Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base | |||||||||||
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Near United States of America | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 38°15′46″N 121°55′39″W / 38.26278°N 121.92750°W | ||||||||||
Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||||
Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||||
Controlled by | Air Mobility Command (AMC) | ||||||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||||||
Website | www.travis.af.mil | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1942 | (as Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base)||||||||||
In use | 1942 – present | ||||||||||
Garrison information | |||||||||||
Current commander | Colonel Derek M. Salmi | ||||||||||
Garrison | |||||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||||
Identifiers | AMSL | ||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Travis Air Force Base (IATA: SUU, ICAO: KSUU, FAA LID: SUU) is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, California.[2]
Situated at the southwestern edge of the
Travis AFB has a major impact on the community as a number of military families and retirees have chosen to make Fairfield their permanent home. It is the largest employer in the city and Solano County as well, and the massive Travis workforce has a local economic impact of more than $1 billion annually. The base also contributes many highly skilled people to the local labor pool.[3]
The base's host unit, the
The base's former
The base is also host to the David Grant USAF Medical Center, a 265-bed, $200 million Air Force teaching hospital, which serves both in-service and retired military personnel.[3][4]
History
Originally named Fairfield–Suisun Army Air Base, construction began on Travis in 1942. Originally, medium attack bombers were supposed to be stationed at the base. The United States Navy had aircraft at the base for training, but this proved temporary. In October 1942, the War Department assigned the base to the Air Transport Command. The base's primary mission during World War II was ferrying aircraft and supplies to the Pacific Theater.
Following the end of World War II and the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in 1947, the installation was renamed Fairfield–Suisun Air Force Base.
On 1 May 1949, the
The base was renamed Travis Air Force Base in 1951 for
The
As Travis was an important SAC base, it received anti-aircraft defenses in the 1950s. The 436th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion was active by 1955. The 436th AAAB was redesignated as an antiaircraft artillery missile battalion on 5 January 1957 and subsequently occupied four Nike Ajax sites, which went to 1st Missile Battalion, 61st Artillery on 1 September 1958. Controlling the SAMs was the 29th Artillery Group (Air Defense).[7]
Over the next three decades, Travis would become known as the "Gateway to the Pacific" in its role as the principal military airlift hub in the western United States. Initially equipped with legacy
In 1992, with the reorganization of the Air Force following the end of the
In 1997, the 60 AMW also shed its C-141 aircraft, which were transferred to other Air Force, AFRC and
In January 2017, the Air Force announced that Travis Air Force Base had been selected as a future Boeing KC-46 Pegasus base and will receive a complement of 24 of the new aerial refueling aircraft.[8]
In March 2018, a vehicle filled with propane tanks rammed through the base's main gate and drove into a ditch. Then, the driver ignited a fire inside, causing the vehicle to explode and kill himself. This resulted in the main gate being closed for twelve hours.
In August 2020, the base was evacuated due to the Hennessey Fire, which resulted in the burning of over 315,000 acres (127,476 ha) in five counties including in Solano County.[13]
In 2023, the base hosted the annual California preparedness exercise (Operation Golden Phoenix)[14]
Flannery Associates LLC
Between 2018 and 2023, Flannery Associates LLC purchased over 50,000 acres of land near the air base, prompting investigations into the company's beneficial ownership and widespread media attention. In August of 2023, it was revealed that Flannery Associates was a subsidiary of California Forever, which planned to build a city on the land.[15][16]
Role and operations
The base's host unit, the
In addition, the base's former
The base is also host to David Grant USAF Medical Center, a 265-bed, $200 million Air Force teaching hospital, which serves both in-service and retired military personnel.[3][4]
Maintenance squadrons
60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
The 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair 26 assigned C-5 aircraft, and maintenance support for Transient Alert. It generates 24-hour-a-day strategic airlift to support four flying squadrons and ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission ready aircraft capable of worldwide strategic airlift supporting AMC's global mission.
660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
The 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair all transient and 6 assigned KC-46A aircraft and at least 1 KC-10A. It generates aerial refueling and strategic airlift to support flying activities of four aerial refueling squadrons. It ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission capable aircraft supporting AMC's global mission.
