Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County , Georgia , United States . The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins , Georgia , SSE of Macon , Georgia , and about SSE of Atlanta , Georgia . The base is named in honor of Brig Gen Augustine Warner Robins , the Air Force ' s " father of logistics " . Overview . Robins AFB is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command ' s Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex ( WR - ALC ) ( FLZ ) which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft , engines , missiles , software and avionics and accessories components . The commander of WR - ALC is Major General Robert H . McMahon . It is one of three Air Force Air Logistic Centers , the others being Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center ( OC - ALC ) at Tinker Air Force Base , Oklahoma and Ogden Air Logistics Center ( OO - ALC ) at Hill Air Force Base , Utah . The host unit at Robins AFB is the 78th Air Base Wing ( 78 ABW ) which provides services and support for the Warner - Robins Air Logistics Complex and its tenant organizations . The Wing and Installation Commander of Robins Air Force Base is Colonel Carl A . Buhler . The Wing Vice Commander is Colonel Debra Bean . History . The War Department , in search of a site for an Army Air Corps Depot , selected the sleepy whistle - stop town known as Wellston , Georgia , 15 miles south of Macon . Army Colonel Charles Thomas , originally from Atlanta , landed at the Herbert Smart Airport near Camp Wheeler near Macon in October , 1941 to oversee the building of the location which would later become the home to Wellston Air Depot at Robins Field ( later to become Robins AFB ) . It was Col . Thomas who chose the name " Robins " for his mentor Brig . Gen . Augustine Warner Robins . Brig . Gen . Robin ' s is considered the ' father of logistics ' for his system of cataloging supplies and materials . He had a lengthy military career prior to becoming the chief of the Air Corps Materiel Division . Robins traveled in China disguised as a millionaire tourist , collecting intelligence for the Army . He also went to Mexico where he served under Gen . John J . Pershing in the Army ' s campaign against Pancho Villa . He trained during World War I to become a pilot earning his wings in June 1918 . He didn ' t get to see combat because the war was ending . Robins suffered a near - fatal plane crash in 1921 in which his jaw and arm were severely broken . Brig . Gen . Robins died of a heart attack on Father ' s Day , 16 June 1940 at Randolph Field , Texas , while he was Commandant of the Air Corps Training Center . Origins . The 1935 Wilcox - Wilson bill provided for construction of new army air logistics depots , and in the early 1940s Macon civic leaders , led by Mayor Charles L . Bowden and supported by Congressman Carl Vinson , convinced the War Department to locate an airfield near Macon . The Site Selection Butt narrowed the choice to two finalists : Ellenwood , just south of Atlanta , and Wellston , 14 miles south of Macon . The main advantage of Ellenwood was the fact that Atlanta was a major transportation hub with railroads running in every direction . Its disadvantages included the facts that the Army would have to purchase the property and the topography required extensive grading costs to construct an airfield . On the other hand , Wellston was relatively level and the necessary land would be purchased by the local government then donated to the Army . Wellston ' s shortcomings included the shortage of skilled labor , remote location , some swampy land , and only one railroad line , the Southern . Needless to say , local interest groups and politicians lobbied hot and heavy during the selection process to promote their respective sites In June 1941 , after much competition , the War Department approved the construction of a depot in middle Georgia peanut - farm country near the Southern Railroad whistle - stop of Wellston . The site was chosen because of its flat lands , artesian water , proximity to a main rail line , and abundant and cheap land and labor . To placate the Atlanta faction , the Army approved a general Army depot at Ellenwood , without an airfield , for Army ground forces . Construction officially started with groundbreaking ceremonies on 1 September on a tract . Macon city fathers , supported by Wellston leaders , obtained property rights from the Feagin Family who were the original owners . The Army Air Forces ( AAF ) later bought an additional for the cantonment area , civilian barracks , and the pistol / rifle range . Even though Wellston was in Houston County , Bibb County leaders spent more than $ 100 , 000 to obtain Robins Field by increasing city business license taxes and county ad valorem taxes . World War II . Spurred on by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 , the number of construction workers reached 2 , 200 by Christmas 1941 . The Army enlarged the project by purchasing 2 , 637 additional acres and leasing 782 more south of the depot for troop training . In May 1942 , the number of construction workers peaked at 6 , 600 . The contractors essentially completed the project by 31 August 1942 . Construction on the industrial and cantonment areas was completed by 31 August 1942 . The second and third phases were completed the following April . The rapidly growing town of Wellston changed its name to Warner Robins on 1 September 1942 . Known as the Georgia Air Depot in the beginning , the depot has undergone many name changes . It was redesignated seven times , eventually being named Warner Robins Army Air Depot on 14 October 1942 . Warner Robins Army Air Depot eventually assumed overall command of the Air Service Command ' s installations in the states of