Hurlburt Field is a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
installation located in
Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of
Mary Esther. It is part of the greater
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
reservation and is home to Headquarters
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...
(AFSOC), the
1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), the
USAF Special Operations School (USAFSOS) and the
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
's (ACC)
505th Command and Control Wing. It was named for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who died in a crash at
Eglin. The installation is nearly and employs nearly 8,000 military personnel.
This facility is assigned a three-letter
location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for staffed air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programm ...
of HRT by the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...
, but it does not have an
International Air Transport Association (IATA) airport code (the IATA assigned HRT to
RAF Linton-on-Ouse in England).
[, effective November 10, 2016.]
History
Hurlburt began as a small training field for the much larger
Eglin Field. It was initially designated Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 9, and later as
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
Auxiliary Field 9/Hurlburt Field when the
U.S. Air Force became an independent service, before being administratively separated from the rest of the Eglin AFB complex in the 1950s. However, once separated, the facility retained its history and kept all building numbers the same; i.e., all start with a "9". The installation was named by then-Eglin Field base commander Brigadier General
Grandison Gardner for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt (1919–1943), who was killed in an aircraft crash at the main base, then known as Eglin Field, in 1943.
The facility had previously been named the Eglin-Hurlburt Airdrome until 1943; Hurlburt Field, March 1944; Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 9, October 1944; with the current name official on January 13, 1948. The base commander of Eglin Main was also responsible for Hurlburt, 1942–1946, but when the base reactivated on February 1, 1955, it gained a separate commander.
Donald Wilson Hurlburt
After flying combat missions from Great Britain in
B-17s and receiving the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Lieutenant Hurlburt was assigned in mid-1943 to the First Proving Ground Electronics Test Unit at Eglin Field. He died on October 1, 1943, when his
Lockheed AT-18 Hudson gunnery trainer, ''42-55591'', crashed during take-off at Eglin. An official history of Eglin AFB's early years cites October 2, 1943 date for this accident, and also notes that Capt. Barclay H. Dillon, test pilot of the Fighter Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, died in another accident the same date. Auxiliary Field No. 10 was later named Eglin Dillon Airdrome, now known primarily as
Naval Outlying Landing Field Choctaw
Naval Outlying Landing Field Choctaw is the United States Navy's designation for an auxiliary airfield that was originally constructed during World War II as Eglin Field (now Eglin Air Force Base) Auxiliary Field # 10. It is located 16.6 miles n ...
, a Navy auxiliary field to
Naval Air Station Pensacola and
NAS Whiting Field
Naval Air Station Whiting Field is a United States Navy base located near Milton, Florida, with some outlying fields near Navarre, Florida, in south and central Santa Rosa County, and is one of the Navy's two primary pilot training bases (the oth ...
. Hurlburt's nephew was Captain
Craig D. Button, USAF, noted for his mysterious flight and crash of an
A-10 Thunderbolt on April 2, 1997.
Doolittle Raiders
Lieutenant Colonel
Jimmy Doolittle and his
Raiders
Raider(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Paul Revere & the Raiders, an American rock band
* "Raider", a track from the 1969 album ''Farewell Aldebaran'', by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester
* "Raiders", a track from the 1987 album ''Young and ...
could not have practiced take offs with their
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
bombers at Auxiliary Field No. 9, as it, and the requisite hard-surfaced runway, did not exist in March 1942. "A former Hurlburt Field base commander in the 1950s may have started this story, and several official histories and raider interviews have perpetuated this belief." Nonetheless, the short cross-field former runway, near the southern end of Hurlburt Field's main runway, is now named the Doolittle Taxiway. Other Eglin fields, including
Wagner Field
Wagner Field, (Formerly: Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #1), is a component of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It is located northeast of the main base, 13.9 miles northeast of Valparaiso, Florida.
The site is notable as the training location ...
/Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 1, and
Duke Field
Duke Field , also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States.
History
Duke Field was one of the f ...
/Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 3, were used during this training.
For the 2008 gathering of Doolittle mission survivors, six crew were present for recognition in
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Fort Walton Beach− Crestview− Destin Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
, culminating in a reenactment of the training sessions by three civilian-owned
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
s at
Duke Field
Duke Field , also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States.
History
Duke Field was one of the f ...
on 31 May. Navy personnel from
NAS Pensacola, as flight deck "shirt" crew, represented that service's contribution to the Tokyo mission.
Drones and missiles
Gulf-facing launch sites for drones beginning with
Republic-Ford JB-2
The Republic-Ford JB-2, also known as the Thunderbug, KGW and LTV-N-2 Loon, was a United States copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Developed in 1944, and planned to be used in the United States invasion of Japan (Operation Downfall), t ...
Loons, American copies of the V-1 "buzz bombs", were operated on
Santa Rosa Island, from Site A-15, directly south of Field 9 from the fall of 1944 in anticipation of
Operation Olympic
Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ...
against Japan from captured Pacific island bases. The atomic missions put paid to this operation. This launch site is now on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
The 4751st Air Defense Wing (Missile) was organized at Hurlburt on October 1, 1957. It was redesignated the 4751st Air Defense Missile Wing on January 15, 1958 and discontinued on July 1, 1962 when Tactical Air Command took over the
field. Its subordinate 4751st Air Defense Missile Squadron continued operations as a tenant until November 30, 1979. It operated IM-99/CIM-10
Bomarc
The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of North ...
surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
s from this site. On August 18, 1960, a Bomarc missile from the Santa Rosa launch facility made a direct hit on its target, a
QB-47E
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...
of the 3205th Drone Group, marking the first shoot-down of a multi-jet medium bomber by a surface-to-air missile.
The
6555th Guided Missile Wing operated CGM-13/TGM-13
Mace cruise missiles
A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
from the island. On January 5, 1967 an international incident was narrowly avoided when a TGM-13 Mace, launched from Santa Rosa Island, which was supposed to circle over the Gulf on a racetrack course for shoot-down by a pair of Eglin
F-4 Phantoms, instead, headed south for
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
. A third F-4 overtook the drone, firing two test
AAMs with no effect, and damaged it with cannon fire, but the unarmed Mace actually overflew the western tip of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
before crashing in open water some further south. The final Mace launches from Hurlburt Site A-15 took place in June 1974. Other launches in the 1960s included six high-altitude releases of vaporized barium from 2-stage
Nike Iroquois
Nike Iroquois is the designation of a two-stage American sounding rocket. The Nike Iroquois was launched 213 times between 1964 and 1978. The maximum flight height of the Nike Iroquois amounts to 290 km (950,000 ft), the takeoff thrust ...
sounding rockets in January 1967 to measure wind speeds and directions in the upper atmosphere, conducted under the auspices of the
Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories in conjunction with the Space Systems Branch of the Aircraft and Missile Test Division, Air Proving Ground Center, Eglin AFB.
Tactical bombardment
Hurlburt Field fell into disrepair following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
but was reactivated in 1955. The
17th Bombardment Wing
17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number.
Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers.
In mathematics
17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, ...
was reactivated on April 1, 1955 and assigned to the Ninth Air Force, with the
34th,
37th, and
95th Bomb Squadrons assigned under the
17th Bomb Group. "Officers and airmen of the 17th crossed the Pacific in three echelons. Some flew their B-26's from
Miho Air Base
Miho Airbase (美保飛行場) , also known as Yonago Airport is a Japan Air Defense Force (JASDF) base located 11 km northwest of Yonago in Tottori Prefecture. It is owned and operated by JASDF and shares the runway with civil activities. ...
, Japan, to Florida. The main body made the trip on the troop ship ''General Gaffney'', while another group, comprising airmen from other
Fifth Air Force units, arrived in San Francisco in early April 1955, aboard the pocket aircraft carrier, the ''
Cape Esperance."
The 17th Bomb Wing was stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida, operating from Hurlburt Field, where it was programmed to receive the
Martin B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric C ...
, the replacement for the
B-26 Invader. However, the B-57 proved to be troublesome and unreliable and only three or four were ever delivered to Hurlburt. On October 1, 1955, Hurlburt was redesignated the 17th Bombardment Wing, Tactical, and received B-66 aircraft in early 1956.
The first jet aircraft to land at Hurlburt was a
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star which arrived from Ninth Air Force Headquarters,
Shaw AFB
Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...
, South Carolina, on July 28, 1955, piloted by Maj. J. H. Murrow and Maj. L. F. Collins. "Pilots of the 17th Bomb Wing will in the near future be flying T-33's for instrument and transitional training to prepare for the new B-66 bomber which is slated for delivery to the wing..." The first B-66 arrived at Hurlburt on March 16, 1956, after a flight from
Norton AFB, California, piloted by 17th Bomb Wing commander Col. Howard F. Bronson, with Col. Norton W. Sanders, commanding officer of the 17th Bomb Group, as observer.
The 17th Bomb Wing was equipped with the
Douglas B-66B Destroyer and operated the jet light bomber at Hurlburt from 1956 until 1958, then the wing was moved to a base in England. The 17th was inactivated on June 25, 1958 due to budgetary cutbacks.
With the reactivation of Hurlburt, housing was at a premium, and Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Kramer, Assistant Army District Engineer at
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...
, announced on April 5, 1956, that a contract had been awarded in the amount of $3,315,143.34 to the McDonough Construction Company of Georgia,
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...
, for the construction of 151 buildings of concrete block with brick facing. Residences would be single and duplex quarters with two, three, and four bedrooms. Construction began on the first 48 buildings (72 units) in mid-April, with initial completion expected by February 1957.
Special operations
On April 14, 1961 the Air Force
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...
(TAC) activated the
4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron at Hurlburt, to fly operations against
guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...
, either as an overt Air Force operation or in an undefined covert capacity. Known by its nickname "Jungle Jim", the unit was commanded by Colonel Benjamin H. King. The squadron was authorized 16
C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...
s, eight
B-26s and eight
T-28 Trojans, plus the same number of aircraft in temporary storage. The T-28s were armed with caliber .50 machine guns, 2.75-in. rockets and a small quantity of bombs. These specialists flew missions in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America and other places throughout the world. In early 1962, plans for the never executed
Operation Northwoods
Operation Northwoods was a proposed false flag operation against American citizens that originated within the US Department of Defense of the United States government in 1962. The proposals called for CIA operatives to both stage and actually co ...
called for decoy aircraft to land at this base.
From the 1960s into the early 1970s, the base hosted a wide variety of aircraft types, including
A-1E Skyraiders,
AC-119G Shadow and
AC-119K Stinger gunships,
AC-47
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and mediu ...
Spooky gunships,
AC-130A Spectre gunships,
B-26K Counter-Invaders (including those deployed to the Congo), U
C-123Ks with underwing jet pods,
OV-10A
The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a fo ...
Forward Air Control Broncos, Cessna
O-2A Skymaster
FAC and
O-2B PSYOPS
Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...
aircraft,
QU-22B recon drones, and other long-serving C-47s in various support roles. Following the conclusion of the war in Southeast Asia, most reciprocating engine types were retired by the USAF.
UH-1
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...
s and
CH-3
The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States A ...
s were operated, the latter by the
20th Special Operations Squadron.
The 4410th Combat Crew Training Wing was activated at Hurlburt Field on December 1, 1965, later moving to
England AFB
England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located northwest of Alexandria and about northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Ai ...
, Louisiana, in July 1969. "In early 1967 the wing comprised four squadrons; two were at Hurlburt, the 4408th CCTS training C-123 crews and the 4409th training A-1E and T-28 pilots, including Vietnamese students. The 4410th CCTS at
Holley Field primarily trained O-1
Forward Air Controllers and students flying the
U-10 and
O-2
O2, O-2, o2, O2, O2, O2− or O2+ may refer to:
Science and technology
* or dioxygen, the common allotrope of the chemical element oxygen
* , the ion oxide
* , the ion superoxide
* , the ion dioxygenyl
* , doubly ionized oxygen
* O2, an EEG ...
. In December the 4407th CCTS would be activated to assume the mission of the 4410th while that unit began training crews in the new OV-10 Bronco FAC aircraft. The fourth squadron, the 4412th CCTS was at England AFB, training C-47D and AC-47D pilots. On 1 April the 4532nd CCTS was activated to fly A-37Bs and assigned to the Wing. Later in the year both the 4412th and 4532nd were reassigned to the
1st ACW at England AFB."
[Chinnery, Philip D., "Air Commando: Inside The Air Force Special Operations Command", St. Martin's Paperbacks, St. Martin's Press, New York, January 1997, Library of Congress card number 94-66597, ,Chapter 7 – The Secret War in Laos – 1967-'68, page 182,]
The first jet-augmented
Fairchild C-123K Provider arrived at Hurlburt Field on January 5, 1968, and the first of 76 of the type to be ferried to Vietnam by the
319th Air Commando Squadron departed on April 10.
The
20th Special Operations Squadron reactivated in 1976 at Hurlburt Field, the unit mission remaining unconventional warfare and special operations using
UH-1N
The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is a member of the extensive Huey family, the initial version was the CUH-1N Twin Huey (later CH-135 Twin ...
gunships and
CH-3Es. The
HH-53H Pave Low replaced the CH-3E in 1980, providing a long range, heavier lift helicopter capability. "The Air Force's newly operational fleet of nine HH-53H Pave Low CSAR helicopters was abruptly transferred to the special operations forces in response to the failed Iranian hostage rescue attempt and the lack of dedicated long-range vertical lift platforms." "The helicopters brought 200 new military jobs to Hurlburt, bringing the number of military positions at the base to 3,200."
In the early 1960s, Hurlburt was utilized as a
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
dispersal base for
B-47
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. ...
s of the
306th Bomb Wing at
MacDill AFB, Florida.
Most facilities were located west of the runway, including hangars, through the 1980s. With the growth and importance of special operation capabilities,
Lockheed AC-130
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, attack aircraft, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticate ...
Spectre/Spooky gunship and
MC-130
The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the ...
Combat Talon/Combat Spear operations have remained on the western flight line, while additional hangars and ramps have been constructed northeast of the intersection of the main runway and the Doolittle runway. These newer facilities are home to
CV-22 Osprey operations of the 413th Flight Test Squadron of the 96th Test Wing, and the recently retired
MH-53J Pave Low III and MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter. The Air Force Special Operations Command continues to fly sensitive operations missions from Hurlburt Field worldwide.
The
USAF Special Operations School (USAFSOS) trains US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and US government civilian personnel in a variety of courses, including courses in Dynamics of International Terrorism, and the Middle East Orientation Course.
The
Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) was previously located at Hurlburt Field until its relocation to
MacDill AFB in 2011. JSOU's lecturers include specialists from all branches of the US military, the US Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, civilian universities, and nongovernmental organizations.
The
Florida Air National Guard activated the 249th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field on 28 August 2020. The squadron, part of the
125th Fighter Wing, operates the CV-22B Osprey and is assigned to
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...
.
Facilities
Hurlburt Field has a
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete ...
designated 18/36 and a
helipad
A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.
While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard ...
, both with
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
surfaces.
Base housing is located across from the main base divided by
U.S. 98 along the beachfront of Santa Rosa Sound.
The Reef is the main dining facility on base and has won the title of best dining facility in the Air Force nine times.
A grade-separated intersection at the main gate with a fly-over on
U.S. 98 was completed in the summer of 2015, greatly relieving a long-time traffic bottleneck.
Airpark
Starting in 1970s there was an effort to preserve the history of Air Commando operations and the Airmen involved. As part of this effort aircraft of significance were collected and memorials erected to significant operations and individuals dating back to World War II. The air park was open to the general public via special pass until the enhanced security of the post 9/11 era was enacted resulting in the park currently being inaccessible to the general public.
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Hurlburt Field.
Units marked GSU are
Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Hurlburt, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...
(AFSOC)
*Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command
*
1st Special Operations Wing (host)
**1st Special Operations Air Operations Squadron
**1st Special Operations Comptroller Squadron
**1st Special Operations Group
***1st Special Operations Support Squadron
***
4th Special Operations Squadron –
AC-130J Ghostrider,
AC-130U Spooky
***
8th Special Operations Squadron
The 8th Special Operations Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron is equipped with the B ...
–
CV-22B Osprey
***
11th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron
The 11th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron is an intelligence unit of the United States Air Force. It provides tailored full-motion video processing, exploitation and dissemination for special operations forces engaged in both combat and non ...
***
15th Special Operations Squadron –
MC-130H Combat Talon II
The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the ...
and
MC-130J Commando II
***
23rd Special Operations Weather Squadron
***
34th Special Operations Squadron
The 34th Special Operations Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Group, 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It was activated on 9 April 2010.
History World War II
Es ...
–
U-28A Draco
***
65th Special Operations Squadron
The 65th Special Operations Squadron is an Air Force Special Operations Command unit which flies the MQ-9 Reaper, currently stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It was first activated in 1941 as the 65th Bombardment Squadron when United States ...
–
MQ-9A Reaper
***
73rd Special Operations Squadron –
AC-130J Ghostrider
***
319th Special Operations Squadron – U-28A Draco
***Detachment 1 – AC-130J Ghostrider
**1st Special Operations Maintenance Group
***1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
***1st Special Operations Maintenance Squadron
***1st Special Operations Munitions Squadron
***801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
***901st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
**1st Special Operations Mission Support Group
***1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron
***1st Special Operations Communications Squadron
***1st Special Operations Contracting Squadron
***1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron
***1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron
***1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron
**1st Special Operations Medical Group
***1st Special Operations Healthcare Operations Squadron
***1st Special Operations Medical Readiness Squadron
***1st Special Operations Medical Support Squadron
*
24th Special Operations Wing
**
720th Special Tactics Group
The 720th Special Tactics Group is one of the special operations ground components of the 24th Special Operations Wing, assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) of the United States Air Force. The group is headquartered at Hurlbur ...
***
23rd Special Tactics Squadron
***720th Operations Support Squadron
*
492nd Special Operations Wing
**
US Air Force Special Operations School
**492nd Special Operations Group
***
18th Flight Test Squadron
***
19th Special Operations Squadron
The 19th Special Operations Squadron is an Air Force Special Operations Command unit, part of the 492nd Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It conducts crew training for AC-130 and Lockheed MC-130 aircraft.
History World War I ...
– AC-130J Ghostrider, AC-130U Spooky, MC-130H Combat Talon II and U-28A Draco
**492nd Special Operations Training Group
***371st Special Operations Combat Training Squadron
***492nd Special Operations Advanced Capabilities Squadron
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
(ACC)
*
US Air Force Warfare Center
**
57th Wing
The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy ...
***
USAF Weapons School
The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, assigned to the 57th Wing and Space Delta 1. It is located at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Mission
The mission of the USAF Weapons School is to teach gra ...
****
14th Weapons Squadron
The 14th Weapons Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the USAF Weapons School, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
The squadron is a geographically separated unit of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The ...
(GSU) – AC-130U Spooky,
AC-130W Stinger II, CV-22B Osprey, MC-130H Combat Talon II, MC-130J Commando II and U-28A Draco
**
505th Command and Control Wing
***505th Test and Evaluation Group
****
84th Radar Evaluation Squadron
****605th Test and Evaluation Squadron
***505th Training Group
****505th Combat Training Squadron
****505th Communications Squadron
****505th Training Squadron
****705th Training Squadron
*
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
**
800th RED HORSE Group
***
823rd RED HORSE Squadron (GSU)
*
Sixteenth Air Force
The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ...
**
67th Cyberspace Wing
The 67th Cyberspace Wing is a United States Air Force wing stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. It was activated in October 1993 as a military intelligence unit and is assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force.
The wing was first activate ...
***
318th Cyberspace Operations Group
****
39th Information Operations Squadron
The 39th Information Operations Squadron is an Information warfare, information operations and cyber Air_Education_and_Training_Command#Formal_Training_Unit , Formal Training Unit, part of the 318th Cyberspace Operations Group.
The squadron (av ...
(GSU)
**
363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
The mission ...
***
361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group (GSU)
****
25th Intelligence Squadron
The United States Air Force's 25th Intelligence Squadron (25 IS) is an intelligence unit located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It provides intelligence support to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
Mission
The 25 IS is a uniquely taske ...
**
557th Weather Wing
*** 2nd Weather Group
****2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron (GSU)
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command ( MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Co ...
(AFMC)
*
96th Test Wing
The 96th Test Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Test Center of Air Force Materiel Command at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing was activated at Eglin in 1994 as the 96th Air Base Wing, the headquarters for ...
**96th Operations Group
***
413th Flight Test Squadron
The 413th Flight Test Squadron is part of the 96th Test Wing and is based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It performs flight testing on aircreft used by special operations forces, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules (including AC-130, HC-130 and MC-130), B ...
(GSU) – AC-130U Spooky, AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130H Combat Talon II, CV-22B Osprey, and U-28A Draco
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...
(AFRC)
*
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
**
655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
The United States Air Force's 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (655 ISRW) is an intelligence unit stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Units
The 655th ISR Wing is currently made up of:
* 655th Intelligence ...
***
755th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
****
28th Intelligence Squadron (GSU)
**
919th Special Operations Wing
*** 919th Special Operations Group
****
2nd Special Operations Squadron –
MQ-9A Reaper (GSU)
****
5th Special Operations Squadron
The 5th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 919th Special Operations Wing. The 5th is based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates U-28 aircraft providing special operations capability.
Mission
The 5th Special Operations Squadron prov ...
–
U-28A Draco (GSU)
*
556th Red Horse Squadron
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
(ANG)
*
Florida Air National Guard
**
125th Fighter Wing
***249th Special Operations Squadron (GSU) – CV-22B Osprey
In popular culture
*The ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, ...
3'' movie, in production in September 2010, and featuring the
CV-22 Osprey and
AC-130U Spooky, was filmed in part at Hurlburt Field. A number of Hurlburt Airmen were used as extras in the film.
*The NBA Miami Heat ran a week-long preseason training camp at the Aderholt Fitness Center on Hurlburt Field, September 28, 2010.
See also
*
Florida World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Florida for antisubmarine defense in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters, attack planes, a ...
*
List of United States Air Force installations
References
*
*
External links
*
My Hurlburt– base force support squadron
*
*
{{Use mdy dates, date=November 2016
Installations of the United States Air Force in Florida
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics Airfields
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida
Buildings and structures in Okaloosa County, Florida
Former census-designated places in Florida
1942 establishments in Florida
Transportation buildings and structures in Okaloosa County, Florida