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52-903: This was one of the last radial engined aircraft in US service, along with the Grumman C-1 Trader . The design began life in a production requirement by American Airlines for a pressurized airliner to replace the Douglas DC-3 . Convair's original design had two engines and 40 seats, and thus it was designated the CV-240 . The first CV-240 flew on March 16, 1947, and production aircraft were first delivered to American on February 28, 1948. Seventy-five were delivered to American, with another fifty going to Western Airlines , Continental Airlines , Pan American Airways , KLM , Sabena , Swissair and Trans Australia Airlines . The CV-240/340/440 series

104-457: A location for a bombing and gunnery range. They saw the potential of the sparsely populated forested areas surrounding Valparaiso and the vast expanse of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico . From October 1941 to October 1945, a USAAF Fixed Gunnery School operated at the base, supervised by the 75th Flying Training Wing . At its peak during World War II, the base employed more than 1,000 officers, 10,000 enlisted personnel and 4,000 civilians. After

156-408: A training curriculum in support of USAF and international partner pilot training requirements. The F-35A is a conventional take-off and landing , low-observable , multi-role fighter aircraft, designed with 5th-generation sensors and weapons, and is able to perform air superiority , air interdiction and close air support missions. The F-35A made its first flight on 15 December 2006. The 53 WG

208-761: A training wing for the new F-35. The final F-15s assigned to the 33d departed the base in September 2009. As the first of its kind in the Department of Defense , the joint wing is responsible for F-35 pilot and maintainer training for the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. The first of 59 F-35s arrived from Lockheed Martin Fort Worth , Texas on 14 July 2011. The 58th FS "Mighty Gorillas" are authorized to operate 24 assigned F-35A aircraft, planning and executing

260-757: Is a carrier onboard delivery (COD) variant of the Grumman S-2 Tracker . It was replaced by a similar version of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye , the Grumman C-2 Greyhound . The C-1 Trader grew out of a need by the United States Navy for a new anti-submarine airplane. In response to this Grumman began development on a prototype twin-engine, high-wing aircraft which it designated the G-89. In 1952

312-535: Is a Navy-managed command, jointly staffed by Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel. NAVSCOLEOD opened its new consolidated training facility in April 1999. Directorate of the Joint Staff , JAD conducts field analysis of CJADC2 C2 information systems and procedures producing decision-quality data to improve Joint C2 integration and interoperability. Eglin is also one of the few military air bases in

364-540: Is conducted at different geographical and environmental locations. The mission of the 20 SPCS is to detect, track, identify, and report near Earth and deep space objects in Earth's orbit, and provide space object identification data in support of United States Space Command 's space control mission. A unit of the United States Space Force (USSF), the men and women of the 20th SPCS operate and maintain

416-626: Is headquartered at Eglin and serves as the USAF's focal point for operational test and evaluation of armament and avionics, aircrew training devices, chemical defense, aerial reconnaissance improvements, electronic warfare systems, and is responsible for the QF-4 Phantom II Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) program and subscale drone programs (located at Tyndall AFB , Florida). The wing tests every fighter, bomber, unmanned aerial vehicle, and associated weapon system in

468-541: Is the only special operations wing in the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). In wartime or a contingency, the 919 SOW reports to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) at Hurlburt Field , Florida, its gaining major command. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center stood up Detachment 2 at Eglin to provide realistic operational testing for new and modified weapon systems. The Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD)

520-483: Is the test and evaluation wing for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control (C2) systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems. The Eglin Gulf Test Range provides approximately 340,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) of over water airspace. The 96 TW supports other tenant units on the installation with traditional military services as well as all

572-603: The Air Armament Center (AAC) was deactivated. The center had planned, directed and conducted test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and controlled systems. It operated two Air Force installations, providing host support not only to Eglin AFB, but also Kirtland AFB , New Mexico . It had included the Armament Product Directorate (Eglin),

