Eglin Air Force Base - Wikipedia Eglin Air Force Base For other uses, see Eglin. Eglin Air Force Base Part of Air Force Materiel Command ( AFMC ) Located near : Valparaiso, Florida First 33rd Fighter Wing Lockheed Martin F - 35A Lightning II Arrives at Eglin AFB Florida 14 July 2011 Type Air Force Base Site information Controlled by United States Air Force Site history Built 1935 In use 1935 -- present Garrison information Current commander Brig. Gen. Evan Dertien Garrison 96th Air Base Wing Airfield information IATA : VPS ICAO : KVPS FAA LID : VPS Summary Elevation AMSL 87 ft / 27 m Coordinates 30 ° 29 ′ 22 '' N 086 ° 32 ′ 32 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 30.48944 ° N 86.54222 ° W ﻿ / 30.48944 ; - 86.54222 Coordinates : 30 ° 29 ′ 22 '' N 086 ° 32 ′ 32 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 30.48944 ° N 86.54222 ° W ﻿ / 30.48944 ; - 86.54222 Website www.eglin.af.mil Map Location of Eglin Air Force Base Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 1 / 19 10,012 3,052 Asphalt 12 / 30 12,005 3,659 Asphalt / Concrete Source : official site and FAA Eglin Air Force Base ( AFB ) ( IATA : VPS, ICAO : KVPS, FAA LID : VPS ) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles ( 5 kilometers ) southwest of Valparaiso, Florida 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 systems. Eglin AFB was established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It is named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel 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. Contents 1 Overview 2 Scheduled airline service 3 Major units 3.1 96th Test Wing ( 96 TW ) 3.2 33d Fighter Wing ( 33 FW ) 3.2. 1 58th Fighter Squadron 3.2. 2 VFA - 101 3.3 53d Wing ( 53 WG ) 3.3. 1 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron 3.4 Armament Directorate 3.5 Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate ( AFRL / RW ) 3.6 7th Special Forces Group ( 7th SFG ) 4 Tenant units 4.1 6th Ranger Training Battalion ( 6th RTB ) 4.2 20th Space Control Squadron ( 20 SCS ) 4.3 323 test squadron 4.4 486th Flight Test Squadron ( 486th FLTS ) 4.5 919th Special Operations Wing ( 919 SOW ) 4.6 AFOTEC Det 2 4.7 Joint Deployable Analysis Team ( JDAT ) 4.8 Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( EOD ) 5 History 5.1 Creation and World War II 5.2 Postwar 5.3 1960s 5.4 Late Cold War era 5.5 Post Cold War 5.6 Base railroad 5.7 Previous names 5.8 Major commands to which assigned 5.9 Major units assigned 5.10 Eglin auxiliary fields 6 Demographics 7 National historic status 8 Notable residents 9 Eglin AFB in pop culture 10 Climate 11 Environment 12 Civil rocketry 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 External links Overview Eglin is an Air Force Materiel Command ( AFMC ) base serving as the focal point for all Air Force armaments. Eglin is responsible for 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 the base is a census - designated place ; its population was 8,082 at the 2000 census. Eglin Air Force Base has 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 are currently being renovated in 2011. The base covers 463,128 acres ( 1,874.2 km2 / 723.6 sqm ). Scheduled airline service Eglin is also one of the few military air bases in the U.S. to have scheduled passenger airline service as the Destin -- Fort Walton Beach Airport ( VPS ) is co-located on the base property. Major units F - 15C of the 33d Fighter Wing. Five F - 15Cs from the 33d Fighter Wing of Eglin Air Force Base fly over an Alaskan mountain range during a deployment to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. An A-10C Thunderbolt II, piloted by the 40th Flight Test Squadron, flies over what 's left of a target that was successfully hit by a Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition drop on the Eglin range. A Northrop F - 89C landing at Eglin Air Force Base during the 1950s. An A-10 Thunderbolt fires an AGM - 65 Maverick missile over the Eglin range during a Combat Hammer Air - to - Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program ( WSEP ) mission, which are conducted by Eglin 's 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron ( FWS ). An F - 16 Fighting Falcon from the 40th Flight Test Squadron of Eglin Air Force Base refuels from a KC - 10 Extender during Air & Space Power Expo ' 99. May 1992 air - to - air view of an F - 16 Fighting Falcon equipped with an AGM - 84 Harpoon all - weather anti-ship missile over Eglin Air Force Base. Note Air Force Systems Command badge on vertical fin. An AC - 130A Spectre gunship aircraft, 55 - 011, performs a pylon turn over Range 77 during a training mission in 1984. The aircraft was from the 919th Special Operations Group at Eglin 's Duke Field, retired to AMARC on 15 November 1994. This late afternoon view looks south with Santa Rosa Sound, Santa Rosa Island, home of Eglin missile launch sites since 1944, and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. A 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief marshals an F - 15 Eagle ready to takeoff for a simulated Operation Noble Eagle tasking during a 33rd Fighter Wing exercise. 96th Test Wing ( 96 TW ) The 96 TW 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 130,000 square miles ( 340,000 km ) of over water airspace. The 96 TW supports other tenant units on the installation with traditional military services as well as all 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. 33d Fighter Wing ( 33 FW ) 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 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 a training wing for the new F - 35 Joint Strike Fighter ( JSF ). 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 JSF pilot and maintainer training for the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. The first of 59 F - 35s arrived from Fort Worth, Texas on 14 July 2011. 58th Fighter Squadron The 58th FS `` Mighty Gorillas '' are authorized to operate 24 assigned F - 35A aircraft, planning and executing a training curriculum in support of Air Force and international partner pilot training requirements. The F - 35A is a conventional - takeoff - 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. VFA - 101 The VFA - 101 `` Grim Reapers '' are authorized operate 15 assigned F - 35C aircraft, planning and executing a training curriculum in support of Navy aviator training requirements. The F - 35C is a carrier - capable low - observable multi-role fighter aircraft, designed to provide unmatched airborne power projection from the sea. The F - 35C bears structural modifications from the other variants, necessitated by the increased resiliency required for carrier operations. 