Georgia , South Carolina , a portion of Florida , and North Carolina . Warner Robins supported approximately 6 , 500 Army aircraft in this area with depot maintenance and supply . Throughout World War II ( 1941 – 45 ) , 23 , 670 employees repaired almost every kind of AAF aircraft , including B - 17s , C - 47s , B - 29s , B - 24s , P - 38s , P - 47s , and P - 51s . Its training facilities turned out nearly 60 , 000 field repair mechanics for every theater of war . The workforce supplied every kind of part necessary to keep AAF planes flying , especially spark plugs . It also maintained thousands of parachutes , aircraft electronic and radio systems , and AAF small arms . In addition to aircraft maintenance and supply , air depots also trained aviation support personnel . These included air depot groups and air service groups , plus medical , military police , quartermaster , ordnance , chemical , and signal personnel . Warner Robins sent its first trained unit , the 38th Air Depot Group , overseas in December 1942 . It is estimated that over 50 , 000 Army personnel trained at Warner Robins during the war . Cold War . The depot ' s complement began a steady decline after the war , and by March 1946 only 3 , 900 employees remained . In the post - war era , Robins assumed the task of storing surplus war material and thousands of vehicles . The depot also cocooned and stored 250 B - 29s . On 18 September 1947 , the Army Air Force became the United States Air Force . Five months later on 16 February 1948 , the airfield was re - designated Robins Air Force Base . Robins received its first major tenant when the Fourteenth Air Force moved there from Orlando AFB , Florida . The Berlin Airlift ( 1949 ) and the Korean War ( 1950 – 53 ) restored the workforce to 17 , 697 by December 1952 . In addition to its normal mission , the depot returned most of the B - 29s in storage to active service . During the war , Robins AFB overhauled and modified B - 29 and F - 84 aircraft as well as repairing F - 80 and F - 86 fighters . In 1951 , the Air Force began a $ 3 . 5 million construction project . When this project reached completion in 1952 , the Air Force made Robins AFB a permanent installation . Personnel strength grew in proportion and reached 17 , 697 by the end of 1952 . A devastating F4 tornado struck the Warner Robins , Ga . , area on April 30 , 1953 . Fortunately , the tornado struck immediately after the day shift had ended and casualties were minimal . The base sustained $ 2 million in damage and two fatalities ; an officer ' s wife , and amateur cinematographer Vince Rupert , who was struck and killed by debris while capturing the tornado on film . All told , this one tornado caused the area 19 fatalities , 350 injuries , and $ 10 million in damage that left 1000 homeless . Vince Rupert ' s film has survived and has been noted as one of the earliest tornadoes ever captured on film . As the Korean War ended , along came a new conflict – the Cold War . Robins AFB assumed the management of the Matador and later the Mace surface - to - surface missiles as well as the Martin B - 57 Canberra . To expedite services of Robins AFB to U . S . Air Force units all over the world , the 7th Logistic Support Squadron was transferred to Robins AFB in October 1954 with C - 124 Globemaster transport airplanes . In 1955 , the Air Force added a new 12 , 000 x 300 - ft all - weather runway to the airfield . By the end of the 1950s , Robins AFB assumed management of virtually all the cargo aircraft in the Air Force that included the C - 47 , C - 54 , C - 117 , C - 118 , C - 123 , C - 124 , and the C - 130 . As a result , Robins called itself the " cargo center of the Air Force . " Also in the late 1950s , Robins supported a Strategic Air Command effort to place nuclear alert aircraft on the eastern side of the base . SAC units at Robins initially operated B - 47 " Stratojets " before upgrading to B - 52 " Stratofortresses " . To provide air defense of the base , United States Army Nike - Hercules Surface - to - air missile sites were constructed during 1959 . Sites were located near Byron ( R - 88 ) , and Jeffersonville ( R - 28 ) Georgia . They were operational between November 1960 and March 1966 . When the U . S . Air Force closed down its maintenance depots at the former Brookley AFB in Mobile , Alabama and the former Olmsted AFB in Middleton Township , Pennsylvania , Robins AFB assumed the workload of these depots . Some Robins AFB SAC units re - deployed to Guam or Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and took part in many of the bombing missions . Maintenance teams from Robins frequently traveled to Southeast Asia to repair severely damaged aircraft . Robins AFB eventually managed the Lockheed C - 141 , C - 7 , and the F - 15 Eagle as well as modifying the C - 130s to the gunship configuration . Robins played a key role in the Vietnam War ( 1964 – 73 ) , supplying troops and materiel through the Southeast Asian Pipeline and modifying AC - 119G / K and AC - 130 gunships . Also playing a role were the C - 141 , the C - 130 , the C - 123 , and the C - 124 cargo aircraft — all maintained at Robins . In 1973 these same C - 141s supported the resupply of Israel in the Yom Kippur War . In October 1983 , C - 130s from Robins supported U . S . forces in the invasion of Grenada . Between 1977 and 1981 , Robins was the air base used by former President Jimmy Carter during his tenure on visits to his hometown of Plains . SAC ' s B - 52s left Robins in 1983 leaving the 19th Wing as the sole SAC unit on the base with its KC - 135s . Modern era . In 1990 – 91 , during the Persian Gulf War , Robins provided record numbers of parts , repairs , and personnel to coalition forces in the Persian Gulf . Robins - maintained F - 15 Eagle s and the E - 8 Joint STARS played key roles in defeating the Iraqi military powers . In March – June 1999 , during Operation Allied Force , the same employees and weapon systems played a decisive role in defeating the forces of the Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic . In 1996 , the Georgia Air National Guard ' s 116th Fighter Wing at Dobbins AFB relinquished their F - 15 aircraft and moved to Robins , transitioning to B - 1 Lancer bombers and being redesignated as the 116th Bomb Wing . That same year , the former 93rd Bomb Wing at Robins was reactivated as the 93rd Air Control Wing with the E - 8 Joint STARS aircraft . In 2001 , the B - 1 bombers left Robins AFB and the Georgia Air National Guard entered into a merged Active - Guard " associate " wing arrangement in the Joint STARS mission with the active Air Force , with the Air National Guard holding lead responsibility as the 116th Air Control Wing . The Warner Robins Air Logistic Complex and Robins AFB form the largest single industrial complex in the State of Georgia . The 23 , 000 civilian employees have an annual payroll over $ 1 billion . The Logistic Complex manages and overhauls the F - 15 , C - 5 Galaxy , C - 130 Hercules , and the AC - 130 gunships — and all of the Air Force ' s helicopters . In addition , the Complex also supports the C - 17 Globemaster III and U - 2 aircraft . Until June 2008 , Robins was also the home of the KC - 135 s of the 19th Air Refueling Group , when the unit was inactivated , then reactivated a month later as the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB , Arkansas . The E - 8s of the 116th Air Control Wing continues to operate at Robins as a combined Regular Air Force and Georgia Air National Guard air control wing , and the headquarters of the Air Force Reserve Command is also located on the base . The metropolis of Warner Robins , Georgia has grown in proportion to become the sixth largest city in Georgia , according to some ways of counting . The C - 27J Schoolhouse , operated by L - 3 Link , officially began classes at Robins Air Force Base , Georgia in September 2008 . L - 3 Link ( a subsidiary of L - 3 Integrated Systems ) operates the official C - 27J schoolhouse at the Georgia Department of Defense ' s Fixed Wing Flight Facility at Robins AFB . This world class flight facility includes training classrooms , computer learning center , a large 100 person auditorium with high - definition audio - visual equipment , flight planning and fight operations areas . The facility also houses the resident Government Flight Representative and Aviation Program Team assigned to the C - 27J contract . Fixed Wing Flight Facility Robins AFB is also home of Hotel Company , 171st Aviation Regiment , Georgia Army National Guard . H Company flies the Short C - 23 Sherpa to support time sensitive , mission critical cargo delivery to the warfighter . Note : MATS ( Military Air Transport Service ) ; SAC ( Strategic Air Command ) ; MAC ( Military Airlift Command ) ; AMC ( Air Mobility Command ) Museum of Aviation . Near the base is the Museum of Aviation , begun in 1981 , has four major structures on forty - three acres and ninety historic aircraft . The museum is also home to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame which honors outstanding Georgians prominent in aviation . The 93 aircraft and missiles on display include a B - 52 , SR - 71 , a Marietta , Georgia - built B - 29 , and a specially modified C - 130 Hercules that was used in the failed Iran - hostage rescue mission . It has become a major regional educational and historical resource that hosts more than 500 , 000 visitors annually . Geography . The base is in the Macon metropolitan area , and is the single largest industrial complex in Georgia , employing a work force of over 25 , 584 civilian , contractor , and military members . The population was 3 , 949 at the 2000 census . According to the United States Census Bureau , the base has a total area of 2 . 7 square miles ( 7 . 1 km² ) , of which , 2 . 7 square miles ( 7 . 0 km² ) of it is land and 0 . 04 square miles ( 0 . 1 km² ) of it ( 0 . 73 % ) is water . As of the census of 2000 , there were 3 , 949 people , 696 households , and 682 families residing in the base . The population density was 1 , 458 . 3 people per square mile ( 562 . 6 / km² ) . There were 791 housing units at an average density of 292 . 1 / sq mi ( 112 . 7 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the base was 57 . 53 % White , 32 . 19 % Black or African American , 0 . 58 % Native American , 2 . 68 % Asian , 0 . 43 % Pacific Islander , 2 . 43 % from other races , and 4 . 15 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4 . 94 % of the population . There were 696 households out of which 82 . 0 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 88 . 6 % were married couples living together , 5 . 9 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 0 % were non - families . 2 . 0 % of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 54 and the average family size was 3 . 57 . In the base the population was spread out with 27 . 7 % under the age of 18 , 36 . 0 % from 18 to 24 , 34 . 5 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 6 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 22 years . For every 100 females there were 131 . 5 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 144 . 6 males . The median income for a household in the base was $ 37 , 420 , and the median income for a family was $ 37 , 656 . Males had a median income of $ 21 , 929 versus $ 14 , 820 for females . The per capita income for the base was $ 12 , 506 . About 4 . 2 % of families and 4 . 3 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 4 . 6 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over .