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624-630: The United States Army 's 7th Special Forces Group relocated to a newly constructed cantonment on the Eglin Air Force Base reservation from Fort Bragg , as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round realigning Fort Bragg. It is tasked with conducting special operations in Latin America. Tenant units at an Air Force installation are units which have a mission that is significantly different from that of

676-650: The 1st Combat Applications Group (CAG) organized as a combat systems development and test agency under the SAWC. The 1st CAG concentrated on testing and evaluation of primarily short-term projects which might improve Air Force counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. The Special Air Warfare Center, located at Hurlburt Field , undertook to develop tactical air doctrine while training crews for special air warfare in places like Southeast Asia . By mid-1963, SAW groups were in Vietnam and Panama . The USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center

728-619: The 1st and 2nd Guided Missile Squadrons, had replaced the 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group. The 2nd Guided Missile Squadron, SSM, had 62 pilots manning 14 B-17s , three B-29s , and four F-80 Shooting Stars , yellow-tailed drone aircraft used in the role of testing guided missiles. In December 1955, the Air Munitions Development Laboratory was reassigned from the Wright Air Development Center at Wright-Patterson AFB , Ohio, to

780-611: The 3246th Test Wing in October 1992. On 10 August 1994 construction began on the All Conflicts' Veterans War Memorial on the site of the old POW / MIA memorial on the western end of Eglin Boulevard. The memorial was dedicated on 15 August 1995. As part of the military drawdown in the 1990s, the Air Force inactivated the 33d Fighter Wing 's 59th Fighter Squadron on 15 April 1999. The wing lost six aircraft and consolidated

832-481: The 33d Pursuit Group, the wing's contribution to tactical airpower during its 50-year history has been significant with participation in campaigns around the world, while flying various fighter aircraft. Reactivated at Eglin on 1 April 1965 with F-4C Phantom IIs , the wing operated, successively, F-4D and E models into the 1970s before transitioning to the F-15 Eagle . As of 1 October 2009, the 33d FW transitioned to

884-536: The 46th Test Wing (Eglin), the 96th Air Base Wing (Eglin), and the 377th Air Base Wing (Kirtland). The US Navy's VFA-101 "Grim Reapers" deactivated on 23 May 2019 after seven years of F-35C training at Eglin. Initial construction of a railroad line into the region had been discussed as early as 1927 as part of the Choctawhatchee and Northern Railroad , though military-use proposals didn't come forward until 1941. German POWs were used in clearing and grading

936-833: The AN/FPS-85 radar, the Space Force's only phased-array radar dedicated to tracking Earth-orbiting objects. Royal Netherlands Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation squadron, operates 2 F-35A This unit, which is apparently not a test squadron at all, operates Boeing C-32 Bs in discrete missions for the United States Department of State 's Foreign Emergency Support Team . The 919 SOW, located about five miles (8.0 kilometers) south of Crestview and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Eglin main at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field No. 3 ( Duke Field ) and

988-506: The ANG replacing their OSA with C-130 Hercules aircraft and the USN with C-12 Hurons . In 1959, a C-131 was the first aircraft to be used as a reduced-gravity aircraft or 'vomit comet', for astronaut training as part of Project Mercury . A Samaritan was the first aircraft used as a flying gunship testbed in mid-1963, in a program known as "Project Tailchaser" . A C-131B (AF Ser. No. 53-7820)

1040-558: The Air Force Armament Center at Eglin by Headquarters Air Research and Development Command. The responsibility for development of guns, bombs, rockets, fuses, guided missile warheads and other related equipment in the armament field was transferred from the Dayton, Ohio facility at this time. Work on nuclear weapons was not included in this mission. The USAF Special Air Warfare Center was activated 27 April 1962, with

1092-1069: The Air Force inventory. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada , a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) to Headquarters, Air Combat Command (ACC). The 49 TES is attached to the 53d Wing but located at Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana. The squadron plans, executes and reports ACC's weapon system evaluation programs for bombers ( B-52 , B-1 and B-2 ) and nuclear-capable fighters ( F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 ). These evaluations include operational effectiveness and suitability, command and control, performance of aircraft hardware and software systems, employment tactics, and accuracy and reliability of associated precision weapons. These weapons include air-launched cruise missiles , standoff missiles , and gravity bombs . Results and conclusions support acquisition decisions and development of war plans. The unit also performs operational testing on new systems and tactics development for