53d Wing ( 53 WG ) The 53 WG is headquartered at Eglin and serves as the Air Force '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 Air Force Base, Florida ). The wing tests every fighter, bomber, unmanned aerial vehicle, and associated weapon system in the Air Force inventory. The wing reports to the USAF Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, a Direct Reporting Unit ( DRU ) to Headquarters, Air Combat Command ( ACC ). 49th Test and evaluation Squadron Squadron 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 the B - 52. Armament directorate The Armament Directorate, located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is responsible for cradle - to - grave management of air and ground dominance weapon system programs equipping warfighters with strike weapons to fight and win decisively. 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. This article appears to contain a large number of buzzwords. There might be a discussion about this on the talk page. Please help improve this article if you can. ( April 2014 ) Air Force Research Laboratory munitions directorate ( afrl / RW ) 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. The directorate is dedicated to providing the Air Force with a strong revolutionary and evolutionary technology base upon which future air - delivered munitions can be developed to neutralize potential threats to the United States. 7th Special Forces Group ( 7th sfg ) In 2011, 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 Tenant units at an Air Force installation are units which have a mission that is significantly different than that of the host unit, and rely heavily upon the host unit for day - to - day operations ( sewer, power, security, recreation ). 6th Ranger training Battalion ( 6th RTB ) 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 is conducted at different geographical and environmental locations. Its mission at Eglin is to expose Ranger students to a fast - paced field training exercise during an 18 - day cycle at Eglin. 20th space control Squadron ( 20 SCS ) The mission of the 20 SCS 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 Strategic Command 's space control mission. A unit of the Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ), the men and women of the 20th SCS operate and maintain the AN / FPS - 85 radar, the Air Force 's only phased - array radar dedicated to tracking earth - orbiting objects. 323 test squadron Royal Netherlands Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation squadron, operates 2 F - 35A 486th flight Test Squadron ( 486th flts ) 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. 919th Special operations Wing ( 919 SOW ) The 919 SOW, located about five miles ( 8 kilometers ) south of Crestview and 20 miles ( 32 km ) from Eglin main at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field No. 3 ( Duke Field ) and 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. Afotec det 2 The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center stood up Detachment 2 at Eglin to meet the growing demand to provide realistic operational testing for new and modified weapon systems. Since then, Detachment 2 has partnered with the warfighter and the developmental test community to provide the most thorough and rigorous operational test programs found anywhere in the world. Joint deployable analysis team ( JDAT ) Directorate of the Joint Staff, JDAT conducts field analysis of C2 information systems and procedures producing decision - quality data to improve Joint C2 integration and interoperability. Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( eod ) The Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( NAVSCOLEOD ) is a Navy - managed command, jointly staffed by Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel. NAVSCOLEOD had its official ribbon cutting on the new consolidated training facility in April 1999. History Main article : History of Eglin Air Force Base Creation and World War II Much of the base was part of a National Forest until the outbreak of war in Europe when a proving ground for aircraft armament was established at Eglin. The U.S. Forest Service ceded over 340,000 acres 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 ( 0.55 km ) was cleared for use as an airdrome. In 1931, personnel of the Air Corps Tactical School, newly relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama, sought 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, an AAF 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. Postwar After 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 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 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. 1960s The USAF Special Air Warfare Center was activated 27 April 1962, with 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 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 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 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. Late cold War era 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 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 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, was key in getting the comedian 's support for the undertaking, as well as lending his name and prestige to the project. He was named an honorary board member of the foundation in 1978 and held benefit concerts for nearly two decades. Post cold War 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 Material 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 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 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 the Air Armament Center ( AAC ) was inactivated. The center had planned, directed and conducted test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and commanded and controlled systems. It operated two Air Force installations, providing host support not only to Eglin, but also Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. It had included the Armament Product Directorate ( Eglin AFB, FL ), the 46th Test Wing ( Eglin AFB, FL ), the 96th Air Base Wing ( Eglin AFB, FL ), and the 377th Air Base Wing ( Kirtland AFB, NM ). Base railroad Main article : Eglin Air Force Base Railroad 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 