Homestead Air Reserve Base Homestead Air Reserve Base ( ARB ) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east - northeast of Homestead , Florida . The host unit at Homestead is the 482d Fighter Wing ( 482 FW ) assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command Tenth Air Force . The 482 FW is a fully combat - ready unit capable of providing F - 16C multi - purpose fighter aircraft , along with mission ready pilots and support personnel , for short - notice worldwide deployment . The wing has more than 1 , 500 members , including approximately 1 , 200 reservists , of which 250 are full - time reservists , in addition to 300 full - time civilians . Homestead ARB was established in 1942 as Homestead Army Airfield ( AAF ) . After its destruction by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 , the base was taken off active status and rebuilt , reopening as an Air Force Reserve facility in 1994 . The 482d Fighter Wing is commanded by Colonel Donald R . Lindberg . Units . The mission of the 482nd Fighter Wing is to train and equip Air Force Reservists to respond to wartime and peacetime taskings as directed by higher headquarters . The wing specifically trains for : Mobility , Deployment , and Employment . The operational component of the 482 FW is the 93rd Fighter Squadron ( 93 FS ) , which flies the General Dynamics Block 30 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . The squadron ' s aircraft can be identified by the letters " FM " ( “ Fighting Makos ” ) and the Mako shark emblem displayed on the tail . The 482 FW is part of the Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC ) and Tenth Air Force ( 10 AF ) and functions as the host wing for the installation . The 482 FW also supports operations of several " tenant " units at Homestead ARB , including the " scramble " capability of Detachment 1 , 125th Fighter Wing ( 125 FW ) , of the Florida Air National Guard . In this United States Northern Command ( USNORTHCOM ) / North American Air Defense Command ( NORAD ) mission , F - 15C / D Eagle fighter interceptors stand ready alert to intercept unidentified or potentially hostile aircraft . Since 11 September 2001 , this mission has primarily been in support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE . In addition to the 125 Fighter Wing ' s Det 1 , other tenant activities at Homestead ARB include : – Headquarters , U . S . Special Operations Command South ( SOCSOUTH ) , the special operations component of U . S . Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM ) – 50th Area Support Group , Florida Army National Guard – U . S . Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami – U . S . Army Corps of Engineers – U . S . Customs and Border Protection ' s Miami Air Branch , whose aircraft conduct drug enforcement air interdiction missions from Homestead ARB During the Atlantic hurricane season , the 482 FW routinely supports forward deployment of the Air Force Reserve ' s 403rd Wing ( 403 WG ) from Keesler AFB , Mississippi , flying the WC - 130 Hercules aircraft in the " Hurricane Hunters " weather reconnaissance mission . The 482 FW has also hosted joint relief operations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) . In October 2005 , Homestead Air Reserve Base teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring over 1 million tons of relief supplies to South Floridians recovering from Hurricane Wilma . History . Homestead Airfield began as a United States Army Air Forces facility on 16 September 1942 when the Army Air Forces assumed control of an isolated airstrip located about a mile inland from the shore of Biscayne Bay . The airstrip had been turned over to the government by Coconut Grove - based Pan American Ferries , Inc . , which had carved it out of the rocky landscape in the 1940s . Returned to civilian control after World War II , it was used as Dade County Airport until 5 January 1953 when the United States Air Force reopened it as Homestead Air Force Base . Nearly destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 , the facility was non - operational until March 1994 when it was reopened as Homestead Air Reserve Station . World War II . Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , Army Air Forces officials decided the site would better serve defense needs as a maintenance stopover point for aircraft being ferried to the Caribbean and North Africa . For its first six months of existence , Homestead Army Airfield served as a scheduled stop on a well traveled air route from northeast U . S . to the Caribbean and Africa . The 54th , 75th and 76th Ferrying Squadrons were assigned to the airfield in support of that mission . On 30 January 1943 , the base assumed a more vital wartime role with the activation of the 2nd Operational Training Unit ( 2nd OTU ) . The mission of the permanently assigned cadre of nine officers , 15 enlisted men , and 12 civilian flight instructors was to provide advanced training for aircrew members who would one day pilot Douglas C - 54 Skymaster , Consolidated C - 87 Liberator Express and Curtiss - Wright C - 46 Commando transport aircraft along the 188 , 000 miles of the USAAF Air Transport Command ' s ( ATC ) globe - girdling routes . During this period of time the base was under two commands . The runway itself , Homestead Army Air Field , belonged to Station 8 , Caribbean Caribbean Wing of ATC , while the 2nd OTU fell under the War Department ' s Domestic Transportation Division with the 1st and 3rd Air Transport Squadrons bring its flying components . As the need for trained transport pilots grew during 1943 , officials in Washington decided to beef up the training program at Homestead . As a result , the entire base was transferred to ATC ' s Ferrying Division , and by the end of the year , the 2nd OTU ' s sole mission was to prepare C - 54 transport air crews to fly the famed " Hump " from Burma to China . On 15 August 1944 command of Homestead AAF consolidated under the 563d AAF Base Unit . By 1945 , Homestead AAF represented the largest four - engine transport training operation in the entire ATC – the 2nd OTU had graduated 2 , 250 C - 54 pilots , 14 , 505 copilots , 224 navigators , 85 radio operators and 1 , 375 flight engineers . But it all came to a rather abrupt end . On 15 September 1945 , three years to the day of the base ' s founding , a massive hurricane barreled through , sending winds of up to 145 mph whistling through the cinderblock buildings . Enlisted housing facilities , the nurses ' dormitory and the base exchange were all destroyed . The roof was ripped off what would later be Building 741 , also known as the " Big Hangar . " The base laundry and fire station were both declared total losses . The few remaining aircraft were tossed about like leaves . On 25 October 1945 , following an evaluation of the damage caused by the storm , officials announced that Homestead AAF would shut down , with a target date for complete closure of December 1945 . Military control of Homestead officially ended on 14 December 1945 . After being closed by the military , Homestead was known as Dade County Airport , and operated as a civilian facility for almost a decade . Strategic Air Command . In the early 1950s , as the Korean War was winding down , defense officials once again looked toward Homestead with an eye at making the site a key player in continental defense . In mid - 1954 , an advance party arrived at the old airfield to begin cleaning it up , and on 8 February 1955 the 4226th Air Base Squadron was activated . On 1 November 1955 , the now - Homestead AFB was upgraded to a group level facility with the activation of the 379th Air Base Group which managed a major construction and rehabilitation program through 1957 . 51 buildings on the base were rehabilitated by February 1955 , and the base was readied for two Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) Boeing B - 47 Stratojet jet bomber wings . The 379th Bomb Wing was activated at Homestead on 1 November 1955 . It consisted of the following squadrons : The 379th BMW inherited the honors , history and colors of the World War II Eighth Air Force 379th Bomb Group upon activation . During the first five months , the 379th BMW concentrated on the manning and equipping of the unit and formulated a training schedule on 20 April 1956 . The squadrons received their B - 47s in April 1956 and commenced training for air refueling and strategic bombardment operations . Beginning in mid 1957 , the wing deployed aircraft , crews , and support personnel to North African bases under the REFLEX ACTION program . This requirement continued throughout the rest of the wing ' s assignment at Homestead AFB . The 379th Combat Support Group , including six squadrons bearing the same numerical designation , was organized for the wing 1 April 1960 , and during that same year , the 920th Air Refueling Squadron was transferred from Carswell AFB , Texas flying the KC - 135A Stratotanker . Within a year , the 19th Bomb Wing was transferred to Homestead on 1 June 1956 from Pinecastle AFB , Florida . It consisted of the following squadrons : With the activation of the 19th BW , the 823d Air Division was activated to command the two bomb wings at Homestead . The units were initially under Second Air Force until 1 January 1959 , when the 823rd was placed under Eighth Air Force . In 1957 both the 347th and 19th wings deployed to the Refelx Base at Sidi Slimane AB , French Morocco , in January , then to Ben Guerir Air Base , Morocco , from April though July . By 1960 , Homestead housed more than 6 , 000 permanently assigned members , twice the size of its busiest World War II days , and a fleet of Boeing B - 47 Stratojet bombers . The 19th BW maintained a portion of its tactical resources on continual overseas alert until April 1961 . The 379th BW transferred its B - 47s beginning in October 1960 and moved without personnel or equipment to Wurtsmith AFB , Michigan in January 1961 . With the departure of the 379th , the 19th Bomb Wing became the host unit at Homestead . The 28th Bomb Squadron converted to the new Boeing B - 52H Stratofortress aircraft in 1961 , with the remaining squadrons of the 19th being transferred to various SAC Strategic Wings . This left the 19th with one squadron of B - 52s . It was , in effect , a strategic wing , but was not redesignated as such . The 19th wing won the Fairchild Trophy in the SAC bombing and navigation competition of 1966 . The B - 52s of the 28th BS participated in the " Chrome Dome " Mission wherein some flew Airborne Alert 24 / 7 . The 28th Bomb Squadron inactivated when 19th Bomb Wing was moved without personnel or equipment to Robins AFB , Georgia when Homestead AFB was transferred to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) on 25 July 1968 . The 823d Air Division was transferred to McCoy Air Force Base , Florida on 2 July 1968 . Cuban Missile Crisis . On 1 June 1962 the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing was deployed to Homestead from George AFB , California in response to the growing Communist threat from Cuba . At the time , the 31st TFW flew the North American F - 100 Super Sabre . In October 1962 , Homestead was a major staging base for the contemplated invasion of Cuba . The newly built B - 52H aircraft from the 19th Bomb Wing were evacuated to Wurtsmith AFB , Michigan , where they stood on Nuclear Alert . F - 100 Super Sabre fighter - bombers armed for ground attack filled the runways for immediate deployment to Cuba , while U . S . Army troops with heavy equipment arrived by road , rail , and a vast air - lift – accommodated in a tent city built on all available open space . The 31st TFW , in cooperation with two other tactical fighter wings assigned here for the duration of the crisis , had already identified targets on Cuba and were prepared to strike at a moment ' s notice . The world was on the brink of war , with Homestead at the very edge . After several weeks of tension , the Soviets backed down . The missiles were removed . The crisis was over , but many of the changes to Homestead spawned by the Soviet threat remained . Though still nominally an SAC Base , Homestead was now tasked with a dual mission : to stand ready to project strategic air power around the globe , and to maintain an operationally ready tactical air force . Air Defense Command . During the Cuban Missile Crisis , the 48th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron deployed its F - 106 s to Homestead . Air Defense Command ( ADC ) headquarters decided after the crisis to establish permanently assigned units to counter any air intrusion by Soviet / Cuban fighters . ADC established three Fighter - Intereceptor squadrons at Homestead as part of ADC ' s 32nd Air Division . These squadrons were : The 331st was stationed at Webb AFB , Texas and was at Homestead in 1962 during the Cuban Crisis with Convair F - 102 Delta Dagger s . All other squadrons flew the Lockheed F - 104A / B Starfighter . In late 1967 , 26 aircraft of the 319th FIS were retrofitted with the more powerful J79 - GE - 19 , rated at 17 , 900 lbs static thrust with afterburner , which was the same type of engine fitted to the F - 104S version developed for Italy . These redesignated Aerospace Defense Command ( ADC ) squadrons remained at Homestead until 1969 , when the F - 104s were retired and the squadrons inactivated . These were the last F - 104 squadrons in the Regular U . S . Air Force , although the F - 104 did continue in service with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard until 1975 . The F - 106s of Detachment 2 of the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron were still deployed at Homestead AFB through 1975 and pulled alert sorties as well as escorting President Nixon ' s Air Force One in and out of Homestead AFB . Tactical Air Command . With the presence of potentially hostile aircraft in Cuba , the 31st TFW was permanently assigned to Homestead on 9 November 1962 , with an air defense mission . During the 1960s , the role of Tactical Air Command at Homestead AFB increased rapidly . F - 100D / F squadrons of the 31st TFW were : Vietnam War . In 1966 , demands from NATO and the Vietnam War led to the division of the 31st TFW into several segments . In April , the 307th TFS was permanently reassigned to the 401st TFW at Torrejon Air Base Spain to accommodate USAFE requirements . The 31st TFW and its remaining three fighter squadrons were deployed to Tuy Hoa Air Base South Vietnam on 16 December 1966 . During its time in Vietnam , a placeholder unit , the 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing assumed the host duties at Homestead to perform the air defense mission . For the next several years , squadrons from various TAC bases were assigned to Homestead to fulfill that role . These squadrons were : On 1 July 1968 TAC officially took control of Homestead AFB and placed it under Ninth Air Force . The SAC 19th Bomb Wing transferred to Robins Air Force Base , Georgia , and the 823d Air Division was transferred to McCoy Air Force Base , Florida . Post Vietnam . The 31st Fighter Wing returned from the Vietnam War on 15 October 1970 as an McDonnell Douglas F - 4E Phantom II organization . Its deployed squadrons were reactivated at Homestead from assets of the jnactivated 4531st TFW The 31st TFW standardized on the " ZF " tail code in 1972 . On 1 July 1978 the 306th TFS was reactivated as an F - 4E squadron ( ZF , yellow tail stripe ) The 482d Tactical Fighter Wing ( 482 TFW ) was activated at Homestead in 1978 and was the first Air Force Reserve ( AFRES ) unit to receive the F - 4 Phantom II jet fighter . An additional AFRES unit at Homestead was the 301st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron , which operated HC - 130 Hercules and HH - 3E " Jolly Green Giant " aircraft . This unit was redesignated as the 301st Air Rescue Squadron in 1990 and as the 301st Rescue Squadron in 1992 . An equipment change in 1980 brought the F - 4D to the 31st TFW , and in 1981 , the 31st TFW and Homestead AFB again took on a new task : the training of F - 4 aircrews as a Formal Training Unit ( FTU ) . On 31 March 1981 the 31st TFW became the 31st Tactical Training Wing . Training was to remain the base ’ s primary mission until 1 October 1985 when the wing converted to the General Dynamics Block 15 F - 16A / B Fighting Falcon and returned to an operational tactical fighter wing status . However , with the arrival of the F - 16s , the 306th TFS was again inactivated . The tail code of the 31st was also changed to " HS " on 1 December 1986 . In October 1991 the wing upgraded to the Block 40 F - 16C / D and was redesignated at the 31st Fighter Wing ( 31 FW ) and on 1 June 1992 the wing was assigned to the newly established Air Combat Command ( ACC ) following the disestablishment of TAC . The 482 TFW was similarly redesignated the 482 FW and became operationally - gained by ACC . Hurricane Andrew . August 1992 ' s Hurricane Andrew was the second most destructive hurricane in U . S . history , and the final of three Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States in the 20th century . Just prior to the storm ' s landfall in Southeast Florida , the 31 FW dispersed its fighter squadrons to safe areas away from the storm ' s path . These locations were : The 482 FW and the 301 RQS also dispersed their F - 16 , HC - 130 and HH - 3E aircraft to MacDill AFB , Florida and Patrick AFB , Florida , respectively . The effects of Hurricane Andrew caused the almost total destruction of Homestead Air Force Base . Although both President George H . W . Bush and President Clinton promised to rebuild Homestead AFB , the BRAC designated the installation for realignment to the Air Force Reserve , with the 31st Fighter Wing ' s squadrons being permanently reassigned to their dispersal bases , Moody AFB and Shaw AFB , on 1 October 1992 . Civilian personnel and Civil