Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States of America | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 43°06′48″N 078°56′51″W / 43.11333°N 78.94750°W | ||||||||||
Type | Air Reserve Station | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||||
Operator | US Air Force (USAF) | ||||||||||
Controlled by | Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) | ||||||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||||||
Website | www.niagara.afrc.af.mil | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1928 | (as Niagara Falls Airport)||||||||||
In use | 1946 – present | ||||||||||
Garrison information | |||||||||||
Current commander | Colonel Joseph “20 Grit” Contino | ||||||||||
Garrison | |||||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||||
Identifiers | AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Airfield shared with Niagara Falls International Airport Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station
The host unit for the base is the 914th Air Refueling Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command which operates the KC-135 Stratotanker. The 107th Attack Wing of the New York Air National Guard is also stationed at the base.
A
History
The Army's Air Service had begun operations in
Bell Modification Center
The Bell Modification Center at the Niagara Falls Airport was 1 of 21 built by
The Naval Air Station Niagara Falls was established in 1946 and the installation was expanded.[
USAF base
Niagara Falls Air Force Base (NFAFB) was established by 1955 after the 76th Air Base Squadron was activated in February 1952 as the host unit. Following Korea operations, the 107th converted to
In January 1954, the 107th received its first jet aircraft (
- SAGE interceptors
- The 47th FIS aircraft were modified[914th Troop Carrier Group and concurrently assigned to the Air Force Reserve at Niagara Falls. In 1968, the 107th Tactical Fighter Group was stationed at Niagara Falls Air Force Base[15](3rd activation in 17 years.)
- Vietnam War
- In July 1968, approximately 400 members of the 107th were deployed to 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1969, the Niagara Support Center was planned to be closed,[16] and the 4621st ABG was inactivated on 31 March 1970 (the last active-duty ADC organization at the base).[17][failed verification]
Air reserve station
In 1971 the 914th assumed command of the installation from active duty units[
In October 1990, over 300 members of the 914th Airlift Group spent seven months in the
The USGS added the military station to the Geographic Names Information System on November 17, 2008.[2] Since 2011, the Army Reserve's 277th Quartermaster Company has provided support for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft operations.
In 2016, it was announced that the 914th would replace their aging C-130 aircraft with eight KC-135 Stratotankers. The conversion was included in the 2017 budget and changed the 914th's mission to an air refueling role with a subsequent re-designation as the 914th Air Refueling Wing (914 ARW).[23][24]
Army Reserve Presence
Three Army Reserve units call the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station home. All three are located in the Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) which was built in 2013. The units are the 277th Quartermaster Company (Petroleum), 1982nd Forward Surgical Team (FST) and Alpha Company, 865th Combat Support Hospital (CSH).
Major units assigned
- 90th Reconnaissance Wing, 1946–1949
- 26th Reconnaissance Group, 1946–1949
- 107th Group (Currently designated 107th Attack Wing), 1948–Present
- 518th Air Defense Group, 1953
- Re-designated 15th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 1955–1960
- 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1952–1960
- 35th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 1960–1969[citation needed]
- 445th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1955–1957
- 914th Troop Carrier Group (Currently designated 914th Air Refueling Wing, 1963–Present
Aircraft assigned
- F-47 Thunderbolt, 1948–1952
- F-51 Mustang, 1952–1954
- F-86 Sabre, 1953–1960
- F-94 Starfire, 1954–1957
- F-102 Delta Dagger, 1959–1960
- F-100 Super Sabre, 1960–1970
- C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963–1971
- F-101 Voodoo, 1971–1982
- F-4 Phantom II, 1982–1990
- F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1990–1994
- KC-135 Stratotanker, 1994–2008, 2016–Present
- C-130 Hercules, 1971–2016
- MQ-9 Reaper, 2014–Present
References
- ^ "Airport Diagram – Niagara Falls Intl (IAG)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. May 21, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "Niagara Falls International Airport Air Reserve Station (2511965)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
Entry Date: 17-Nov-2008 … 430657N 0785624Ws
- ^ "Niagara Air Reserve Station Mission and History". NIMAC and the Niagara Air Reserve Station. Niagara Military Affairs Council. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c Futrell, Robert F. (July 1947). Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 (Report). Vol. ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2). Air Historical Office.
Niagara Falls East Tr Sch … Niagara Falls…Mod Ctr HQ
- ^ Shaw, Frederick J (2004). Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy (Report). Air Force History and Museums Program.
The Air Service relied on existing commercial centers for locating several of its bases and technical schools. For example, in March 1917 [Mar. 25, 1916-Mar. 1916] it opened a school for photofinishers at Rochester, New York [p. 12] … On 1 October [1979], some of ADC mission [sic] and units…transferred to TAC. Already, for several years, the Air National Guard had possessed most fighter-interceptors [e.g.,] F–101s operated from Niagara Falls, New York
(p. 127) - ^ a b http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121126/CITYANDREGION/121129434/1010 "former Bell Aircraft Plant in Wheatfield, where it continues to maintain a research library and restoration facility. … Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics last month designated the former Bell Aircraft Plant – which is adjacent to the Niagara Falls International Airport grounds – as a historic aerospace site."
- ^ "Speedy Production of Planes Slated At New Factory" (Google news archive). The Evening Independent. October 9, 1941. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ [full citation needed] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Schenectady Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "St. Joseph News-Press - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Condit, Kenneth W. (1992) [1971 classified vol]. "Chapter 15: Continental Defense". The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy: 1955-1956 (Report). Vol. VI of History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Washington, DC: Historical Office, Joint Staff.
- ^ NORAD Operational Interceptor Force 31 Dec. 1959 (Map). May 1, 1960. (p. 91 of: Preface by Buss, L. H. (Director) (November 1, 1959). North American Air Defense Command and Continental Air Defense Command Historical Summary: January–June 1959 (Report). Directorate of Command History: Office of Information Services.
- ^ "The Times-News - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Niagara Falls Air Force Units Are Phased Out" (Google news archive). Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. October 28, 1969. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
[the] Army [will] close its Niagara Support Center [and] Niagara Falls chemical plant… Department of Defense plans to cutback at 307 military bases. To be inactivated at the Niagara Falls Air Base are the 35th Defense Missile Squadron and the 4621st Air Base Group and its associated units.
- Peterson Air Force Base: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 13, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ "Pilot Killed as 2 Jets Collide at Air Show". The New York Times. July 14, 1985.
- ^ "The Southeast Missourian - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "107th Attack Wing > Home".
- ^ "kc-135-aircraft-jobs-new-york-Niagara-Falls-air-base". Air Force Times. February 23, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ "Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station - Home". Archived from the original on June 13, 2006.