Homestead Air Reserve Base

Coordinates: 25°29′18″N 080°23′01″W / 25.48833°N 80.38361°W / 25.48833; -80.38361 (Homestead ARB)
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Homestead Army Airfield" redirects here. Not to be confused with
Homestead Airport
.

Homestead Air Reserve Base
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
06/24 3,414 metres (11,201 ft) concrete
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Homestead Air Reserve Base (

Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of the Air Force Reserve Command's Tenth Air Force (10 AF), as well as the headquarters of Special Operations Command South.[2]

Much of Homestead Air Force Base was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and subsequently rebuilt.

History

World War II

Aerial photo of Homestead Army Airfield – 1943

The installation was named Homestead Army Air Field on 16 September 1942 as a base for the

U.S. Air Force was established as a separate service on 18 September 1947, the old Homestead AAF lay in ruins.[4]

Cold War and Vietnam War

Reactivated for the

U.S. Navy also established Naval Security Group Activity Homestead (NAVSECGRUACT Homestead) as a tenant command at Homestead AFB in June 1957.[5]

The 379 BMW moved to

KC-135A Stratotanker.[6]

The

C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft relocated to Homestead AFB.[4]

On 1 July 1961, the 19 BMW was redesignated as the 19th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) and began converting to the B-52H and KC-135A.

In 1962, the

F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters and established itself as a TAC tenant unit at Homestead, the base remaining under SAC control. Homestead AFB also figured prominently during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. All SAC aircraft of the 19 BMW were dispersed while the 31 TFW was augmented by additional F-100 aircraft from the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (401 TFW) from England AFB, Louisiana and the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing (474 TFW) from Cannon AFB, New Mexico. This combined organization, designated the 1st Provisional Air Division, was composed of over 181 F-100 fighter-bombers and over 1600 pilots and forward deployed aircraft maintenance personnel.[4]

Over 10,000 US Army personnel were also deployed to Homestead AFB and housed in a tent city in preparation for a possible land invasion of Cuba. Additional US Army air defense artillery personnel manned several

MIM-14 Nike Hercules, SAM batteries and associated radar and command and control sites. These Army air defense facilities would remain in operation at Homestead AFB and across South Florida until 1979.[4]

On 11 February 1963, the

C-124C Globemaster II, all on the same day.[4]

With the impending departure of the 19 BMW, control of Homestead AFB passed from SAC to TAC on 1 July 1968. However, with the 31 TFW deployed to Southeast Asia for combat operations over Vietnam, the 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing was established as a provisional unit for host wing duties at Homestead AFB pending the return of the 31 TFW in 1970.[4] While the 31 TFW was deployed, the 19 BMW moved without personnel or equipment on 25 July 1968 to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and absorbing the resources of the 465th Bombardment Wing (465 BMW) at Robins AFB and marking the end home-based B-52 and KC-135 operations at Homestead AFB.[6]

1971 also saw extensive changes at Homestead AFB. Following its return from Southeast Asia, the 31 TFW transitioned from the F-100 to the

79th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron (79 AEW&CS), operationally-gained by ADC.[4]

Cold War operations after the Vietnam War

With the end of combat operations in Vietnam in 1973, Homestead AFB and its host and tenant units were re-centered on Cold War mission taskings. The 301 ARRS transitioned to an all rotary-wing unit, retiring its last HU-16 and acquiring

915th Airborne Early Warning and Control Group (915 AEW&CG), again with the 79 AEW&CS as a subordinate unit.[4]

With the impending phaseout of the EC-121 as the new

F-4C Phantom II aircraft. The following year, ADC was also inactivated and all its former assets and units were transferred to TAC, to include shifting the 125 FIG and its Det 1 to the operational claimancy of TAC.[4]

In 1979 and 1980, the 31 TFW transferred its F-4E aircraft to ANG units and the

HC-130P/N Hercules
search and rescue aircraft, returning to a dual fixed-wing and rotary-wing fleet.

With its new emphasis as the F-4D FTU, the 31 TFW was redesignated as the

31st Tactical Training Wing (31 TTW) in March 1981 while retaining host wing responsibilities for Homestead AFB. In addition to the organizational changes in TAC modifying the 31 TTW mission, concurrent changes in AFRES in April 1981 resulted in the inactivation of the 915 TFG and its replacement replaced by the newly activated 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing (482 TFW), absorbing the personnel and assets of the 915th while maintaining the extant 93 TFS as its operational flying squadron.[4]

In 1985, the 31 TTW began retiring the F-4D, relinquishing the FTU mission and transitioning to the

F-16 Air Defense Fighter (F-16A/B ADF) variant, which was also reflected in rotational alert aircraft at 125 FIG, Det 1. By 1989, the 482 TFW also began retiring its F-4C aircraft and transitioning to the F-16A and F-16B. Finally, in 1990, the 301 ARRS was again redesignated as the 301st Air Rescue Squadron (301 ARS).[4]

Following

HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, was redesignated as the 301st Rescue Squadron (301 RQS), while the parent unit for 125 FIG, Det 1 was redesignated as the 125th Fighter Group (125 FG).[4]

