Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base ( or NAS Fort Worth JRB ) includes Carswell Field , a military airbase located west of the central business district of Fort Worth , in Tarrant County , Texas , United States . This military airfield is operated by the United States Navy Reserve . It is located in the cities of Fort Worth , Westworth Village , and White Settlement in the western part of the Fort Worth urban area . Carswell Air Force Base , ( 1942 – 1994 ) was a United States Air Force ( USAF ) Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) base located about northwest of central Fort Worth , Texas , United States ; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement . For most of its operational lifetime , the base ' s mission was to train and support heavy strategic bombing groups and wings . With the end of the Cold War , the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) Commission recommended that Carswell AFB be closed by 1994 . This decision was later modified so that most of the installation would be converted into a Joint Reserve Base , retaining the Air Force Reserve presence that had historically been located at Carswell AFB and relocating Navy Reserve , Marine Corps Reserve and Air National Guard flying units from nearby Naval Air Station Dallas , that was also identified for closure . Several United States Navy headquarters and operational units are based at NAS Fort Worth JRB , including aviation squadrons , intelligence commands and Seabee s . The Air Force Reserve Command ' s Tenth Air Force headquarters and 301st Fighter Wing continue to be based at the installation , as well as the 136th Airlift Wing of the Texas Air National Guard . A number of United States Marine Corps aviation and ground units are also co - located at NAS Fort Worth JRB . Aircraft types initially based at NAS Fort Worth JRB were the F - 14 Tomcat , F / A - 18 Hornet and C - 9B Skytrain II . Current based Navy aircraft are the C - 40 Clipper and C - 9B Skytrain II . The only Air Force aircraft is the F - 16 Fighting Falcon . The Texas Air National Guard flies the C - 130 Hercules . Currently based Marine Corps aircraft are the F / A - 18 Hornet and KC - 130 Hercules . Recently , the Army based a squadron of RC - 12 aircraft at NAS Fort Worth JRB . History . The base was named after Medal of Honor recipient Major Horace S . Carswell , Jr . ( 1916 – 1944 ) . Major Carswell was returning from an attack on Japanese shipping in the South China Sea on 26 October 1944 . He attempted to save a crewmember whose parachute had been destroyed by flak . He remained at the controls of his crippled bomber and died while crashlanding the B - 24 Liberator near Tungchen , China . The base was renamed in his honor on 29 January 1948 . Previous base names were : The base was redesignated as Carswell Air Reserve Station on 1 October 1993 until its closure on 1 October 1994 . World War II . The site of the base was originally selected in 1941 as a Consolidated Vultee factory for the production of B - 24 Liberator bombers . A separate contract was let for a landing field , known as the Tarrant Field Airdrome , to be built to support the aircraft factory . The construction of an air force base on the east side of Tarrant Field was authorized after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , and Tarrant Field Airdrome was assigned to the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command in July 1942 . The base began as a pilot transition school for the B - 26 Marauder before becoming one of the first B - 24 transition schools in operation . After more than 4 , 000 students were trained in B - 24s at the base , its mission was changed to B - 34 transition because of the nearness to the Consolidated factory . In 1945 the mission was changed from B - 34 to B - 29 aircraft training . Postwar era . Fort Worth Army Air Field was assigned to the newly formed Strategic Air Command in March 1946 , and on 1 October 1946 , the 7th Bombardment Group , Very Heavy was activated . With its activation , the 7th became part of the Fifteenth Air Force ( 15 AF ) , headquartered at Colorado Springs , Colorado . Personnel and aircraft of the new group , consisting of the Boeing B - 29 Superfortress , were transferred to Fort Worth AAF from the 92nd Bombardment Group at Spokane AAF , Washington . On 1 November 1946 , the Eighth Air Force moved its headquarters to Fort Worth AAF from MacDill Field , Florida . With its B - 29s , the 7th prepared its people for any combat eventuality that might arise , flying simulated bombing missions over various cities . On 5 July 1947 , a flight of eight B - 29s of the 492nd Bomb Squadron deployed from Fort Worth AAF to Yokota AB , Japan . Shortly after this the detachment received orders to redeploy to Fort Worth AAF