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1144-500: The Air Force's program at Mather AFB. A planned bomber training version of the T-29 (designated T-32 ) was never built. From 1952, the USN and United States Marine Corps (USMC) took delivery of 36 R4Y-1 transport aircraft similar to the commercial CV-340 and USAF C-131D, configured with 44 passenger seats and powered by a pair of 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-52W engines. A single otherwise similar aircraft

1196-617: The Air Force. On 1 October 1979, the center was given division status. The Armament Division, redesignated Munitions Systems Division on 15 March 1989, placed into production the precision-guided munitions for the laser , television , and infrared guided bombs; two anti-armor weapon systems; and an improved hard target weapon, the GBU-28 , used in Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War . The Division

1248-1148: The B-52. The Armament Directorate located at Eglin is responsible for management of air and ground dominance weapon system programs. Led by the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons, the directorate concurrently reports to the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C., and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center , Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. AFRL/RW develops, demonstrates, and transitions science and technology for air-launched munitions for defeating ground fixed, mobile/relocatable, air and space targets to assure pre-eminence of U.S. air and space forces. The directorate conducts basic research, exploratory development, and advanced development and demonstrations. It also participates in programs focused on technology transfer, dual-use technology and small business development. In 2011,

1300-781: The C-1 Trader carried mail and supplies to aircraft carriers on station in the Pacific Ocean during the Vietnam War and also served as a trainer for all-weather carrier operations. Over its production life 87 C-1 Traders were built, of which four were converted into EC-1A Tracer electronic countermeasures aircraft. The last C-1 was retired from USN service in 1988; it was the second-to-last radial-engine aircraft in U.S. military service (The last C-131 wasn't retired until 1990). As of 2010, approximately ten were still airworthy in civil hands, operating as warbirds . In 1956

1352-614: The C-131s left the active USAF inventory in the late 1970s, but the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) operated the aircraft until 1983, while the Air National Guard (ANG) and USN units operated additional C-131 airframes, primarily as Operational Support Aircraft (OSA) for ANG flying wings and as naval air station "station aircraft" until 1990. The C-131 was primarily replaced by the C-9 Nightingale in regular USAF service, with

1404-768: The Interagency Task Force for Indochina Refugees, where base personnel housed and processed more than 10,000 Southeast Asian refugees, the first 374 of which arrived on board a Northwest Orient Boeing 747 on 4 May 1975. In 1978, the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center assumed responsibility for the USAF Air Ground Operations School. In the same year, the Electronic Warfare Evaluation Program became another one of

1456-563: The Navy designated this aircraft the XS2F-1 and flew it for the first time on December 4 that year. During the rest of the 1950s three major variants emerged, the C-1 Trader being one of them. The C-1 (originally the TF-1 , for "Trainer", a secondary role) was outfitted to carry nine passengers or 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg) of cargo and first flew in January 1955. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s

1508-563: The U.S. Marine Corps Test Unit Number 1 (MCTU #1) tested the concept of using the TF-1 variant as a vehicle for inserting reconnaissance teams behind enemy lines. “On 9 July 1956 MCTU Recon Marines became the first to parachute from a TF-1. Less than three weeks later, four recon parachutists launched from the USS Bennington , which was 70 miles at sea, and jumped on a desert drop zone near El Centro California, some 100 miles inland. For

1560-557: The U.S. to have scheduled passenger airline service as the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is co-located on the base property. Flying and notable non-flying units based at Eglin Air Force Base. Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Eglin, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location. For units permanently based at Eglin's auxiliary airfields, see