did n't come forward until 1941. German POWs were used in clearing and grading 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. Previous names Established as Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base, 14 June 1935 ( spelling changed on 1 February 1937 from `` Valparaiso '' to `` Valpariso '' and on 1 March 1937 back to `` Valparaiso '' ) Eglin Field, 4 August 1937 Eglin Field Military Reservation, 1 October 1940 Eglin Field, 28 December 1944 Eglin Air Force Base, 24 June 1948 -- present Major commands to which assigned Air Corps Training Center, 9 June 1935 -- 27 August 1940 Southeast Air Corps Training Center, 27 August 1940 -- 1 April 1942 Also assigned to Commanding General, Fourth Corps Area, United States Army, June 1941 - 1 April 1942 Chief of the Army Air Corps ( Direct subordination ), 19 May 1941 -- 1 April 1942 AAF Proving Ground Command * *, 1 April 1942 -- 1 June 1945 AAF Center, 1 June 1945 Re-designated : AAF Proving Ground Command, 8 March 1946 Re-designated : Air Proving Ground Command, 10 July 1946 -- 20 January 1948 Air Materiel Command, 20 January 1948 -- 1 June 1948 Air Proving Ground, 1 June 1948 Re-designated : Air Proving Ground Command, 20 December 1951 -- 1 December 1957 Air Research and Development Command, 1 December 1957 Re-designated : Air Force Systems Command, 1 April 1961 -- 1 July 1992 Air Force Materiel Command, 1 July 1992 -- present * * Discontinued 8 March 1946. Not related to later AAF Proving Ground Command Major units assigned 84th Service Squadron ( Detachment ), 14 Jun 1935 Section V, Eglin Field Section, 13th Air Base Squadron, 1 Sep 1936 Det 13th Air Base Squadron, 1 Aug 1940 61st Air Base Group, 1 December 1940 -- 17 February 1943 Air Corps Specialized Flying School, 1 December 1940 -- 1 April 1944 Army Air Forces Proving Ground, 15 May 1941 -- 30 June 1946 23d Composite Group Re-designated : 1st Proving Ground Group, 29 June 1941 Re-designated : 610th Army Air Forces Base Unit, 1 April 1944 -- 30 June 1947 609th Army Air Forces Base Unit, 1 July 1947 -- 1 July 1948 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group, 6 February 1946 -- 1 December 1950 3201st Air Base Group ( later Wing ), 1 July 1948 -- 4 February 1958 3200th Proof Test Group, 1 July 1948 -- 1 July 1953 Air Proving Ground Command Re-designated : Armament Division and Test Center Re-designated : Air Armament Center, 1 July 1948 -- 18 July 2012 550th Guided Missiles Wing, 20 July 1949 -- 11 December 1950 USAF Armament Center, 14 December 1949 -- 4 February 1958 3205th Drone Group, 26 April 1950 -- 1 February 1961 3200th Proof Test Wing, 1 April 1951 -- 1 July 1952 3206th Support Wing, 1 July 1953 -- 20 February 1964 3207th Armament testing Systems 17th Bombardment Wing, 1 April 1955 -- 25 June 1958 4751st Air Defense Missile Squadron, 15 January 1958 -- 30 September 1979 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, May 1958 -- November 1961 4135th Strategic Wing, 1 December 1958 -- 1 February 1963 1st Combat Application Group, 17 April 1962 -- 5 September 1968 USAF Special Air Warfare Center, 27 April 1962 -- 1 July 1974 39th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963 -- 25 February 1965 USAF Air Warfare Center, 1 November 1963 -- 1 October 1995 4485th Test Wing, 16 March 1964 -- 30 June 1965 33d Fighter Wing, 1 April 1965 -- present 40th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron, 20 June 1965 -- 15 October 1970 USAF Armament Laboratory, 1 March 1966 -- 18 July 2012 USAF Special Operations School, 15 April 1967 -- present 3246th Test Wing, 1 July 1970 -- 1 October 1992 919th Special Operations Wing, 30 July 1971 -- present 4443d Test and Evaluation Group, 1 July 1988 Re-designated : 79th Test and Evaluation Group, 1 December 1991 -- 20 November 1998 46th Test Wing, 1 October 1992 -- 18 July 2012 96th Test Wing, 15 March 1994 -- present 53d Wing, 1 October 1995 -- present 308th Armament Systems Wing, 27 January 2005 -- 30 June 2010 Eglin Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol Eglin Auxiliary fields A number of auxiliary fields were constructed on the Eglin reservation during World War II, many of which are still in service in various roles, either in support of flight operations or special test activities. Auxiliary Field 1 ( Wagner Field ) Work on Auxiliary Field 1 began 27 November 1940. Auxiliary Field 1 is named Wagner Field for Maj. Walter J. Wagner, former commanding officer for the 1st Proving Ground, Eglin Field, who was killed 19 October 1943 in the crash of a Douglas XA - 26B, s / n 41 - 19588, 9 miles east of Eglin Field, Valpariso, FL. Much of the Doolittle Raid and Operation Credible Sport training took place here. The U.S. Navy used the field as an auxiliary facility for pilot training out of Whiting Field for a time, dating from early 1960. A proposal by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to build a multi-million dollar research installation for testing rocket fuels and components at Field 1 in early 1960 was dropped in mid-February, the chief reason for consideration being abandoned `` was the possibility the military would have other uses for the field in the near future. '' It is also known as Site C - 5. Range C - 72 extends SE from Wagner Field. Auxiliary Field 2 ( Pierce Field ) Auxiliary Field 2 is named Pierce Field for Lt. Col. George E. Pierce, killed 19 October 1942 while piloting a North American B - 25C - 1 Mitchell which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 2 miles ( 3.2 km ) S of Destin, Florida. Joe Baugher cites date of 19 October 1942 for loss. It is also known as Site C - 3. Between November 1966 and 1970, it was the site of the 560th Civil Engineering Squadron, also known as the Civil Engineering Field Activities Center, for the training of RED HORSE personnel. Auxiliary Field 3 ( Duke Field ) Auxiliary Field 3 is named Duke Field for 1st Lt Robert L. Duke, killed in the crash of a Curtiss A-25A - 20 - CS Shrike near Spencer, Tennessee, on 29 December 1943. He was assigned as Assistant A-3 of Eglin Field. Used as the set for the fictional 918th Bomb Group in the 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High. Field 3 was long - associated with drone operations of the 3200th and 3205th Drone Groups. Aircraft were `` sanitized '' ( stripped of all identification ) here for the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba. Auxiliary Field 4 ( Peel Field ) Auxiliary Field 4 is named Peel Field for 2nd Lt. Garland O. Peel