via Washington , D . C . The aircraft left Yokota AB on 2 August , flew over the Aleutian Islands , then into Anchorage , Alaska . From Anchorage the flight flew over Edmonton , Alberta , Canada , turned south and flew over Minnesota and Wisconsin . The bombers flew a low - level flight between The Pentagon and Washington Monument in the Capitol on 3 August . Completing this aerial demonstration , they headed for Fort Worth , landing 31 hours after launch from Japan and covering . On 12 September , the group deployed 30 B - 29s to Giebelstadt Air Base , near Würzburg , West Germany . This flight was the largest bomber formation flown from Fort Worth AAF overseas to date , landing in Germany on 13 September . During their ten - day stay , the group bombers participated in training operations over Europe , as well as a show - of - force display by the United States in the early part of the Cold War with the Soviet Union . The flight redeployed from Germany on 23 September . On 17 November 1947 , the 7th Bombardment Wing was established to organize and train a force capable of immediate and sustained long range offensive warfare and operations in any part of the world . The 7th Bombardment Group became its operational component . The wing ' s mission was to prepare for global strategic bombardment in the event of hostilities . Under various designations , the 7th Bomb Wing flew a wide variety of aircraft at the base until its inactivation in 1993 . In June 1948 the first Consolidated B - 36A Peacekeeper was delivered . The first B - 36 was designated the " City of Fort Worth " ( AF Serial No . 44 - 92015 ) , and was assigned to the 492d Bomb Squadron . With the arrival of the B - 36s , the wing was redesignated as the 7th Bombardment Wing , Heavy on 1 August . B - 36s continued to arrive throughout 1948 , with the last B - 29 being transferred on 6 December to the 97th Bomb Group at Biggs AFB . For 10 years , the " Peacemaker " cast a large shadow on the Iron Curtain and served as the USAF ' s major nuclear weapons delivery platform . As part of the 7th Bombardment Wing , the 11th Bombardment Group was activated on 1 December with the 26th , 42d , and 98th Bombardment Squadron s , Heavy , were activated and assigned . The 11th Bombardment Group was equipped with B - 36As for training . A five ship B - 36 formation was flown on 15 January 1949 , in an air review over Washington , D . C . , commemorating the inauguration of the President of the United States , Harry S . Truman . In February 1949 , a B - 50 Superfortress ( developed from the B - 29 ) and named " Lucky Lady II " took off from Carswell for the first nonstop flight around the world . She returned to Carswell after mid - air refueling , flying , and remaining aloft for ninety - four hours and one minute . Also on 16 February 1948 , the 11th Bombardment Wing , Heavy was established . The new wing assumed control of the 11th Bombardment Group , attached to the 7th Bombardment Wing since 1 December 1948 . 1950s . During March 1950 , SAC evaluated its numbered air forces . The 8 AF , at Carswell AFB , concentrated on medium and heavy bombers . Expansion and the integration of the B - 36 and B - 50 in the command created the need for a more balanced organization . Geographic factors also promoted the need for reorganization . For those reasons , SAC realigned the command effective 1 April 1950 . Under the realignment , each numbered Air Force received bomber and reconnaissance assets in a geographic region . This left the 7th Bombardment Wing under control of Eighth Air Force . In January 1951 , the 7th took part in a special training mission to the United Kingdom . The purpose of the mission was to evaluate the B - 36D under simulated war plan conditions . Also , further evaluate the equivalent airspeed and compression tactics for heavy bombardment aircraft . The aircraft , staging through Limestone AFB , Maine , would land at RAF Lakenheath , United Kingdom , following a night radar bombing attack on Helgoland , Germany . From there the bombers would conduct a simulated bomb run on the Heston Bomb Plot , London , finally landing at RAF Lakenheath . This was the first deployment of wing and SAC B - 36 aircraft to England and Europe . For the next four days the flight flew sorties out of England . The aircraft redeployed to the states on 20 January arriving at Carswell on 21 January . The 19th Air Division , Bombardment , was redesignated 1 February 1951 as the 19th Air Division , was organized on 16 February at Carswell . With this move the division assumed responsibility over the 7th and 11th Bomb Wings at Carswell . In 1954 , Carswell was prominently featured and used as a filming location in the James Stewart and June Allyson film " Strategic Air Command " . On 13 June 1955 , the Strategic Air Command