1612-662: The USAF were made in 1950 followed by large production quantities until early 1955. The USAF and the USN operated T-29s in separate units at separate locations until 1976. In 1974, the USAF T-29s with the 323d Flying Training Wing (323 FTW) at Mather AFB , California began to be replaced by the Boeing 737 -derived T-43 . In 1975, the Navy retired all of its T-29s assigned to Training Squadron Twenty-Nine (VT-29) at NAS Corpus Christi , Texas, deactivated VT-29, and merged their advanced navigator training program for land-based NFOs with

Convair C-131 Samaritan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1664-577: The USAFTAWC's weapons system evaluation programs, and resulted in the activation of the 4487th Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron in 1990. Construction began in 1984 on the Bob Hope Village , the only retirement facility that caters to enlisted military, opening in February 1985. Residents pay below market value for the 256 independent apartments. Col. Bob Gates, Bob Hope 's USO pilot,

1716-421: The aircraft struck the steeple of St. Paul's Church and crashed onto a tram , killing all 20 people on the aircraft and 32 on the tram. Data from United States Military Aircraft since 1909 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Grumman C-1 Trader The Grumman C-1 Trader ( TF prior to 1962)

1768-416: The alignment during World War II. There was one commercial customer served by the line, a lumber pulp yard at Niceville which is now community athletic fields. The line was later abandoned in the late 1970s and the southern end, west of State Road 285, lifted by the mid-1980s. Eglin is an Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) base serving as the focal point for all Air Force armaments. Eglin is responsible for

1820-564: The base is a census-designated place ; its population was 8,082 at the 2000 census . Eglin Air Force Base had 2,359 military family housing units. Unmarried junior enlisted members generally live in one of Eglin's seven dormitories located near the dining hall, chapel, base gym, enlisted club, and bus lines on base. Each individual unit generally handles dormitory assignments. Bachelor Officer Quarters are not available. Several units and one dormitory were being renovated in 2011. The base covers 463,128 acres (1,874.2 km / 723.6 sqm). The 96 TW

1872-495: The development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered non-nuclear weapons. The base plans, directs, and conducts test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Severe-weather testing of aircraft and other equipment is carried out here at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory . The residential portion of

1924-489: The first time in Marine Corps and Naval Aviation history, the technique of introducing recon personnel off a carrier sea base to an inland objective had successfully been tested.” In August 2010, Brazilian Naval Aviation announced that it would buy and modernize eight C-1 airframes to serve in carrier onboard delivery (COD) and aerial refueling roles for use on its aircraft carrier São Paulo . In 2011 contract

1976-417: The host unit, and rely heavily upon the host unit for day-to-day operations (sewer, power, security, recreation). Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field No. 6 ( Biancur Field ) is the site of Camp James E. Rudder and the home of the U.S. Army's 6th Ranger Training Battalion. The 6th RTB conducts the final phase of the U.S. Army Ranger Course . The entire course is 61 days long and is divided into three phases. Each phase

2028-469: The remaining aircraft into the 58th and 60th Fighter Squadrons . Originally selected for inactivation in 1997, Air Force officials delayed the decision in recognition of the Nomads' connection with Khobar Towers . The 59th reactivated as the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron on 3 December 2004, at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada. The 59th falls under the 53rd Test Management Group at Eglin. In July 2012

2080-577: The services of a small city, to include civil engineering, personnel, logistics, communications, computer, medical, security. The 96 TW reports to the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB . The 33d FW "Nomads" is the largest tenant unit at Eglin. The 33 FW is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II , organized under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force. First established as

2132-597: The war, Eglin became a pioneer in developing the techniques for missile launching and handling; and the development of drone or pilotless aircraft beginning with the Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon , an American copy of the V-1 . The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was activated at Eglin Field, Florida, on 6 February 1946, operating out of Auxiliary Field 3. By March 1950, the 550th Guided Missiles Wing, comprising

Convair C-131 Samaritan - Misplaced Pages Continue

2184-487: The western Florida Panhandle , located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County . The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing ). The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) systems. Eglin AFB

