Glasgow Air Force Base - History

History

Construction of the base began in 1955, and GAFB was activated in 1957 as part of Air Defense Command (ADC). It was activated in 1957 as a base for Air Defense Command interceptors, which initially operated from a single 8,900' runway.

Glasgow was the home of the ADC 476th Fighter Group from 1957 to 1960, and the 13th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from 1959 to 68, which were equipped with the McDonnel F-101B Voodoo.

The base was transferred to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1960. With the transfer, the runway was significantly expanded to 13,500' in length, to support the coming operation of Boeing B-52 bombers and Boeing KC-135 tankers.

In February 1961, the 326th Bombardment Squadron, equipped with B-52C aircraft, was reassigned to the base from Fairchild AFB, Washington, as the nucleus for the organization of the 4141st Strategic Wing. In its first year, this became the top wing in Fifteenth Air Force.

The 4141st Strategic Wing inactivated at Glasgow AFB on February 1, 1963 and its B-52C aircraft were transferred to the to 322nd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Wing, which has stood up at Glasgow AFB to train for global bombardment and aerial refueling. The wing also received and converted to B-52D aircraft and its 907th Air Refueling Squadron received KC-135A aircraft.

Except for a small rear echelon, the 91st Wing headquarters staff, tactical aircraft and 322d Bomb Squadron crews, and most support personnel integrated in the Strategic Air Command B-52D Arc Light force for combat in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

With the pending closure of Glasgow, the 91st was taken off alert status and declared not tactically operational May–June 1968. The wing was subsequently inactivated on June 25, 1968 and became the 91st Strategic Missile Wing, operating Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missiles at Minot AFB, North Dakota.

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