realigned its three numbered air forces resulting in Headquarters , 8 AF moving from Carswell to Westover AFB , Massachusetts . With that move , Carswell was reassigned under Second Air Force ( 2 AF ) , headquartered at Barksdale AFB , Louisiana . On 10 December 1957 , the 98th Bombardment Squadron was detached from the 11th Bombardment Wing and assigned to the newly 0rganized 4123d Strategic Wing . This would become the first Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress unit at Carswell . During January 1958 , the wing began transferring its B - 36 bombers to various SAC wings . On 20 January , the wing transferred all B - 52 equipment and property on hand to the 4123rd Strategic Wing in order to facilitate that organization ' s conversion , which was scheduled several months ahead of the 7th Bomb Wing at Carswell . The 7th Bombardment Wing officially became a B - 52 organization with the adoption of manning documents and equipping authorizations on 1 February 1958 . On 19 February 1958 , the 4123d Strategic Wing took possession of the first Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress on Carswell . At the arrival ceremony on base the bomber was named " The City of Fort Worth " . It was subsequently assigned to the 98th Bombardment Squadron of the wing . Shortly following the arrival of B - 52 bombers to the 4123rd Strategic Wing , the unit was moved to new facilities at Clinton - Sherman AFB , Oklahoma . With the acquisition of the Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress , all new B - 52 wings would operate with an air refueling squadron to support those bombers . As a result , SAC activated the 7th Air Refueling Squadron at Carswell on 1 April 1958 , and assigned it to the wing . The squadron would be equipped with the Boeing KC - 135 Stratotanker later in the year . On 30 May , Memorial Day , the last of the B - 36 ' s in the wing were retired with appropriate ceremonies and " Open House " . Air Force and civilian personnel of the base , and civilians from surrounding communities were on hand to bid the " Peacemaker " a fond farewell . This last flight of a B - 36 from Carswell AFB phased out completely the B - 36 program in the wing . In January 1959 . B - 52s from Carswell were constantly in the air and deployed to SAC Reflex bases in Europe , Asia , and North Africa during the Cold War . Convair B - 58 at Carswell . In January 1960 , the USAF announced its intention to activate the first Convair B - 58 Hustler Wing . This was to be the 43d Bombardment Wing , ( BW ) at that time based at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona . The 43rd BW would be moved to Carswell starting on 1 March . The 3958th Operational Test and Evaluation Group ( then functioning as an integral unit at Carswell ) would be transferred to the 43rd BW upon its arrival . On 1 August 1960 , the USAF finally formally assumed B - 58 operations responsibility and began testing . 59 – 2436 , the first fully operational Hustler equipped with all tactical systems , was delivered to the 43rd . Two weeks later , the first TB - 58A was delivered to Carswell . On 23 March , a test unit B - 58A ( 55 - 0671 ) , remained airborne for 18 hours 10 minutes while averaging an airspeed of over . This was apparently the longest - lasting single flight ever by a B - 58 . The 43rd BW received deliveries beginning in December 1960 . However , technical difficulties continued to plague the B - 58 , and on 10 March 1961 SAC had once again to set back the operational readiness date of the 43rd BW . The 43rd BW , was finally declared operationally ready in August 1962 . The Wing was placed on alert in September . One of its first duties of the 43d was to operate a school to evaluate the new supersonic jet bomber . This was made possible by training SAC aircrews using the F - 102 Delta Dagger it having similar flight characteristics unique to flying a delta - winged aircraft . The wing received TB - 58s , the training version of the bomber and then the YRB - 58 reconnaissance version soon followed and the wing took on still another important mission . On 12 January 1961 , Major Henry J . Deutschendorf commanded a B - 58 crew from the 43rd that set out to break six flight records ; five of which the Soviet Union held . The Hustler flew two laps around a course with Edwards AFB , California , at one end and Yuma , Arizona , at the other . The bomber set three speed records over the 1000 kilometer ( km ) course with a 2000 kilogram ( kg ) , 1000 kg , and 0 kg payload — averaging 1 , 200 . 194 miles per hour ( mph ) in each category . The crew managed an average speed of in each of the same payload categories over the 2000 km course . This flight set the pace for the 43rd with the B - 58 . Crews set two more flight records with their Hustlers in 1961 . On 10 May , Major Elmer E . Murphy flew his Hustler in 30 minutes 45 seconds . Averaging , Major Bleriot set a new record for sustained speed and earned France ' s Bleriot Cup . Sixteen days later a Hustler flew from New York City to Paris , France in 3 hours , 19 minutes , and 41 seconds . The crew on this flight was Major William Payne , pilot , Captain William L . Polhemus , navigator and Captain Raymond R . Wagenger , DSO . The B - 58 averaged along the course and completed in 1 / 10 the time it took Charles Lindbergh in 1927 . This transatlantic flight earned the crew the seventh Mackay Trophy and the Harmon International Trophy . Tragically , this aircraft ( 59 - 2451 B - 58A - CF " The Firefly " ) was destroyed during an attempted low - altitude aerobatic flight in marginal weather . Its crew , ( pilot Maj . Elmer Murphy , nav / bombardier Maj . Eugene Moses , DSO 1st Lt . David Dickerson ) were killed when the B - 58 crashed on 3 June at the Paris Air Show . Though saddened by the loss , crews from the 43rd continued to set records with the Hustler . Captain Robert G . Sowers piloted a B - 58 that set out to break three speed records on 5 March 1962 . Referred to as Operation Heat Rise , the 43rd Bomb Wing B - 58 59 - 2458 ( shown above ) flew from New York to Los Angeles and back to New York in 4 hours , 41 minutes , and 14 . 98 seconds . The crew took the bomber from New York to Los Angeles in two hours , 15 minutes , and 50 . 8 seconds — beating the sun across the United States . The return trip took 2 hours and 58 . 71 seconds , averaging . All three crewmen earned the Mackay Trophy , the Bendix Trophy , Distinguished Flying Cross es , and congratulations from president John F . Kennedy . After July 1961 , the wing continued further B - 58 evaluations until June 1962 . From then until the close of 1969 the wing served as one of two SAC B - 58 wings with a strategic bombardment mission . One of the last things the wing did while at Carswell AFB took place on 28 March 1964 , the day after a major earthquake devastated Alaska . Headquarters USAF tasked the 43rd to provide it with photographs of the region hit by the quake . Members of the 43rd flew two B - 58s the to Alaska and back , processed the film , and then delivered the pictures to Washington DC 14 . 5 hours after the wing received the request . Six months later the 43rd Bomb Wing moved to Little Rock AFB , Arkansas . Vietnam War . On 13 April 1965 , the 7 BW deployed its forces to Andersen Air Force Base , Guam to support SAC combat operations in Southeast Asia . Most of the wing ' s bombers and tankers , along with aircrews and some support personnel , were deployed . At Andersen AFB , the wing flew more than 1 , 300 missions over Vietnam , and returned to Carswell in December 1965 . B - 52 crews were sent through an intensive two - week course on the B - 52D , making them eligible for duty in Southeast Asia . B - 52s assigned to combat duty in Vietnam were painted in a modified camouflage scheme with the undersides , lower fuselage , and both sides of the vertical fin being painted in a glossy black . The USAF serial number was painted in black on the fin over a horizontal red stripe across the length of the fin . The B - 52 effort was concentrated primarily against suspected Viet Cong targets in South Vietnam , but the Ho Chi Min Trail and targets in Laos were also hit . During the relief of Khe Sanh , unbroken waves of six aircraft , attacking every three hours , dropped bombs as close as from friendly lines . Cambodia was increasingly bombed by B - 52s from March 1969 onward . Rotational deployments to Guam , and also to U - Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield , Thailand continued on a reduced scale until 1975 . In addition to the B - 52 deployments , the United States Air Force Reserve 916th Troop Carrier Group , flew Douglas C - 124 Globemaster II aircraft from Carswell . It was activated on 1 April 1963 . The group supported missions included military airlift to South Vietnam beginning in 1965 and to U . S . forces in the Dominican Republic during a 1965 crisis . It also participated in numerous humanitarian airlift missions . as well as performed tactical airlift missions within the United States . 