Mountain Home Air Force Base Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in southwestern Idaho , United States . The base is in Elmore County , southwest of the city of Mountain Home , which is southeast of Boise , via Interstate 84 . The host unit at Mountain Home since 1972 has been the 366th Fighter Wing ( 366 FW ) of the Air Combat Command ( ACC ) , nicknamed the " Gunfighters . " The base ' s primary mission is to provide combat airpower and combat support capabilities to respond to and sustain worldwide contingency operations . Part of the base is a census - designated place ( CDP ) ; the population was 3 , 238 at the 2010 census . Units . Mountain Home AFB is the home of the 366th Fighter Wing ( 366 FW ) , which reports to Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . The mission of the 366 FW is to prepare Airmen and their families , professionally and personally , for expeditionary operations and foster an environment that promotes integration of all facets of wing operations . The wing comprises four groups and three operational fighter squadrons : In addition , the 726th Air Control Squadron gives an air picture to the aircraft as they train . An active Idaho Air National Guard unit , the 266th Range Squadron , controls and maintains emitter sites within the operational training range located in southern Idaho . History . World War II . Crews started building the base in November 1942 and the new field officially opened on 7 August 1943 . Shortly thereafter , airmen at the field began training U . S . Army Air Forces crews for World War II . The 396th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) was the first unit assigned and its planned mission was to train crews for the B - 17 Flying Fortress . However , before the first B - 17s arrived , plans for the field changed and the 396th was transferred to Moses Lake AAF , Washington . Instead of training B - 17 crews , Mountain Home airmen began training crews for the B - 24 Liberator . The first group to do so was the 470th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) , which trained at Mountain Home from May 1943 until January 1944 , when the unit moved to Tonopah AAF Nevada . The 490th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) replaced the 470th and trained B - 24 crews until it deployed to RAF Eye England in April 1944 . The 494th Bombardment Group then replaced the 490th , once more training Liberator crews . Senator George McGovern ( 1922 – 2012 ) was a pilot in the USAAF , and did his second stage of B - 24 training here . McGovern served 24 years in both houses of Congress from South Dakota , and was the Democratic nominee in the presidential election of 1972 . The base also received fighter aircraft to add realism to its training . A few P - 38 Lightning and P - 63 Kingcobra pursuit planes arrived in January 1945 to simulate attacks on B - 24s . In June 1945 , Mountain Home also briefly served as a training base for the new B - 29 Superfortress with the 301st Bombardment Group ( Very Heavy ) training for combat , but the Japanese surrender in August brought a swift end to the new mission and , for a time , to the base at Mountain Home . The base was placed in inactive status in October 1945 . Postwar era . The base remained inactive for over three years , until December 1948 , when the newly independent U . S . Air Force reopened the base . The 4205th Air Base Group , was activated on 12 December to prepare the newly re - designated Mountain Home Air Force Base for operational use 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing . Mountain Home ' s first operational USAF unit was the Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group which was reassigned from Clark Field in the Philippines , being assigned on 26 May 1949 . The mission of the 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group ( later 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing ) was long - range strategic reconnaissance , primarily of the periphery of the Soviet Union . Its primary operational squadron was the 72d Reconnaissance Squadron , which had been had been assigned to the group from Ladd AFB in Alaska Territory , where it had operated RB - 29 Superfortress for several years near Fairbanks . On 3 September 1949 , aircraft of the 72d identified the first evidence of a successful explosion of a Soviet nuclear weapon in the Semipalatinsk test site in eastern Kazakh SSR on 29 August 1949 . The pending assignment of the new RB - 36 Peacemaker to the 5th SRW , along with the inadequacy of its World War II facilities to support the large aircraft led SAC to move the 5th SRW to Fairfield - Suisun AFB , California on 9 November 1949 . The 4209th Base Service Squadron was assigned to the base which supervised construction activities to modernize facilities and also construct a runway . The base was formally closed on 25 April 1950 , however the 5th SRW maintained control of Mountain Home from Fairfield - Suisun , maintaining it as a subbase . Military Air Transport Service . In early 1951 , enough construction was completed that jurisdiction of Mountain Home was transferred to Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , which assigned it to the Air Resupply And Communications Service ( ARCS ) . ARCS was Special Operations organization , which performed Psychological Warfare missions . Mountain Home AFB was selected as a training base for ARCS , for which it was well - suited due to the relative remoteness of the facility . ARCS formed the 580th , 581st , and 582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wings at the base , equipping with wings with C - 119 Flying Boxcar , B - 29 Superfortress , and SA - 16 Albatross aircraft and trained to support covert special operations . Once manned , equipped and trained , the groups deployed to various parts of the world , performing classified missions during the early part of the Cold War . 