2236-614: Was acquired with a 24-seat VIP interior and designated R4Y-1Z . In 1957, the USN took delivery of two additional aircraft similar to the commercial CV-440 and designated R4Y-2 . With the 1962 redesignation of USN/USMC aircraft, the three types were redesignated as the C-131F , VC-131F , and C-131G respectively. A number of R4Y-1 (C-131F) aircraft were converted to R4Y-1Z (VC-131F) or R4Y-2 (C-131G) standards after delivery, and several C-131F and C-131G aircraft were ultimately sold as military surplus and converted to civil use. Nearly all of

2288-820: Was activated on 1 November 1963. It would be re-designated as the USAF Air Warfare Center on 1 October 1991. With the increasing U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s, the need for increased emphasis on conventional weapons development made Eglin's mission even more important. On 1 August 1968, the Air Proving Ground Center was redesignated the Armament Development and Test Center to centralize responsibility for research, development, test and evaluation, and initial acquisition of non-nuclear munitions for

2340-535: Was also responsible for developing the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), an Air Force-led joint project with the U.S. Navy . The Air Force Armament Museum was founded on base in 1975. In 1981 the original building housing the museum was condemned and the facility closed until 1984. Selected on 27 April 1975, the installation served as one of four main U.S. Vietnamese Refugee Processing Centers operated by

2392-494: Was cancelled. Data from Grumman aircraft since 1929. General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era [REDACTED] Media related to Grumman C-1 Trader at Wikimedia Commons Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base ( IATA : VPS , ICAO : KVPS , FAA LID : VPS ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in

2444-544: Was established 89 years ago in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base . It is named in honor of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin (1891–1937), who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 attack aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field , Alabama . Much of the base was part of a national forest until the outbreak of World War II in Europe when a proving ground for aircraft armament

2496-760: Was established at Eglin. The U.S. Forest Service ceded over 340,000 acres (1,400 km ) of the Choctawhatchee National Forest to the War Department on 18 October 1940. Eglin Air Force Base evolved from the 1933 creation of the Valparaiso Airport, when an arrowhead-shaped parcel of 137 acres (55 ha) was cleared for use as an airdrome . In 1931, personnel of the Air Corps Tactical School , newly relocated to Maxwell Field , Alabama , sought

2548-613: Was given a gunsight for the side window, but instead of guns it had cameras in the cargo area. Eventually the C-131 was ferried to Eglin AFB in Florida and a General Electric SUU-11A/A 7.62 mm Gatling -style Minigun was installed. Live ammunition was used and both over-water and overland tests were successful. On 17 December 1960, a USAF C-131D Samaritan crashed at Munich after one engine lost power on takeoff from Munich-Riem Airport . Flying in heavy fog and unable to gain altitude,

2600-674: Was key in getting the comedian's support for the undertaking, as well as lending his name to the project. He was named an honorary board member of the foundation in 1978 and held benefit concerts for nearly two decades. During a 1992 reorganization, the Air Force disestablished Eglin's parent major command, Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) and merged its functions with the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC). The newly created major command from this merger, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), remains Eglin's parent command to this day. The Development Test Center, Eglin's host unit, became part of AFMC on 30 June 1992. The 46th Test Wing replaced

2652-404: Was signed with Marsh Aviation to convert four ex-US Navy C-1A Trader airframes into KC-2 Turbo Traders. The first KC-2 prototype flight was expected for November 2017 and the delivery of the first operational aircraft was scheduled for December 2018; in 2014 the contract was reaffirmed, but by 2023, with no aircraft having been delivered and São Paulo long since having been stricken, the contract

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2704-522: Was used by the United States Air Force (USAF) for medical evacuation and VIP transport and was designated as C-131 Samaritan. The first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the CV-240 model, and was delivered to the USAF in 1954. The initial trainer model, designated the T-29 , was also based on the Convair CV-240 and was used to instruct USAF navigators for all USAF aircraft and United States Navy (USN) Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) selected to fly land-based aircraft. The first deliveries to

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