History
Mactan Air Base began life as an emergency field for SAC bombers to recover in the event of a war. This emergency field was basically barren with only a few permanent structures and a 10,000-foot concrete runway. By 1965, the only permanent structures on the field were a Philippine Air Force (PAF) operations building-cum-airline terminal and the PAF BOQ. There was also a squadron of PAF F-86s on base.
As the Vietnam War escalated, the base was rapidly built up. At its height, it became a permanent C-130 base permanently housing at least the 772nd and 774th Troop Carrier Squadrons of the 463rd Troop Carrier Wing (later renamed as "Tactical Airlift" Squadrons and Wing) as well as becoming a crew rest stop for C-124 and C-133 crews to relieve congestion at Clark Air Base. The C-124 Operations Squadron was the 606th Military Airlift Support Squadron or 606th MASS. Mactan Air Base is where the USAF tested and perfected the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System or LAPES. This system was used to offload pallets at Vietnamese bases while under fire without landing, by "extracting" the pallets with a parachute from an altitude of 20–50 ft above the ground.
During the Mindanao campaign in the 70's Mactan Air Base the base was extensively used for fighter operations against targets in Mindanao region.
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