Dyess Air Force Base
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
Dyess Air Force Base | |||||||||||
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Near United States of America | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 32°25′15″N 099°51′17″W / 32.42083°N 99.85472°W | ||||||||||
Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||||
Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||||
Controlled by | Air Force Global Strike Command | ||||||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||||||
Website | www.dyess.af.mil | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1942 | (as Tye Army Air Field)||||||||||
In use | 1942 – present | ||||||||||
Garrison information | |||||||||||
Garrison |
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Airfield information | |||||||||||
Identifiers | AMSL | ||||||||||
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Other airfield facilities | Marion drop zone | ||||||||||
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: DYS, ICAO: KDYS, FAA LID: DYS) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and 150 miles (240 km) west of Fort Worth, Texas.
The host unit at Dyess is the
The
Dyess AFB was established in 1942 as Abilene Army Air Base. It was renamed in honor of Texas native and
Dyess covers 6,409-acre (25.94 km2), and is home to the 7th Bomb Wing, which consists of four groups. The 9th and 28th Bomb Squadrons fly the B-1B. In addition, the 28th Bomb Squadron is the USAF schoolhouse for all B-1B aircrew members.
The base employs more than 5,000 people, making it the single largest employer in the area. Dyess AFB has nearly 200 facilities on base, plus 988 units of family housing, and encompasses 6,117 acres (24.75 km2) of land. The base has a total economic impact of nearly $310 million yearly on the local community.
History
The base is named after Lt Col
World War II
In 1942, the United States Army Air Forces built Tye Army Air Field, as it was popularly known, on the site of what is now known as Dyess AFB. On 18 December 1942, the field was opened and was initially named Abilene Army Air Base. The name was changed on 8 April 1943 to Abilene Army Airfield. The first host unit as Abilene AAB was the 474th Base HQ and Airbase Squadron, established on 18 December 1942. The airfield was initially assigned to Second Air Force and its mission was to be a flying training center for cadets.
Known groups which trained at the base during the war were:
- 77th Reconnaissance Group (6 April 1943 – 12 September 1943)
- 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (10 September 1943 – 12 November 1943)
- 408th Fighter-Bomber Group (10 November 1943 – January 1944)
The 77th and 69th groups were units that trained reconnaissance personnel who later served overseas. The 408th was a new group that received
On 25 March 1944,
With the end of the war, the base was declared inactive on 31 January 1946. Although assigned to
Cold War
Shortly after the Korean War broke out, the city of Abilene called for the need of a military installation. They believed the 1,500 acres (6 km2) of the former Tye AAF were the perfect site for a new base. The city's leaders went to The Pentagon with their request. The city showed their determination for a new base by raising almost $1 million to purchase an additional 3,500 acres (14 km2) adjacent to the site. They were able to attract then U.S. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson's (D-TX) attention, who had the power to persuade military officials to reactivate the base in Abilene. Finally, in July 1952, Congress approved the $32 million needed to construct an air force base on the Tye AAF site. It was to be called Abilene Air Force Base and a little over three years after first starting construction, the base was opened on 15 April 1956.
Dyess' first active combat unit was the
On 1 December 1956, the name of the base was changed to Dyess Air Force Base in honor of the late Lt Col William E. Dyess, USAAF.
The
During the
On 19 November 1959, the United States Army conducted groundbreaking ceremonies at Dyess AFB for the battalion headquarters of the 5th Missile Battalion, 517th Artillery of the U.S. Army Air Defense Command. Installed to defend the SAC bombers and Atlas F missile silos stationed at and around Dyess AFB, the two Nike Hercules sites were controlled by a "BIRDIE" system installed at Sweetwater Air Force Station. Site DY-10, located at Fort Phantom Hill 32°34′49″N 099°43′02″W / 32.58028°N 99.71722°W and site DY-50, located southwest of Abilene 32°16′17″N 099°57′32″W / 32.27139°N 99.95889°W, remained operational from 1960 until 1966.
Units stationed at Dyess Air Force Base while the 5/517th was operational included SAC's 819th Strategic Aerospace Division, the 96th BW, and the 578th Strategic Missile Squadron. Several of the 578th's Altas F Silos are located near the Nike sites. The Army Air Defense Command Post was located 37 miles west at Sweetwater AFS. Both of the sites were located near former Army posts. Camp Barkeley served as a World War II infantry division training center, while Fort Phantom Hill was a frontier outpost and stop on the Butterfield stage route.
Since 1961, various models of
From 1962 to 1965, Dyess Air Force Base had 12 SM-65 Atlas missile sites stationed around it. The Dyess sites were operated by the 578th Strategic Missile Squadron. After being decommissioned in 1965, the Atlas missiles were removed and all sites demilitarized.
In June 1985, the 96th received its first
The 1990s
On 1 October 1993, the 96 BW and 463 AW were both inactivated and replaced by the
Within its first year, the 7th Wing's diverse mission made it one of the most active units in the
In 1997, Dyess' C-130s were transferred back to Air Mobility Command, and the 317th Airlift Group was reactivated as the parent unit for Dyess' C-130 squadrons. At the same time, the 7th Wing was redesignated the 7th Bomb Wing. Despite this separation as units, both the 7th Bomb Wing and the 317th Airlift Group remained at Dyess.
One of the many unique features of Dyess is its extensive collection of static military aircraft on display. Collectively known as the "Dyess Linear Air Park", it contains 34 aircraft, 7 inert ordinances and one model from World War II to the present, many of them formerly based at Dyess, and is located along the base's main road, Arnold Blvd. All but one plane has been flown before. Its most recent addition is the first operational B-1B Lancer, known as The Star of Abilene, which made its final flight in 2003. It can be seen at the front gate to Dyess along with a recently retired C-130 Hercules located on the other side of the road (a tribute to the two main aircraft currently housed at Dyess).