Jr., who died in the take - off crash of a Martin B - 12AM of the 387th School Squadron, 2 January 1942, when he suffered engine failure. He was a gunnery school instructor at Eglin. Peel Field was utilized for the filming of scenes for the 1944 film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Wartime temporary housing for NCOs located here was razed in the 1960s. In the early 1960s, while in a moribund state, one of the runways was used as an unofficial auto drag strip by local civilians. The ramp of the non-flight - rated facility now serves as a vehicle park for aircraft and armor after being expended as targets on the Eglin ranges. Auxiliary Field 5 ( Piccolo Field ) Auxiliary Field 5 is named Piccolo Field for Capt. Anthony D. Piccolo, who died in the crash of a North American AT - 6A - NT Texan on 6 October 1942. Piccolo was the commanding officer of the 386th Single Engine Gunnery Training Squadron at Eglin. Today, the area is due north of Field Four and serves as a microwave station. A 60 - foot radar antenna was installed here in April 1961. On most base maps, it is identified as Site C - 4. Doolittle Raid training was conducted here. Auxiliary Field 6 ( Biancur Field ) Auxiliary Field 6 is named Biancur Field for 1st Lt. Andrew Biancur, a test pilot of the Medium Bombardment Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, killed 8 January 1944 in the crash of a Northrop YP - 61 - NO Black Widow at Eglin Field. The U.S. Army Ranger facility Camp Rudder is located here. It is designated Site B - 6. The X-43A - LS low - speed demonstrator underwent testing out of Auxiliary Field 6 in November 2003. Auxiliary Field 7 ( Epler Field ) Auxiliary Field 7 is named Epler Field for Col. Robin E. Epler, deputy commander ( Technical ) of the Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida, killed 28 January 1944 in the crash of a Douglas A-20G - 10 - DO Havoc one mile ( 1.6 km ) NE of Crestview, Florida. It is designated Site B - 12. Auxiliary Field 8 ( Baldsiefen Field ) Auxiliary Field 8 is named Baldsiefen Field for 2nd Lt. Richard Edward Baldsiefen, a gunnery instructor at Eglin, killed 4 March 1942 along with Lt. John W. Smith, in the crash of a North American AT - 6A - NA Texan which came down at Auxiliary Field 4. It is designated Site C - 52C. Auxiliary Field 9 ( Hurlburt Field ) Auxiliary Field 9 is named Hurlburt Field for Lt. Donald Wilson Hurlburt, killed 1 October 1943 when his Lockheed AT - 18 - LO Hudson gunnery trainer crashed during take - off at Eglin. After flying Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress combat missions from Great Britain and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ), Hurlburt was assigned in mid-1943 to the First Proving Ground Electronics Test Unit at Eglin Field. Field 9 was named in his honor by base commander General Grandison Gardner. Hurlburt 's nephew was Captain Craig D. Button ( noted for his mysterious flight and crash of an A-10 Thunderbolt on 2 April 1997 ). An official history of Eglin AFB 's early years cites 2 October 1943 as the date of this accident. Auxiliary Field 10 ( Dillon Field ) Auxiliary Field 10 is the western-most of the wartime Eglin airfields, located in Santa Rosa County, and is named Dillon Field for Capt. Barclay H. Dillon, test pilot of the Fighter Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, killed 2 October 1943 when his Lockheed P - 38J - 5 - LO Lightning crashed 8 miles ( 13 km ) W of Milton, Florida. Field 10 was later named Eglin Dillon Airdrome. Now used primarily for U.S. Navy basic flight training, the Navy refers to it as Choctaw Naval Outlying Field ( OLF ). It is also used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ) training, and it is expected that F - 35 Lightning IIs assigned to the 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base will utilize OLF Choctaw for training. Auxiliary Field 11 is an unconfirmed name for a RED HORSE unsurfaced east - west airstrip that shows up on Google Earth in Walton County. The Santa Rosa Island Range Complex is part of the Eglin overwater range that provides 86,500 square miles of overwater airspace that is jointly used for a variety of test and evaluation activities and training exercises. Demographics Eglin employs more than 8,500 civilians and approximately 4,500 military, with an additional 2,200 jobs due to move to Eglin under the 2005 BRAC. As of the census of 2000, there were 8,082 people, 2,302 households, and 2,262 families residing on the base. The population density was 2,640.1 people per square mile ( 1,019.8 / km2 ). There were 2,320 housing units at an average density of 757.9 / sq mi ( 292.7 / km2 ). The racial makeup of the base was 71.8 % White, 14.8 % Black or African American, 0.5 % Native American, 3.0 % Asian, 0.4 % Pacific Islander, 4.2 % from other races, and 5.3 % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2 % of the population. There were 2,302 households out of which 79.8 % had children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.8 % were married couples living together, 5.2 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 1.7 % were non-families. 1.6 % of all households were made up of individuals and 0.0 % had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.50 and the average family size was 3.51. On the base the population was spread out with 43.5 % under the age of 18, 15.2 % from 18 to 24, 39.6 % from 25 to 44, 1.6 % from 45 to 64, and 0.1 % who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. The median income for a household on the base was $31,951, and the median income for a family was $31,859. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $19,176 for females. The per capita income for the base was $10,670. About 4.5 % of families and 4.5 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5 % of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older. National Historic status There are two U.S. National Historic Landmark Districts with connections to the base : Camp Pinchot and Eglin Field. On 6 October 1997, the McKinley Climatic Laboratory was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Notable residents Author Hunter S Thompson was stationed on Eglin from 1956 until 1958 during his enlistment with the Air Force. Infielder Jay Bell was born in the base hospital in 1965. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola was born in Eglin in 1984 Eglin AFB in pop culture Three movies have been filmed in part at Eglin Air Force Base or its outlying auxiliary airfields, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo in 1944, Twelve O ' Clock High in 1949, and On the Threshold of Space in 1955. Several Tom Clancy novels refer to `` raking the sand traps on the officers ' golf course '' at Eglin as a common activity for low - security prisoners at the associated Federal Prison Camp, Eglin, now closed. F - 15 Eagles from Eglin 's 33rd Fighter Wing, 59th Fighter Squadron, were used in the filming of the 1997 movie Air Force One. Eglin AFB appears as the default airport in the simulation software Prepar3D. Climate Warm, subtropical weather lasts longer than the average summer. The annual precipitation ranges from 25 inches ( 640 mm ) to 60 inches ( 1,500 mm ). Year - round, the average temperatures run : January -- March : 60 -- 69 High and 42 -- 51 Low April -- June : 76 -- 88 High and 58 -- 72 Low July -- September : 86 -- 98 High and 70 -- 77 Low October -- December : 63 -- 79 High and 44 -- 69 Low The area gets only 50 to 60 days of annual precipitation or more rainfall. There are few days without sunshine, which allows year - round outdoor activities. Environment The forests and shores of Eglin Air Force Base are at the center of one of the most biodiverse locations in North America. Over 50 species threatened in Florida are found on the base, including sea turtles that nest on its white - sand beaches and red - cockaded woodpeckers that thrive in its longleaf pine forests. The base has a natural resources management team that constantly monitors important species within the base with the goal of balancing their national defense mission with environmental stewardship. Longleaf pine forest, a forest type reduced to 5 % of its former range in the last few centuries, covers 200,000 acres ( 810 km ) of the base. Part of this forest, 6,795 acres ( 27.50 km ), is old growth, making the base home to one of the most extensive old - growth longleaf pine forests in the world. In order to deal with the high noise levels of the Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II, officials from Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties are studying which homes, businesses and public buildings will require additional noise protection. Civil rocketry Eglin Air Force Base was also a launch site for civil rockets of NASA. There are three launch pads : one at 29.6700 N, 85.3700 W at Cape San Blas ; and two on Santa Rosa Island at 30.3800 N, 86.7400 W and 30.3800 N, 86.8170 W. Rockets launched here have included Arcas, Nike Cajun, Nike Apaches, and Nike Iroquois. This site was formerly operated by the 4751st ADMS with CIM - 10 Bomarcs, which inactivated in 1979. In the 1940s, captured V - 1 flying bombs and American copies, Republic - Ford JB - 2 LOONs, were launched out over the Gulf of Mexico from these sites. Two concrete launch ramps were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. A rusting Loon launch ramp still exists at Auxiliary Field 1, Wagner Field. Eglin is known to have been used for 441 launches from 1959 to 1980, reaching up to 686 kilometers altitude. See also United States Air Force portal Military of the United States portal Florida portal Air Force Armament Museum Camp Pinchot Historic District Choctawhatchee National Forest Federal Prison Camp, Eglin Florida World War II Army Airfields Fort Walton Beach - Crestview - Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area Gorgon Stare ( recon sensor ) Khobar Towers List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft List of aircraft accidents at Eglin Air Force Base Northwest Florida Regional Airport ( co-located with Eglin AFB ) Rocket launch sites Notes Jump up ^ Eglin Air Force Base, official site Jump up ^ FAA Airport Master Record for VPS ( Form 5010 PDF ), effective 2007 - 12 - 20 Jump up ^ `` Eglin missions remain, but under new names ''. Eglin Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 05. Jump up ^ `` 96th Test Wing Fact Sheet ''. Eglin Air Force Base. 96th Test Wing Public Affairs Office. March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Organization Facilities ''. Airman the Book. United States Air Force. L ( 1 ). Winter 2006. Archived from the original on 2006 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ Franks, Staff Sgt. Bryan, 33d Fighter Wing Public Affairs, `` First of the F - 15C Eagles fly away '', The Eglin Dispatch, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 11 June 2008, Vol. 2, No. 28, p. 2. Jump up ^ First F - 35 arrives at Eglin Air Force Base eglin, first, afb -- Northwest Florida Daily News Archived 16 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine... Nwfdailynews.com ( 2011 - 07 - 14 ). Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 10. Jump up ^ Angell, p. 46D. Jump up ^ Hutchinson, Leonard Patrick, `` History of the Playground Area of Northwest Florida '', Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, Florida, 1st ed., 1961, no Library of Congress card number, no ISBN, p. 84. Jump up ^ Special, `` From Dayton, Ohio -- Munitions Lab Is Transferred to Eglin AFAC '', Playground News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 15 December 1955, Vol. 9, No. 97, p. 1. Jump up ^ Mueller, Robert, `` Air Force Bases Vol. 1 : Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 '', United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, ISBN 0 - 912799 - 53 - 6, p. 136. Jump up ^ Wolk, Herman S., `` USAF Plans and Policies R&D for Southeast Asia 1965 -- 1967, '' Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., June 1969, pp. 3 -- 4, ^ Jump up to : Eglin Air Force Base -- Fact Sheet ( Printable ) : HISTORY OF THE 53RD WING Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine... Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Braxton, Sheila, `` Refugees Arrive ; 514 Due in Today '', Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Monday 5 May 1975, Volume 30, Number 75, page 1A. Jump up ^ Moore, Mona, `` 25 years of Hope : Village 's annual luau will honor Col. Bob Gates, pilot for comedian Bob Hope '', Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 29 May 2010. Jump up ^ 25 years of Hope : Village 's annual luau will honor Col. Bob Gates, pilot for comedian Bob Hope Government > Government Bodies & Offices from. AllBusiness.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Wenzel, Tracy, Daily News Staff Writer, `` Eglin host unit is reorganized '', Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 1 July 1992, Vol. 47, No. 146, p. 1B. Jump up ^ Factsheets : Historical Eglin events in August Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine... Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Reorganization, technology, triumphs and tragedies : Eglin in the ' 90s eglin, tragedies, 90s -- News. TheDestinLog.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Archived 16 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ AFHRA Air Proving Ground Command Archived 18 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ History of Eglin Air Force Base. Air Armament Center Office of History Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ ( 1 ). AviationArchaeology.com. Retrieved on 2016 - 11 - 26. Jump up ^ Crestview, Florida, `` Navy Will Start Using Field 1 at Eglin AFB Soon '', The Okaloosa News - Journal, Thursday 11 February 1960, Volume 46, Number 6, page B - 4. Jump up ^ Crestview, Florida, `` Area Loses Proposed Projects -- Rocket Facility East And Navy Auxiliary Jet Field West Cancelled '', The Okaloosa News - Journal, Thursday 18 February 1960, Volume 46, Number 7, page A-1. ^ Jump up to : USAAF / USAF Accidents for Florida Archived 7 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine... Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ 1941 USAAF Serial Numbers ( 41 - 6722 to 41 - 13296 ). joebaugher.com. 27 August 2011 Jump up ^ Angell, p. 111. Jump up ^ January 1942 USAAF Accident Reports. Aviationarchaeology.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. ^ Jump up to : Factsheets : Eglin Air Force Base History Archived 27 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine... Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Eglin in the movies. ( PDF ). Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Archived 15 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : USAAF / USAF Accidents for Florida. Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ NASA.gov. Researchernews.larc.nasa.gov. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ Crestview, Florida, `` Two Eglin Field Flyers Die in Crash Wednesday '', Okaloosa News - Journal, 6 March 1942, Vol. 28, No. 7, p. 1. Jump up ^ USAAF / USAF Accidents for Florida. Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. ^ Jump up to : Angell, p. 105. Jump up ^ Section 16 -- Eglin Air Force Base Joint Land Use Study Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine... webgis.co.okaloosa.fl.us Jump up ^ Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff ( 29 July 2010 ). `` Eglin chosen as preferred alternative F - 35 base ''. Eglin.af.mil. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 16. Jump up ^ `` American FactFinder ''. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Local crew called on to defend ' Air Force One ( film ), ' '' Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 13 July 1997, p. 1B. Jump up ^ Tech. Sgt. Mark Kinkade ( August 2004 ). `` Eglin 's Other World ''. Airman Magazine of America 's Airforce. Archived from the original on 19 March 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2009. Jump up ^ Mary Byrd Davis ( 23 January 2008 ). `` Old Growth in the East : A Survey. Florida '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 26 February 2009. Jump up ^ `` Counties to study reducing F - 35 noise '' Freedom Communications, 4 November 2010 Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Eglin ''. Encyclopedia Astronautica. Mark Wade. Jump up ^ Eglin. Astronautix.com. Retrieved on 2011 - 10 - 31. References This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/. This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document `` Eglin Air Force Base ''. Angell, Joseph W., `` History of the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command -- Part One -- Historical Outline 1933 -- 1944 '', The Historical Branch, Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida, 1944, reprint by Office of History, Munitions Systems Division, Eglin AFB, Florida, 1989 Knaack, Marcelle Size ( 1978 ) Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Vol. 1, Post-World War Two Fighters, 1945 -- 1973. Washington, DC : Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN 0 - 912799 - 59 - 5 Knaack, Marcelle Size ( 1988 ) Post-World War II Bombers, 1945 -- 1973. Washington, DC : Office of Air Force History, 1988, ISBN 0 - 16 - 002260 - 6 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. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama : Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0 - 912799 - 12 - 9. Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document `` Airman magazine online, Organization facilities list ''. Martin, Patrick, Tail Code : The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994 USAAS - USAAC - USAAF - USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers -- 1908 to present Shaw, Frederick J. ( 2004 ), Locating Air Force Base Sites History 's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004. Manning, Thomas A. ( 2005 ), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942 -- 2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN : B000NYX3PC Pfau, Richard A., and Greenhalgh Jr., William H., `` The Air Force in Southeast Asia : The B - 57G Tropic Moon III 1967 -- 1972 '', Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1978 * This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document `` Eglin Air Force Base Tenant Joint Staff ''. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eglin Air Force Base. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eglin Army Airfield. The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division ( Hangar No. 1 ) The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division ( Storehouse & Company Administration ) The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division ( Motor Repair Shop ) Eglin Air Force Base -- Official Website Fact sheet : Eglin Air Force Base history Eglin Air Force Base at GlobalSecurity.org Aviation : From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Resources for this U.S. military airport : FAA airport information for VPS AirNav airport information for KVPS ASN accident history for VPS NOAA / NWS latest weather observations SkyVector aeronautical chart for KVPS Links to related articles Current military installations of Florida Navy Air Station Jacksonville Key West Pensacola Whiting Field Station Mayport Outlying Field Choctaw Harold Holley Pace Santa Rosa Saufley Field Spencer Whitehouse Support Activity Orlando Panama City Other Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center Air Force Air Force Base Eglin Homestead MacDill Patrick Tyndall Field Duke Hurlburt Station Cape Canaveral Cudjoe Key Range Avon Park National Guard Army Camp Blanding Air Jacksonville Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater Miami Group Key West Mayport Miami St. Petersburg District Seventh United States Air Force Leadership Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force 4 - star generals House Armed Services Committee House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Senate Committee on Armed Services Senate Subcommittee on Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Structure Commands Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations Direct Reporting Units District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy Major Commands Air Combat Air Education and Training Air Mobility Global Strike Materiel Reserve Space Special Operations Europe & Africa Pacific Numbered Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Fourteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty - Second Twenty - Fourth Twenty - Fifth Air Forces Central Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security forces Civilian auxiliary : Civil Air Patrol Personnel and training Airmen Rank Officers Enlisted Specialty Code Aeronautical ratings Judge Advocate General 's Corps RED HORSE Medical Service Chief of Chaplains Chief Scientist Training : USAF Academy Officer Training School Reserve Officer Training Corps Basic Training Airman Leadership School SERE Fitness Assessment Uniforms and equipment Awards and decorations Badges Equipment Uniforms History and traditions History Aeronautical Division / Aviation Section / Division of Military Aeronautics / Army Air Service / Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces `` The U.S. Air Force '' Air Force Band The Airmen of Note Tops In Blue Airman 's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum Air Force One Honor Guard Thunderbirds Service numbers Portal Air Force Materiel Command ( AFMC ) Bases Arnold Brooks Edwards Eglin Hanscom Hill Kirtland Robins Tinker Wright - Patterson Wings Air Base 66th 72d 75th 78th 88th 95th 96th Maintenance Test 76th 309th 402d 46th 412th Systems * Aeronautical Armament 77th 303d 312th 326th 478th 516th 308th 328th Electronic Human 350th 551st 554th 653d 311th Sustainment * Aircraft Combat 327th 330th 508th 84th 448th 542d Supply Chain Management 448th 635th Human Performance 711th Other units Aeronautical Systems Center ( former ) Air Armament Center ( former ) Air Force Global Logistics Support Center ( AFGLSC ) ( former ) Air Force Security Assistance Center ( AFSAC ) Arnold Engineering Development Center ( AEDC ) Electronic Systems Center ( former ) National Museum of the United States Air Force Air Force Research Laboratory ( AFRL ) Air Force Life Cycle Management Center ( AFLCMC ) Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center ( AFNWC ) Air Force Test Center ( AFTC ) Air Force Sustainment Center ( AFSC ) Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center ( AFIMSC ) Air Logistics Complexes Ogden Oklahoma City Warner Robins Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) Bases Active ( MAJCOM ) CONUS Altus ( AETC ) Andersen ( PACAF ) Andrews ( AMC ) Barksdale ( ACC ) Beale ( ACC ) Bolling ( AFDW ) Cannon ( AFSOC ) Columbus ( AETC ) Davis - Monthan ( ACC ) Dyess ( ACC ) Eielson ( PACAF ) Ellsworth ( ACC ) Eglin ( AFMC ) F.E. Warren ( AFSPC ) Fairchild ( AMC ) Forbes ( ANG ) Grand Forks ( AMC ) Grissom ( AFRC ) Homestead ( AFRC ) Lincoln ( ANG ) Little Rock ( AETC ) MacDill ( AMC ) Malmstrom ( AFSPC ) March ( AFRC ) McChord ( AMC ) McConnell ( AMC ) McGuire ( AMC ) Minot ( ACC ) Mountain Home ( ACC ) Nellis ( ACC ) Offutt ( ACC ) Patrick ( AFSPC ) Pease ( ANG ) Rickenbacker ( ANG ) Robins ( AFMC ) Seymour Johnson ( ACC ) Sheppard ( AETC ) Selfridge ( ANG ) Travis ( AMC ) Vandenburg ( AFSPC ) Westover ( AFRC ) Whiteman ( ACC ) Wright - Patterson ( AFMC ) Overseas RAF Alconbury ( USAFE ) Diego Garcia ( USN ) Kadena ( PACAF ) RAF Fairford ( USAFE ) RAF Lakenheath ( USAFE ) RAF Mildenhall ( USAFE ) Thule ( AFSPC ) Inactive CONUS Amarillo Bergstrom Biggs Calumet Air Force Station Carswell Castle Chennault Clinton - Sherman Dow Eaker Glasgow Grand Island ( AAF ) Griffiss Hunter K.I. Sawyer Kearney Kincheloe Larson Loring Lowry Mather McCoy Plattsburgh Presque Isle Ramey R.I. Bong ( unbuilt ) Schilling Stead Turner Walker Wurtsmith Overseas RAF Bassingbourn Ben Guerir Boulhaut RAF Brize Norton RAF Bruntingthorpe RAF Burtonwood RAF Chelveston RAF Greenham Common Goose Bay Ernest Harmon RAF High Wycombe RAF Upper Heyford Torrejón RAF Manston Morón Nouasseur Rabat - Salé RAF Scampton RAF Sculthorpe Sidi Slimane RAF South Ruislip U-Tapao RAF Waddington RAF Woodbridge RAF Wyton Zaragoza Units Air Forces Second Air Force Eighth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force Sixteenth Air Force Twentieth Air Force Divisions Air 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 12th 14th 17th 19th 21st 36th 40th 42d 45th 47th 57th 100th 311th 801st 802d 806th 817th 822d 823d 4310th Strategic Aerospace 1st 18th 22d 810th 813th 816th 818th 819th 820th 821st 825th Strategic Missile 13th Wings Bombardment 2d 5th 7th 9th 17th 19th 22d 28th 39th 42d 43d 68th 70th 72d 92d 93d 96th 97th 99th 303d 319th 320th 340th 379th 380th 397th 410th 416th 449th 450th 454th 456th 461st 465th 484th 494th 509th Fighter 1st 4th 12th 27th 31st 33d 56th 71st Strategic Reconnaissance ( Fighter ) 82d 407th 506th 508th Missile 44th 90th 91st 308th 321st 341st 351st 381st 389th 390th 392d 451st 455th 526th 702d 703d 704th 705th Reconnaissance 6th Strategic Reconnaissance 26th Strategic Reconnaissance 55th Strategic Reconnaissance 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Refueling 11th 100th 301st 305th 384th 452d 497th 499th 500th Strategic Aerospace 310th 385th 462d AFCON 95th 98th 306th 307th 376th MAJCOM 3918th 3920th 3960th 3970th 3973d 4026th 4038th 4039th 4042d 4043d 4047th 4080th 4081st 4082d 4083d 4123d 4126th 4128th 4130th 4133d 4134th 4135th 4136th 4137th 4138th 4141st 4157th 4158th 4170th 4228th 4238th 4239th 4241st 4245th 4252nd 4258th 4321st Support 40th USAAF Groups * = Initial Assigned Unit Upon SAC 's Activation Bombardment 2d ( 7 / 47 ) 7th ( 10 / 46 ) 28th ( 8 / 46 ) 40th ( 3 / 46 * ) 43rd ( 10 / 46 ) 