60th Maintenance Squadron
The 60th Maintenance Squadron provides organizational and field-level repair, maintenance, inspection and refurbishment of 26 C-5, 27 KC-10 and 13 C-17 aircraft. It inspects, services, and overhauls 674 units of aerospace ground equipment worth over $12 million. It manages a 55-acre munitions storage area. It provides mission capable aircraft in direct support of AMC's global mission. It inspects, services, and overhauls aircraft fuel systems. It maintains avionic, hydraulic, electrical and environmental system components for C-5 and C-17 aircraft. It calibrates and repairs over 8,800 items in a regional test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment laboratory. It directly supports AMC's global reach mission for AMC's largest wing.
60th Maintenance Operations Squadron
The 60th Maintenance Operations Squadron provides critical support for the maintenance, modification and scheduling of 26 C-5 and 27 KC-10 aircraft valued at $9 billion. It controls maintenance actions and manages all aircraft and mission statistics. It manages $340 million in real property and provides group-level mobility support for AMC's largest wing. It develops and executes aircraft/ancillary training and provides aircraft maintenance training support for the Pacific Rim.
860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
The 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair 13 assigned C-17A aircraft, and maintenance support for Transient Alert. It generates 24-hour-a-day strategic airlift to support two flying squadrons and ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission ready aircraft capable of worldwide strategic airlift supporting AMC's global mission.
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units are based at Travis Air Force Base.[17][18][19]
Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Travis are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
Air Mobility Command (AMC)
|
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
Commander, Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR)
US Fleet Forces Command (USFF)
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
|
Museum
Travis AFB is host to the
The Museum of Military Aviation History has a representative collection of American military aircraft from various periods: fighters, bombers, trainers, cargo and liaison aircraft. Its exhibits showcase
Other exhibits include a space capsule for children, air force uniforms, the nose of a WWII glider, WWII aircraft recognition models, a
Airlines
Cargo
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Atlas Air | Chicago O'Hare
|
Kalitta Air | Anchorage-Merrill, Los Angeles |
In popular culture
- John D. MacDonald, author of the best-selling Travis McGee suspense novels, has written that he specifically named his protagonist after the Air Force base.[20]
- Republic of Koreaafter the North Korean invasion.
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Airport Diagram – Travis AFB (KSUU)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- PDF, effective 2007-12-20
- ^ a b c d "Fairfield Economic Development: Travis AFB".
- ^ a b "David Grant USAF Medical Center". Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ "Travis AFB, California - SAC - Wing ? - B-29, B-36, B-52 - check web site". www.strategic-air-command.com.
- ^ "Travis AFB B-29". www.check-six.com.
- ^ "Travis Defense Area". California Military Museum. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Travis AFB named next KC-46A locations". af.mil/News. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "New details in possible attempted attack at Travis Air Force Base in California". CBS News. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Travis Air Force Base Attacker Identified As Bay Area Resident". KPIX. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Losey, Stephen (22 March 2018). "FBI investigating fiery, fatal crash after gate breached at Travis Air Force Base". Air Force Times. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ Elizalde, Elizabeth (25 March 2018). "California Air Force base attack being treated as an act of terrorism". New York Daily News. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Hennessey Fire Information". CAL FIRE. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Exercise Golden Phoenix - 2023 - Travis Air Base". Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Finn, Emily (24 July 2023). "'Mystery company' buys nearly $1 billion of land near Air Force base". NewsNation. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Robles, Sergio (2 September 2023). "'California Forever': Company behind land purchases near Travis Air Force Base launches website, details plans". The Hill. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Units". Travis AFB. US Air Force. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "DTRA Travis". Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Naval Computer and Telecommunications Strategic Communications Unit". US Navy. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Cassuto, Leonard. Hard-boiled sentimentality: the secret history of American crime stories (Columbia University Press, 2009), p.170; MacDonald, John D. "How to Live With a Hero", The Writer (Combat Publishing, Waukesha, WI), 7/2008, pp.22-23.
External links
- Official website
- Travis Air Museum Archived 24 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine (JDASM Foundation)
- Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum Archived 2 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine (JDASM Foundation)
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 18, 2024
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- FAA airport information for SUU
- AirNav airport information for KSUU
- ASN accident history for SUU
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSUU