Charleston Air Force Base

Infobox Airport
name = Charleston Air Force Base
nativename = Part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC)

---

image-width = 300
caption = Charleston AFB, 10 January 1990


image2-width = 200
caption2 = Location of Charleston Air Force Base
IATA = CHS
ICAO = KCHS
FAA = CHS
type = Military: Air Force Base
owner =
operator = U.S. Air Force
location = Charleston, South Carolina
built = 1931
used = December 1941
commander = Colonel [http://public.charleston.amc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=9988 John C. Millander]
occupants = • 437th Airlift Wing • 315th Airlift Wing (AFRC) • 1st Combat Camera Squadron • 373rd Training Squadron Det 5 • 412th Logistics Support Squadron OL-AC • Air Force ROTC Det 772 • Civil Air Patrol - Charleston Composite Squadron • Southeast Air Defense Sector OL-A
elevation-f = 46
elevation-m = 14
coordinates = coord|32|53|55|N|080|02|26|W|region:US_type:airport
website = [http://www.charleston.af.mil/ charleston.af.mil]
r1-number = 3/21
r1-length-f = 7,004
r1-length-m = 2,135
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 15/33
r2-length-f = 9,001
r2-length-m = 2,744
r2-surface = Concrete
footnotes = Source: Federal Aviation AdministrationFAA-airport|ID=CHS|use=PU|own=MA|site=22174.*A, effective 2007-12-20]

Charleston Air Force Base airport codes|CHS|KCHS|CHS is a United States Air Force base in North Charleston, South Carolina under the control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

The host wing is the 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW), which includes four airlift squadrons, an operations group, a maintenance directorate, a mission support group, and a medical group. It is augmented by a parallel, collocated Air Force Reserve Command organization, the 315th Airlift Wing (315 AW), which shares aircraft with the 437 AW.

Charleston's mission is to fly C-17s and provide airlift of troops and passengers, military equipment, cargo, and aeromedical equipment and supplies.

History

The city of Charleston purchased land in 1931 to build a new airfield. In December 1941, the Army Air Corps took control of the field and anti-submarine missions were being flown out of Charleston Army Air Field by 1942.

Training for the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator was conducted there during World War II.

In 1946, the airfield changed to solely civilian use. In 1952, the city of Charleston and the Air Force agreed to joint-use of the runways. The Tactical Air Command re-established military operation at the base in 1952 and on 1 Mar 1956 control of the base was transferred to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). In 1966, MATS became the Military Airlift Command (MAC) and Charleston AFB remained a MAC base until MAC's inactivation in October 1991, when control was transferred to the newly-established Air Mobility Command (AMC).

The base has operated various strategic airlift aircraft since the 1950s, to include the C-124 Globemaster, C-5 Galaxy and the C-141 Starlifter. Today, the 437 AW and 315 AW (Associate) operate the C-17 Globemaster III. The base has also maintained an alert site for fighter-interceptor aircraft of the Aerospace Defense Command (ADC), Tactical Air Command (TAC) and Air Combat Command] (ACC) conducting the continental air defense mission. The last unit to occupy the alert site was a detachment F-16 aircraft from the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard. Detachment operations officially ended at the end of FY99, with the facility placed in caretaker status. However, since 11 Sep 2001, the facility has seen intermittent operations by various USAF fighter aircraft of the Active and Reserve Components.

ee also

* South Carolina World War II Army Airfields
* Eastern Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)

References

External links

* [http://www.charleston.af.mil/ Charleston Air Force Base] , official site
* [http://www.315aw.afrc.af.mil/ 315th Airlift Wing]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/charleston-afb.htm Charleston Air Force Base] at GlobalSecurity.org
*FAA-diagram|00076
*US-airport|CHS