Engineer units of the 31 FW worked to reconstruct Homestead in 1993 and 1994 . In March 1994 , Homestead officially reopened , however the 31st FW aircraft squadrons did not return to the base . On 1 April 1994 , Air Combat Command ( ACC ) inactivated the 31st Fighter Wing base support units , effectively ending principal ACC ownership of the base . The base was then transferred to the control of Air Force Reserve ( AFRES ) . Homestead AFB was initially re - designated as Homestead Air Reserve Station , followed by re - designation as Homestead Air Reserve Base . The base and its units are normally under AFRES control , but remain operationally - gained by ACC . The 482 FW became the host unit for Homestead ARB , while the 301 RQS permanently changed its home station to Patrick AFB , Florida . In 1997 , the Air Force Reserve transitioned from being a Field Operating Agency ( FOA ) to a major command ( MAJCOM ) , renamed as the Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC ) . With this change , all functions and responsibilities at Homestead ARB previously assigned to AFRES were shifted to AFRC . The 31st Fighter Wing was transferred without personnel or equipment to Aviano Air Base , Italy , taking over the host wing duties there . Air Force Reserve Command . With Homestead being assigned to the Air Force Reserve , the 482d Fighter Wing became the host unit . The 482d was activated in October 1978 at Homestead , flying F - 4C Phantom II fighter aircraft . The 482d was the first unit in the Air Force Reserve to fly the Phantom , which was , at that time , the predominant fighter in use by the Air Force . The wing converted to the modern F - 16A in 1989 and upgraded to the F - 16C model in 1995 . During the reconstruction period after Hurricane Andrew ( 1992 – 1994 ) , the 482nd operated from MacDill AFB , Florida , while the 301st Rescue Squadron operated from Patrick AFB , Florida . The 301st was later expanded , replaced their HH - 3Es with HH - 60G Pave Hawk helicopters and redesignated the 920th Rescue Group . Later redesignated as the 920th Rescue Wing , they currently operate both HC - 130N / P and HH - 60G aircraft and are now permanently reassigned to Patrick AFB , Florida with additional geographically separated units ( GSUs ) located at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona and Portland International Airport Air Reserve Station , Oregon . In 2000 , 482nd Security Forces Squadron ( 482 SFS ) personnel were deployed in support Operation SOUTHERN WATCH at Ali Al Salem Air Base and Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait , for air base defense . In 2001 , the 482 FW deployed to Laage Air Base , Germany , for Exercise Millennium Falcon , which provided dissimilar - in - combat training with German Mig - 29s . Since 11 September 2001 , the 482 FW has also been active in support of the continental air defense mission , Operation NOBLE EAGLE , alongside their Florida Air National Guard counterparts from Detachment 1 , 125th Fighter Wing . In 2003 , the Air Force Reserve Command changed the name of Homestead Air Reserve Base to that of Homestead Air Reserve Station , only to change it back to Homestead Air Reserve Base in 2005 . Elements of the 482nd Fighter Wing deployed in October 2001 to the Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait as part of a regularly scheduled Aerospace Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) rotation to enforce the no - fly zone over southern Iraq . While there , the 482 FW reservists also began flying additional combat missions as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM ( OEF ) over Afghanistan . Throughout the 90 - day deployment , 482 FW pilots , as part of a larger Air Reserve Component " rainbow wing " at Al Jaber , flew between nine and fifteen hours a day . OEF sorties typically consisted of launch from Al Jaber with a combination of air - to - air and air - to - ground ordnance , a flight path south along the Arabian / Persian Gulf , an eastward turn over the Indian Ocean , a northern turn and overflight of Pakistan , then execution of combat operations over Afghanistan . Upon conclusion of time on station over Afghanistan , pilots would then reverse their route and return to Al Jaber . Despite the addition of auxiliary fuel tanks , these long duration missions often required four to five aerial refuelings from KC - 135 or KC - 10 tankers and pressed 482 FW flight crews and maintenance crews to their physical limits .