9th Bombardment Wing . In early May 1953 , the major construction on the base was completed , and SAC was able to use its long runway for strategic bomber operations . Jurisdiction of Mountain Home AFB was transferred back to SAC on 1 May 1953 . SAC moved its 9th Bombardment Wing to the base and began flying B - 29 bombers and KB - 29H refueling aircraft . The 9th converted to the new B - 47 Stratojet bomber and the KC - 97 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft in September 1954 , and kept alert bombers ready for war at a moment ' s notice and continued its mission as a SAC deterrent force through the early Cold War years of the 1950s and early 1960s . In 1959 , construction of three HGM - 25A Titan I missile sites began in the local area . The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron controlled these sites and was assigned to the 9th Bombardment Wing in August 1962 . To prepare for the addition of missiles to its bomber forces , the USAF re - designated the wing as the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing in April 1962 . Two years later , SAC ' s mission at MHAFB began to wind down as part of the phaseout of the B - 47 . In November 1964 , the Air Force announced that the Titan I was also being phased out . In late 1965 SAC phased down operations at Mountain Home , and jurisdiction was transferred to Tactical Air Command for use . 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing . In November 1965 TAC began to activate elements of its new 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ( 67th TRW ) at Mountain Home , formally activating the wing on 1 January 1966 . The mission of the 67th TRW was to conduct photographic , visual , radar , and thermal reconnaissance operations . While having these operational commitments , it also conducted replacement training for RF - 4C Phantom II crew members being deployed to Southeast Asia . In September 1966 , the wing ' s 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron transferred to the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base , South Vietnam . As required , the 67 TRW also supported operations when crew members ferried RF - 4Cs to the war theater . Beginning in 1968 , the 67th also conducted tactical fighter operations with the addition of a squadron of F - 4D Phantom IIs . This fighter mission lasted until late 1970 when the F - 4Ds were reassigned . When U . S . forces began the drawdown from South Vietnam , the 67th TRW designation moved in July 1971 to Bergstrom AFB , Texas . 347th Tactical Fighter Wing . With the move of the RF - 4Cs to Bergstrom , TAC activated its 347th Tactical Fighter Wing at Mountain Home , which has been phased down by PACAF at Yokota AB , Japan in May 1971 . With the activation of the 347th , TAC chose it to be the first wing equipped with the new General Dynamics F - 111F , an advanced version of the F - 111A which had been unsuccessfully tested in the Vietnam War in Operation Combat Lancer 15 March to 22 April 1968 . It differed from the F - 111A in having more advanced electronics , more powerful engines , and major structural improvements . The first F - 111F entered service with the 374th TFW in January 1972 . The entire wing became operationally ready in October 1972 . The 347th had a short stay at Mountain Home , conducting F - 111F training until October , when the 366 TFW moved from Vietnam to Mountain Home . Upon its arrival , the 366th absorbed all the personnel and equipment of the 347th , which was inactivated . 366th Fighter Wing . The 366th Fighter Wing ( in various designations ) has been the host unit at Mountain Home for over 35 years , following its return from the Vietnam War in late 1972 . Before the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing ' s arrival at Mountain Home , the 389th , 390th , and 391st Tactical Fighter Squadrons had returned from South Vietnam , joined the 347th , and began converting to F - 111F aircraft . For the first time since it left for Vietnam , the wing once again had its three original flying units . During this time a tennant unit operated at the south end of the base . Det . 1 , 320 BW carried out an alert mission with two B - 52 Bombers and two KC - 135 Tankers . The unit disbanded in the spring of 1975 and returned to Mather AFB . Operations continued unchanged for several years . The wing tested its readiness in August 1976 when a border incident in Korea prompted the United States to augment its military contingent in South Korea as a show of force . The 366th deployed a squadron of 20 F - 111 fighters , which reached Korea only 31 hours after receiving launch notification . Tensions eased shortly afterward and the detachment returned home . In early 1991 , the Air Force announced that the 366th would become the Air Force ' s premier " air intervention " composite wing . The wing would grow with the addition of a squadron of EF - 111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft and a squadron of B - 1B Lancer bombers to become a dynamic , five squadron wing with the ability to deploy rapidly and deliver integrated combat airpower . The air intervention composite wing ' s rapid transition from concept to reality began in October 1991 when Air Force redesignated the wing as the 366th Wing . The wing ' s newly reactivated " fighter squadrons " became part of the composite wing in March 1992 . The 389th Fighter Squadron began flying the dual - role F - 16C Fighting Falcon , while the 391st Fighter Squadron was equipped with the new F - 15E Strike Eagle . These two squadrons provide Gunfighters round - the - clock precision strike capability . Following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 , the resultant initiation of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM ( OEF ) , the 366th Wing once again got the call . While the 34th Bomb Squadron deployed to Diego Garcia as the B - 1 component of the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing , the wing sent a Base Operations Support package to Al Udeid Air Base , Qatar , to transform the bare base into a fully