1970s / 1980s . Beginning in 1972 , the 301st Fighter Wing ( under various designations ) has trained at Carswell as an Air Force Reserve Command unit , training for tactical air missions , including counter - air , interdiction , and close air support . Originally gained by the former Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) , the unit is now operationally gained by Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . The 301st replaced the Air Force Reserve ' s 916th Military Airlift Group ( 916 MAG ) , which was inactivated . The 301st ' s 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron flew the F - 105 Thunderchief from 1972 to 1982 . It transitioned to the F - 4 Phantom II in 1981 , then to the F - 16 Fighting Falcon in 1990 . The wing has participated in exercises , both within the United States and abroad . It deployed a security police flight to southwest Asia during Operation Desert Storm , January – March 1991 , and supported Operation Deny Flight in the Balkans in the mid - 1990s . The tail code carried by the present day 457th Fighter Squadron is " TX " . In the 1980s the base received several new weapons systems , including modified B - 52H aircraft . In 1983 , B - 52 crews began training with a new weapon system , the SRAM ( Short Range Attack Missile ) and later , in 1985 , the ALCM ( Air Launched Cruise Missile ) . Also , the wing flew numerous atmospheric sampling missions during 1986 and 1987 in response to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident ; four B - 52H aircraft ( s / n 60 - 0024 , 60 - 0033 , 60 - 0051 and 60 - 0052 ) were modified to carry atmospheric sampling pods code - named " Giant Fish " . These aircraft flew the mission into the 1990s from various bases including Carswell . By 1984 Carswell was the largest unit of its kind in the Strategic Air Command . The west side of the airfield was home to Air Force Plant 4 , a industrial complex occupied over the decades by Convair , General Dynamics , and now by Lockheed Martin . The bulk of the Air Force Convair B - 36 , B - 58 Hustler , F - 111 Aardvark , EF - 111 Raven and F - 16 Fighting Falcon fleets were built there . Operation Desert Storm . The 7 BW contributed personnel to Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East in 1991 . After an overwhelming victory in the Persian Gulf , the wing returned to Carswell . In September 1991 with the end of the Cold War , President Bush ordered a stand down of all nuclear alert duties . Closure . Carswell AFB was selected for closure under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 during Round II Base Closure Commission deliberations ( BRAC 91 ) . As part of BRAC 91 , the decision was made to relocate the 7th Bomb Wing from Carswell AFB to Dyess AFB . During the 1992 Air Force - wide reorganization , the SAC was disestablished on 1 June . Carswell and the 7th Bomb Wing were assigned to the newly created Air Combat Command ( ACC ) , and the B - 52Hs assigned to the wing were given the ACC tail code " CW " . First - stage closure activities were initiated in 1992 and B - 52H aircraft were relocated to Barksdale AFB , Louisiana by January 1993 . The 7 BW was released of all operational capabilities on 1 January 1993 , and was transferred to Dyess AFB , Texas without personnel or equipment on 1 October 1993 where it currently flies the B - 1 Lancer . Carswell ceased USAF active duty operations on 30 September 1993 , and was transferred to the Air Force Base Conversion Agency ( AFBCA ) for property distribution and reuse . On 1 October 1993 , the Air Force Reserve ' s 301st Fighter Wing assumed base responsibilities , establishing Carswell as Carswell Air Reserve Station . The Air Force Reserve ' s Headquarters , 10th Air Force ( 10 AF ) , also relocated to Carswell from Bergstrom AFB , Texas as a result of the BRAC action which closed Bergstrom . In 1993 , Congress directed the establishment of the nation ' s first joint reserve base under the Base Realignment and Closure authority . The USAF ended operational control of Carswell on 30 September 1994 with the transfer of the property to the United States Navy . Re - opening as Naval facility . The base retained the name Carswell Air Force Base until 1993 . At that time , the Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) Commission decided to relocate assets from Naval Air Station Dallas to Carswell Air Force Base . Recommissioned on 1 October 1994 as Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth ( but also retaining the name Carswell Field ) Two Marine Corps squadrons and a small contingent of Navy personnel had permanently relocated at that time and all moves were completed by 1998 . On September 20 , 2009 , the airport was used as a refueling stop for the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ( SCA ) piggybacking the Space Shuttle " Discovery " back to the Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) from Amarillo after STS - 128 . The short hops between refueling the SCA were due to the heavy payload still inside the orbiter , specifically the Leonardo ( ISS module ) that carried wastes from the International Space Station . After refueling , the tandem flew to Barksdale Air Force Base , using most of the runway . This was the last flight of a Space Shuttle between Edwards Air Force Base and Kennedy Space Center ; all of the remaining landings of the Shuttle were at KSC . Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base , part of Navy Installation Command ' s Navy Region Southeast , is a joint defense facility which plays a pivotal role in training and equipping air crews and aviation ground support personnel . The Navy Fort Worth " team " ensures reservists receive quality training in preparation for mobilization readiness ; here to serve the reservists , tenants , and surrounding communities while accomplishing its primary purpose of defense readiness for the United States . Current operations . The base , now part of Navy Installations Command ( CNIC ) , is under the oversight of Commander , Navy Region Southeast . It hosts a variety of fighter / attack and airlift units from the reserve components of Navy , Marine Corps and United States Air Force . Airfield operating procedures and equipment ( e . g . , PAR and ILS ) reflect a combination of service requirements , although as the operators of the local air traffic control ( ATC ) system , the United States Department of the Navy imposes Navy procedures as the operations standard . As of June 2011 , there were 11 , 300 employees on NAS Fort Worth JRB ( including active duty , reserve , national guard , and civilians ) . NAS Fort Worth JRB units schedule a variety of airspace . The key area for fighter operations is the Brownwood Military Operations Area ( MOA ) . This area , originally developed to serve Commander , Naval Air Force Reserve ( COMNAVAIRRESFOR ) and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing fighter and fighter / attack squadrons stationed at the former Naval Air Station Dallas , now serves as the primary airspace resource for all fighter / attack units assigned to NAS Fort Worth JRB . It is scheduled by the NAS Operations Department ; consolidated scheduling was evaluated for a period of time and the decision made to return this area to the Navy for scheduling . Nevertheless , user comments indicate that access to the area is allocated to its several users on a fair and equitable basis . The recent decision to join the Brady and Brownwood MOAs will provide additional maneuver airspace for AIC / ACM training . When scheduled concurrently , these areas enable numerous aircraft from several units to participate in joint fighter / bomber training exercises . Brownwood MOA is the subject of an innovative test to improve the dissemination of SUA status information to non - participating aircraft . This test , conducted to address action items in meeting Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) Free Flight planning commitments , will use a combination of recently deployed airspace scheduling and reporting systems , including the FAA Special - use Airspace Management System ( SAMS ) and United States Department of Defense Military Airspace Management System ( MAMS ) . The intent of the trial is to provide more accurate " near real - time " area status via the internet to civilian users , especially to regional air carriers particularly affected by required rerouting around Brownwood MOA . Should the test and the technology prove successful and cost - effective , the result could address long - standing civilian dissatisfaction with the quality and timeliness of FAA - distributed special use airspace status information . In particular , such functionality may be appropriate for incorporation into the next generation of Automated Flight Service Station modernization equipment . The base ' s runway is also used by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics , as their large Fort Worth assembly facility ( where the F - 16 Fighting Falcon and the F - 35 Lightning II are built ) is located adjacent to the base . The Commanding Officer of NAS Fort Worth JRB is Captain Robert A . Bennett . Federal Medical Center , Carswell , a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility , is located in the northeast corner of NAS Fort Worth JRB . Its address is Building 3000 along J Street . Tenant commands . Air Force Base use . The major United States Army Air Forces / USAF units assigned to Carswell were : Popular culture . The base was one of the sites for the filming of James Stewart ' s 1955 film , " Strategic Air Command " . On the NBC series " The West Wing " , Democratic Presidential nominee Matt Santos ( Jimmy Smits ) reported for Marine Corps Reserve duty at Fort Worth for F / A - 18 Hornet flight operations . The show incorrectly referred to the base as " National Guard Training Center Fort Worth " , and the squadron shown was VMFA - 134 " Smokes " . In reality , the " Smokes " were stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar prior to their 2007 transition to cadre status . The Marine Corps Reserve F / A - 18 squadron actually based at NAS Fort Worth JRB is VMFA - 112 " Cowboys " .