Post-Cold War and Hurricane Andrew

Homestead AFB after Hurricane Andrew severely damaged the base on 27 August 1992.
Homestead AFB after Hurricane Andrew severely damaged the base on 27 August 1992

As Hurricane Andrew approached South Florida in late August 1992, the base evacuated their F-16 fighter aircraft, with the 31 TFW aircraft going to

MacDill AFB. The 125 FIG Det 1 would take up temporary residence at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, at alert facilities dating from the Cuban Missile Crisis.[4] Given the extent of damage, the U.S. Navy elected to close NAVSECGRUACT Homestead at Homestead AFB in June 1993.[5][7]

The stay at MacDill AFB and NAS Key West for the fighter aircraft was short-lived as the 31 FW, 482 FW, and 125 FW Det 1 returned to Homestead in March 1994 while the 301 RQS aircraft and personnel permanently remained at Patrick AFB. During this time, Homestead AFB was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's initial base closings list, potentially dooming the base to closure. However, the BRAC Commission recommended retaining Homestead AFB and rebuilding and realigning the installation as an AFRES installation.[4]

Transfer to Air Force Reserve

The 31 FW inactivated on 1 April 1994, reactivating the same day without personnel or equipment at

US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) organization. The same day, Homestead AFB transferred from ACC to AFRES control and was renamed Homestead Air Reserve Station with the 482 FW as the new host wing.[4]

As part of the BRAC process, the acreage "footprint" of the base was reduced and some portions of the base were declared surplus and relinquished from DoD control, with the real estate and/or extant structures transferred to the control of local municipal entities, i.e., City of Homestead, Miami-Dade County, etc. For a period, transfer of the runway and airfield proper to Miami-Dade County was also considered, with the base envisioned for conversion to a joint civilian-military airport.[8][4]

In February 1995, Homestead ARS again faced potential closure from the 1995 BRAC, which sought to close the ravaged station. The civilian community, including state and federal government leaders, rallied in support of the station, and launched a fight for the station's survival. The BRAC Commission subsequently withdrew Homestead ARS from the closure list in June 1995. In 1997, AFRES was redesignated from a Field Operating Agency to Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), an Air Force Major Command (MAJCOM) and Homestead ARS became an AFRC installation. In December 2003, Homestead ARS was again redesignated to its current name of Homestead Air Reserve Base.[4]

However, for a third time, Homestead ARB again faced potential closure, this time from the 2005 BRAC Commission. The base received numerous visits through the year from government decision makers and the BRAC Commission eventually decided to keep Homestead ARB open, to include redistributing nine more F-16 aircraft from other Air Reserve Component F-16 bases that were changing to aircraft other than the F-16 or losing flying missions outright.[4]

Ultimately, most of the base, to include the runway and airfield proper, remained under DoD control and completed its conversion from an active duty base to its present-day reserve base configuration with the 482 FW as the host wing and continuing to fly its

F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft from the Florida ANG's 125th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 (125 FW Det 1) conducting the Continental NORAD Region (CONR) air sovereignty/air defense mission of the southeastern United States.[9]

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Homestead Air Reserve Base.[10][11][12]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Homestead AFB are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

Gallery

  • F-104As of the 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron over Biscayne Bay
    F-104As of the 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron over Biscayne Bay
  • F-100D-85-NH (s/n 56-3440) of the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron
    F-100D-85-NH (s/n 56-3440) of the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  • F-4E-37-MC Phantom II (s/n 68-0365) of the 309th TFS, about 1971
    F-4E-37-MC Phantom II (s/n 68-0365) of the 309th TFS, about 1971
  • A 307th TFTS F-4D taking off
    A 307th TFTS F-4D taking off
  • F-16A Block 15Q (s/n 83-1080) of the 308th FS, about 1988
    F-16A Block 15Q (s/n 83-1080) of the 308th FS, about 1988
  • F-16 touch-and-go landing practice at Homestead ARB, c. 1996
    F-16 touch-and-go landing practice at Homestead ARB, c. 1996

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Homestead ARB (KHST)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Units". Homestead Air Reserve Base. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  3. ^ Mueller 1989, pp. 253–255.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "History of Homestead Air Reserve Base" (PDF). 4 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "NSGA Homestead, Florida Closed, June 9, 1993". 9 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b "SAC Bases: Homestead Air Force Base". strategic-air-command.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  7. ^ "A view of destruction to the Naval Security Group Activity building in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew". September 1992.
  8. ^ https://www.miamidade.gov/auditor/library/homestead-air-reserve-base-study.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  9. ^ Tweten, Ross (29 August 2012). "Homestead ARB and Hurricane Andrew: A look back, a look forward". Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Units". Homestead Air Reserve Base. US Air Force. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  11. ^ "367th Fighter Squadron". Homestead Air Reserve Base. US Air Force. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Marine Safety Security Team Miami (91114)". United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area. Retrieved 13 April 2022.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homestead_Air_Reserve_Base&oldid=1172295765"