil authorities.

Since the Second World War

During the 1950s, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet was the main medium bomber used by Strategic Air Command . On September 3, 1948, the first machine of this type was commissioned. Although the Boeing factory in Wichita had already been closed at the end of the Second World War, the decision was made to build this type of bomber there, since the factory in Seattle closed with the production of the KC-97 and the B-50 Superfortress and the conversion of decommissioned B-29s Air refueling aircraft was already busy.

In the summer of 1950, Boeing was able to deliver the first B-47 aircraft and the Air Force applied for the airport to be permanently rededicated as a military facility. Public hearings were scheduled and the city of Wichita was promised US $ 9.4 million to build a new civil airport - now Wichita Mid-Continent Airport .

On May 31, 1951, the Air Force took over the airport and on June 4 of the same year the 3520th Combat Crew Training Unit of the Air Training Command was established there.

The airport was renamed Wichita Air Force Base on May 15, 1953 and shortly thereafter was named McConnell Air Force Base in honor of Fred and Thomas McConnell. The brothers were Air Force pilots and World War II veterans. Fred died in a civil plane crash in 1945 and Thomas was killed in a bombing raid on Bougainville in the South Pacific .

During the 1950s the base was used for training sessions.

On March 1, 1962, the Strategic Air Command set up the 381st Strategic Missile Unit. Since this used the airport as a base, 18 missile silos , equipped with Titan II ICBMs , were built in a ring at a distance of between 20 and 80 kilometers around the airport. These deterrent measures determined the activities on the base until 1986 when the 381st unit was disbanded. The decommissioning of the missiles began in July 1982 and ended in June 1987. Between 1962 and 1972, the base was also home to various tactical units.

Various air refueling units have been stationed at McConnell Air Base since 1971. The facility is still used for this purpose today.

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  • Larsen, Steve A., Heritage and Legacy: A Brief History of the 22d Air Refueling Wing and McConnell Air Force Base , Office of History, 22d ARS, McConnell AFB, Kansas 2006.
  • Martin, Patrick: Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings , Schiffer Military Aviation History 1994, ISBN 0-88740-513-4
  • Mueller, Robert: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on September 17, 1982 , USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1989, ISBN 0-912799-53-6
  • Ravenstein, Charles A .: Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977 , Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984, ISBN 0-912799-12-9 .
  • Rogers, Brian: United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978 , Midland Publications 2005, ISBN 1-85780-197-0

Web links

Commons : McConnell Air Force Base  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files