44th ( 3 / 46 * ) 92nd ( 10 / 46 ) 93d ( 3 / 46 * ) 97th ( 8 / 46 ) 98th ( 7 / 47 ) 301st ( 8 / 46 ) 307th ( 8 / 46 ) 444th ( 3 / 46 * ) 448th ( 3 / 46 * ) 449th ( 3 / 46 * ) 467th ( 3 / 46 * ) 485th ( 3 / 46 * ) 498th ( 3 / 46 * ) 509th Composite ( 3 / 46 * ) Fighter 27th ( 6 / 47 ) 55th ( 2 / 47 ) Reconnaissance 91st Strategic Reconnaissance ( 1 / 47 ) Major weapon systems Bombers B - 1B B - 2 B - 29 B - 36 B - 45 B - 47 B - 50 B - 52 B - 58 FB - 111 Command & Control DC - 130 E-4 EC - 135 RC - 135 Fighters F - 51 F - 82 F - 84 F - 86 F - 102 F - 111 Missiles ADM - 20 AGM - 28 AGM - 69 AGM - 84 AGM - 86 AGM - 129 HGM - 16 LGM - 30A / B LGM - 30F LGM - 30G LGM - 118A SM - 62 PGM - 17A PGM - 19A Reconnaissance SR - 71 TR - 1 U-2 RB - 57D RB - 17 RB - 29 Tankers KB - 29 KB - 50 KC - 10 KC - 97 HC - 130 KC - 130 KC - 135 Transport C - 45 C - 47 C - 54 C - 82 C - 97 C - 118 C - 119 C - 124 C - 131 C - 135 Commanders Kenney Lemay Power Ryan Nazzaro Holloway Meyer Dougherty Ellis Davis Welch Chain Butler Emblems Strategic Air Command Emblem Gallery Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) Air Forces First Ninth Twelfth Eighteenth Nineteenth Air Divisions 20th ( ADTAC ) 21st ( ADTAC ) 23d ( ADTAC ) 24th ( ADTAC ) 25th ( ADTAC ) 26th ( ADTAC ) 28th ( ADTAC ) 831st 832d 833d 834th 835th 836th 837th 838th 839th 840th Named units Air Forces Panama Air Forces Iceland Air Defense, Tactical Air Command Wings TFW 1st 4th 12th 15th 20th 23d 27th 32d 33d 37th 50th 56th 312th 323d 347th 354th 355th Other 1st SOW 57th FWW 63d TAW 64th TAW 67th TRW 75th TRW 85th TFTW 317th TAW 363d TRW 405th TFTW 461st TBW 4505th ARW Former bases Active ( MAJCOM ) Altus ( AETC ) Brooks ( AFMC ) Cannon ( AFSOC ) Charleston ( AMC ) Creech ( ACC ) Davis -- Monthan ( ACC ) Dover ( AMC ) Dyess ( ACC ) Eglin ( AFMC ) Hill ( AMFC ) Holloman ( ACC ) Hurlburt Field ( AFSOC ) Langley ( ACC ) Little Rock ( AETC ) Luke ( AETC ) MacDill ( AMC ) McChord ( AMC ) McConnell ( AMC ) Moody ( ACC ) Mountain Home ( ACC ) Nellis ( ACC ) Pope ( AMC ) Seymour Johnson ( ACC ) Shaw ( ACC ) Tonopah ( ACC ) Tyndall ( AETC ) Whiteman ( ACC ) Inactive Bergstrom Blythville Donaldson England Forbes George Howard Grenier Myrtle Beach Orlando Sewart Turner Williams Inactive, but with a military presence Bunker Hill Biggs Dow Godman Homestead Lockbourne March Otis Aircraft A-1 A-7 A-10 A-37 AC - 47 AC - 119 AC - 130 B - 26 B - 57 B - 66 C - 7 C - 47 C - 82 C - 119 C - 123 C - 130 E-3 E-8 EF - 111 EC - 135 F - 4 F - 5 F - 15 F - 16 F - 47 F - 51 F - 80 F - 82 F - 84 F - 86 F - 89 F - 100 F - 101 F - 102 F - 104 F - 105 F - 106 F - 111 F - 117 H - 1 H - 5 H - 6 H - 19 H - 43 H - 60 H - 53 KB - 29 KB - 50 KC - 97 O - 1 O - 2 OH - 23 OV - 10 P - 40 P - 38 R - 4 S - 62 T - 6 T - 28 T - 29 T - 33 T - 38 Municipalities and communities of Okaloosa County, Florida, United States County seat : Crestview Cities Crestview Destin Fort Walton Beach Laurel Hill Mary Esther Niceville Valparaiso Towns Cinco Bayou Shalimar CDPs Eglin AFB Lake Lorraine Ocean City Wright Unincorporated communities Baker Deerland Dorcas Escambia Farms Holt Milligan Oak Grove Svea Airports in Florida Primary Daytona Beach Destin -- Fort Walton Beach Fort Lauderdale -- Hollywood Gainesville Jacksonville Key West Miami Northeast Florida Northwest Florida Beaches Orlando Orlando Melbourne Orlando Sanford Palm Beach Pensacola Punta Gorda St. Pete -- Clearwater Sarasota -- Bradenton Southwest Florida Tallahassee Tampa Reliever Avon Park Executive Boca Raton Clearwater DeLand -- Taylor Fort Lauderdale Executive Herlong Jacksonville Executive Kissimmee Gateway Knight Lakeland Linder Lantana Miami Executive Naples New Smyrna Beach North Palm Beach North Perry Opa Locka Orlando Executive Ormond Beach Page Tampa Executive Venice Whitted General Airglades Apalachicola Arcadia Bartow Belle Glade Brooksville -- Tampa Bay Calhoun County Cecil Cross City Crystal River Dade - Collier DeFuniak Springs Destin Dunn Dunnellon -- Marion County Everglades Fernandina Beach Flager Hilliard Homestead Immokalee Inverness Keystone Heights LaBelle Lake City Gateway Lake Wales Leesburg Lewis Marathon Marco Island Marianna Merritt Island Miami Seaplane Ocala Okeechobee County Pahokee Palatka -- Larkin Perry -- Foley Plant City Pompano Beach Prince Quincy St. Lucie County Sebastian Sebring Sikes Space Coast Suwannee County Tri-County Umatilla Valkaria Vero Beach Wauchula Williston Winter Haven Witham Zephyrhills Public use Carrabelle - Thompson Fort Walton Beach Jack Browns Massey Ranch Orlando Apopka South Lakeland Tavares Wakulla County Private use Ames Buckingham Gardner Hidden Lake Jumbolair Kathrinstadt Ocean Reef Club Osborn Ridge Landing Sandy Creek NASA / Shuttle Landing Facility Spruce Creek Wellington Military Avon Park AFR Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater ( at St. Petersburg - Clearwater IAP ) Coast Guard Air Station Miami ( at Opa Locka Airport ) Duke Field Eglin AFB Homestead ARB Hurlburt Field Jacksonville Air National Guard Base ( at Jacksonville IAP ) NAS Jacksonville ( Towers Field ) NAS Key West MacDill AFB NS Mayport ( McDonald Field ) Patrick AFB NAS Pensacola ( Sherman Field ) Tyndall AFB NAS Whiting Field North Field South Field NOLF Choctaw NOLF Santa Rosa NOLF Saufley NOLF Spencer Defunct All - American Bushnell AAF NAS DeLand ( now DeLand - Taylor ) Disney Drew AAF ( now Tampa IAP ) Epcot Jacksonville -- Imeson McCoy AFB ( now Orlando IAP ) NAS Cecil Field ( now Cecil Airport ) NAAS Corry Field NAS Ellyson Field NAS Pensacola - Chevalier Field Naval Air Station Sanford ( now Orlando - Sanford IAP ) Opa - locka West Panama City -- Bay County NAS Richmond Tampa Bay Executive Jump up ^ http://www.afsc.af.mil/ Jump up ^ http://www.afimsc.af.mil/Home.aspx Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eglin_Air_Force_Base&oldid=801200892 '' Categories : 1935 establishments in Florida Bases of the United States Air Force Buildings and structures in Okaloosa County, Florida Military facilities in Florida Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida Census - designated places in Okaloosa County, Florida Strategic Air Command military installations Airfields of the United States Army Air Corps Initial United States Air Force installations Civilian Conservation Corps in Florida Census - 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Question: where is eglin air force base located in florida
Answer: approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County