Another unique feature of Dyess is its main source of energy. In January 2003, Dyess became the first Department of Defense installation in the United States to be powered exclusively from renewable wind energy. Today, most of the energy Dyess receives is from other sources of renewable energy, such as biomass, and is considered one of the "greenest" bases in the USAF.
The remnants of Tye AAF can still be seen today. Parts of the old runway still exist, as well as part of its parking area on the west side of Dyess.
Global War on Terrorism
The 7th Bomb Wing and 317th Airlift Group were called to duty once again shortly after 11 September 2001. Both played and continue to play vital roles in both
On 1 October 2015, Dyess became part of
Role and operations
The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing of the Global Strike Command, which was activated on 1 October 1993. The wing performs combat training with the Boeing B-1B Lancer bomber and is the USAF's premier operational B-1B unit with 36 aircraft.
The wing consists of these groups:
- 7th Operations Group (Tail Code: "DY") - Responsible for executing global conventional bombing directed by proper command authority, it is the Air Force's largest B-1 operations group comprising 36 B-1s.
- 28th Bomb Squadron (B-1B) (blue/white chex tail stripe)
- 9th Bomb Squadron (B-1B) (black tail stripe with a white bat silhouette centered on the tail stripe)
- 7th Operations Support Squadron
- 7th Mission Support Group
- 7th Maintenance Group
- 7th Medical Group
The
The 317th AW consists of these squadrons:
- 39th Airlift Squadron "Trail Blazers" (C-130J) ("Dyess" Texas state flag tail stripe)
- 40th Airlift Squadron "Screaming Eagles" (C-130J) ("Dyess" Texas state flag tail stripe)
- 317th Maintenance Squadron
- 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 317th Maintenance Operations Squadron (inactivated June 2013)
- 317th Operations Support Squadron
Dyess AFB is also home to several tenant units, including
Based units
Flying and notable nonflying units based at Dyess Air Force Base:[6]
Units marked GSU are geographically separate units, which although based at Dyess, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
Air Mobility Command (AMC)
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Air Combat Command (ACC)
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
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Previous names
- Established as: Abilene Army Air Base, 18 December 1942
- Prior to this date popularly known as Tye Field and Tye Army Air Base
- Abilene Army Airfield, 8 April 1943 – 13 January 1947
- Abilene Air Force Base, 1 October 1953
- Dyess Air Force Base, 1 December 1956–present
Major commands to which assigned
- Second Air Force, 13 October 1942
- Third Air Force, 2 March 1943
- Second Air Force, 15 November 1943
- Continental Air Forces, 16 April 1945 – 31 January 1946
- Strategic Air Command, 1 October 1953 to 31 May 1992
- Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – 30 September 2015
- Global Strike Command, 1 October 2015 – present
Base operating units
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Major units assigned
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SM-65F Atlas missile sites
The 578th Strategic Missile Squadron operated twelve missile sites, of one missile at each site.
- 578–1 1.5 mi SE of Lake Fort Phantom Hill, TX 32°36′09″N 099°38′59″W / 32.60250°N 99.64972°W
- 578–2 1.5 mi S of Albany, TX 32°42′23″N 099°17′51″W / 32.70639°N 99.29750°W
- 578–3 2.5 mi SE of Clyde, TX 32°22′54″N 099°27′37″W / 32.38167°N 99.46028°W
- 578–4 9.6 mi SSW of Clyde, TX 32°16′25″N 099°32′28″W / 32.27361°N 99.54111°W
- 578–5 1.5 mi SE of Lake Coleman, TX 32°09′42″N 099°33′10″W / 32.16167°N 99.55278°W
- 578–6 2.7 mi E of Lawn, TX 32°08′25″N 099°42′12″W / 32.14028°N 99.70333°W
- 578–7 3.4 mi NE of Bradshaw, TX 32°07′51″N 099°51′18″W / 32.13083°N 99.85500°W
- 578–8 4.9 mi ENE of Winters, TX 31°58′24″N 099°52′48″W / 31.97333°N 99.88000°W
- 578–9 11.9 mi NW of Bradshaw, TX 32°12′37″N 100°03′03″W / 32.21028°N 100.05083°W
- 578–10 13.1 mi S of Trent, TX 32°18′05″N 100°09′11″W / 32.30139°N 100.15306°W
- 578–11 3.2 mi SSW of Anson, TX 32°42′40″N 099°54′34″W / 32.71111°N 99.90944°W
- 578–12 1.4 mi WNW of Corinth, TX 32°51′37″N 099°53′29″W / 32.86028°N 99.89139°W
See also
References
- ^ "Airport Diagram – Dyess AFB (KDYS)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 20 June 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ "C-130 Hercules". Air Force. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT RAYMOND K. MOTT > Dyess Air Force Base > Display". Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "Comrades Pay Final Tribute to Lt. Col. William E. Dyess". Los Angeles Times. 25 December 1943.
- ^ Jensen, Will (28 September 2015). "Ceremony at Dyess marks transition within U.S. Air Force". KTXS-TV. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Units". Dyess Air Force Base. US Air Force. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency This article incorporates public domain material from Dyess Air Force Base. United States Air Force.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
External links
- Official website
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective March 21, 2024
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- FAA airport information for DYS
- AirNav airport information for KDYS
- ASN accident history for DYS
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KDYS
- Historic American Engineering Record(HAER) documentation, filed under Winters, Runnels County, Texas:
- HAER No. TX-25, "Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missile Site S-8", 3 measured drawings, 39 data pages
- HAER No. TX-25-A, "Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missile Site S-8, Launch Control Center", 2 measured drawings, 5 data pages
- HAER No. TX-25-B, "Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missile Site S-8, Launch Facility", 2 measured drawings, 6 data pages