functional airfield for large - scale combat operations . In October 2001 , the 391st Fighter Squadron deployed to Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait , while the 389th Fighter Squadron went to Al Udeid in November . Following the wing ' s return from Southwest Asia , the Air Force began consolidating its B - 1 Lancer and KC - 135 Stratotanker forces . This led to the reallocation of the wing ' s bombers and tankers . The 22 ARS ' aircraft began transferring to McConnell AFB , Kansas , in May 2002 and the squadron inactivated the following August . The 34 BS ' B - 1Bs began moving to Ellsworth AFB , South Dakota , in June and the squadron officially moved in September . Following the departure of these assets , the Air Force re - designated the 366th as a Fighter Wing . With these changes , the wing ' s 10 - year mission as the Air Force ' s only standing air expeditionary wing came to an end . A continued reconstruction of the 366 Fighter Wing was official with the 2005 base realignment , coinciding with the large scale integration of the 150 + F - 22 Raptors . After the F - 16 departure , Mountain Home Air Force Base was chosen to become an F - 15E installation because of its ideal training terrain range that is suited for air - to - ground , and air - to - air training missions . Over the horizon radar . About 1985 , Air Force Materiel Command activated the 776th Radar Squadron at Bangor ANGB . The mission of the squadron was to operate two Over the horizon radar ( OTH - B ) very long - range early warning radar sites . The squadron operated an OTH - B Transmitter site at Christmas Valley AFS , Oregon , and a receiver site at Tule Lake AFS , California . These systems were inactivated in 1997 , and the unit was inactivated . Thunderbirds crash . The base was the site of a Thunderbirds crash on 14 September 2003 , which fortunately resulted in no fatalities . Immediately after takeoff , Captain Chris Stricklin , flying Thunderbird 6 , serial # 87 - 0327 ( opposing solo ) , attempted a " Split S " maneuver ( which he had successfully performed over 200 times ) based on an incorrect mean - sea - level elevation . Similar in desert appearance , MHAFB is higher than the Thunderbirds ' home at Nellis AFB near Las Vegas , Nevada . Climbing to only above ground level ( AGL ) instead of , Stricklin had insufficient altitude to complete the descending half - loop maneuver . He guided the F - 16C aircraft down runway 30 , away from the spectators and ejected less than one second before impact . His parachute deployed when he was just above the ground and Stricklin survived with only minor injuries . No one on the ground was injured , but the $ 20 million aircraft was completely destroyed . Official procedure for demonstration " Split - S " maneuvers was changed , and the USAF now requires Thunderbird pilots and airshow ground controllers to both work in above mean - sea - level ( AMSL ) altitudes , as opposed to ground control working in AGL and pilots in AMSL , which led to two sets of numbers that had to be reconciled by the pilot . Thunderbird pilots now also climb an extra before performing the Split S maneuver . Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities . The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron Operated three HGM - 25A Titan I ICBM sites : ( 1 Jun 1961 – 25 Jun 1965 ) The activation of the 569th SMS marked the last such activation of a Titan I squadron within Strategic Air Command . The 569th would join with two Titan I squadrons at Lowry AFB , to be the last Titan I squadrons to undergo inactivation in June 1965 . Today , all three of the squadron ' s launch sites are in remote areas and temperatures in the areas tend to be extreme , ranging from over during the summer to in the winter . 569 - A is largely obliterated , with none of the three silos appearing to remain . Site " B " is also largely obliterated and has been turned into a toxic waste dump site . Site " C " appears to be largely intact . Whomever owns it has erected several buildings on the site , with part of it being used as an auto graveyard . Geography . Mountain Home AFB is located at ( 43 . 049511 , −115 . 866452 ) , at an elevation of above sea level . It is in the western portion of the Snake River Plain , about north of C . J . Strike Reservoir , an impoundment of the Snake River ( and Bruneau River ) . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of , and 0 . 10 % is water . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 8 , 894 people , 1 , 476 households , and 1 , 452 families residing in the CDP . The population density was . There were 1 , 590 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 83 . 2 % White , 6 . 9 % Black or African American , 0 . 8 % Native American , 2 . 5 % Asian , 0 . 2 % Pacific Islander , 2 . 7 % from other races , and 3 . 7 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6 . 5 % of the population . There were 1 , 476 households out of which 76 . 4 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 91 . 9 % were married couples living together , 4 . 4 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 1 . 6 % were non - families . 1 . 4 % 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 . 40 and the average family size was 3 . 43 . In the CDP the population was spread out with 24 . 0 % under the age of 18 , 24 . 4 % from 18 to 24 , 49 . 7 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 8 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 25 years . For every 100 females there were 180 . 8 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 219 . 5 males . The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 31 , 634 , and the median income for a family was $ 31 , 377 . Males had a median income of $ 24 , 865 versus $ 20 , 664 for females . The per capita income for the CDP was $ 17 , 671 . About 6 . 5 % of families and 7 . 4 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 9 . 1 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over .