Laughlin Air Force Base

Laughlin Air Force Base
NearDel Rio,TexasinUnited States of America
ABeechcraft T-6 Texan IIof the47th Flying Training Wingbased at Laughlin AFB, Texas
Laughlin AFB Laughlin AFB Laughlin AFB
Coordinates	29°21′34″N100°46′41″W
Type	US Air Force base
Site information
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	Air Education and Training Command(AETC)
Condition	Operational
Website	www.laughlin.af.mil
Site history
Built	1943(1943)(as Laughlin Army Air Field)
In use	1943 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	ColonelKevin Davidson
Garrison	47th Flying Training Wing(Host)
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA:DLF,ICAO:KDLF,FAA LID:DLF,WMO:722615
Elevation	329.4 metres (1,081 ft)AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 13C/31C 2,698 metres (8,852 ft)Asphalt 13L/31R 2,534.4 metres (8,315 ft)Porous European Mix 13R/31L 2,002.8 metres (6,571 ft) Asphalt
Source:Federal Aviation Administration

Laughlin Air Force Base(IATA:DLF,ICAO:KDLF,FAALID:DLF) is a facility of theUnited States Air Forcelocated east ofDel Rio, Texas.

Overview

Laughlin AFB, the largestpilottraining base in the US Air Force, is home to the47th Flying Training Wingof theAir Education and Training Commandand the96th Flying Training Squadronof theAir Force Reserve Command.On weekdays, the airfield sees more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the country.

History

Laughlin Army Air Field

Laughlin Army Air Field photo pictorial

Laughlin AFB was originally named Laughlin Army Air Field on March 3, 1943, afterJack T. Laughlin,aB-17E Flying Fortresspilot. He was trained as a pilot and was actually co-pilot of B-17E, tail number 41-2476. On the day of his first bombing mission, he was bumped by the Group Commander Major Stanley K. Robinson (Robinson was co-pilot next to pilot Capt. Walter W. Sparks). Major Robinson brought along his own combat-experienced navigator, Lt. Richard Cease. Laughlin had no assigned position on the plane for the mission. He became Del Rio's firstWorld War IIcasualty when the plane he was flying in (most likely as a waist gunner for the mission) was lost at sea, having succumbed to damage received over theMakassar Straiton 29 (or 28) January 1942. The damage occurred during two bombing runs againstJapanesewarships and transports in the Makassar Strait off the coast of Balikpapan, Borneo. The field became simply Laughlin Field on November 11, 1943, and later anU.S. Army Air ForcesAuxiliary Field. During World War II, Laughlin's primary mission was the training ofB-26 Marauderpilots and aircrews. It was closed in October 1945.

Laughlin Air Force Base

Laughlin Air Force Base reopened on May 1, 1952. In October 1952, ATC transferred the base to Crew Training Air Force (CREWTAF) and activated the 3645th Flying Training Wing (Fighter), as a combat crew replacement training facility for pilots headed forKorea.Training provided new pilots with basic bombing and gunnery combat skills in theF-80 Shooting Star,F-84 Thunderjet,andT-33jet aircraft, but within short time crews used only the T-33. In September 1955, Laughlin came under the control of the Flying Training Air Force and switched missions withWilliams Air Force Base,Arizona.Laughlin undertook single-engine pilot training, still using the T-33.

Strategic Air Command

The U.S. Air Force transferred jurisdiction of the base to theStrategic Air Commandon April 1, 1957, and the4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing(Light) moved there fromTurner Air Force Base,Georgia.Following the graduation of the last class in March 1957, ATC inactivated the 3645th FTW. The 4080th Wing provided high-altitude reconnaissance and air sampling using theLockheed U-2Aand theRB-57D Canberra.The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was redesignated as the 4080th Strategic Wing on June 15, 1960, and the RB-57 mission was phased out.

Laughlin U-2s were among the first to provide photographic evidence ofSovietmissile installations inCubain 1962 when 4080th U-2 pilot majorSteve Heyserflew his U-2C over Cuba after taking off fromEdwards AFB,California. Heyser landed atMcCoy AFB,Florida, following the mission, with McCoy becoming a U-2 operating location for the duration of theCuban Missile Crisis.The film from Major Heyser's mission was developed, analyzed and the photos were shown to theUnited Nations Security Councilon October 22, 1962, proving to the world, that offensive missiles were on the island of Cuba.

Another 4080th pilot, MajorRudolf Anderson, Jr.,perished when his U-2 was hit by shrapnel from a Soviet-madeSA-2surface-to-air missileon October 22, 1962, while overflying Cuba from McCoy AFB. While the U-2 did not suffer a direct hit, Anderson was struck by fragments from theproximity fusedwarhead's explosion which penetrated and compromised his pressure suit (at altitude, unconsciousness and death came very quickly). His body was returned to the U.S. following the crisis, still clad in its pressure suit. Major Anderson posthumously became the first recipient of theAir Force Cross.Laughlin's primary operations training complex, Anderson Hall, is named in his honor.

1972, Main Gate

Air Training Command

In 1961, Headquarters U.S. Air Force notified Laughlin officials their mission would expand to again include anAir Training Commandundergraduate pilot training program. Plans called to transfer in about half the student load fromLaredo Air Force Base,Texas. ATC reactivated the 3645th Pilot Training Wing (later redesignated 3646th Pilot Training Wing) at Laughlin in October 1961 to prepare for the phase-in of students andT-37and T-33 trainers. The 4080th SW continued at Laughlin as a tenant organization until 1963.

Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include theT-6A Texan II,theT-38C TalonandT-1A Jayhawk.Fifteen classes of approximately 20–25 pilots graduate annually.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Laughlin Air Force Base:

United States Air Force

Air Education and Training Command(AETC)

• 47th Flying Training Wing
  • 47th Comptroller Squadron
  • 47th Operations Group
    • 47th Operations Support Squadron
    • 47th Student Squadron
    • 85th Flying Training Squadron–T-6A Texan II
    • 86th Flying Training Squadron–T-1A Jayhawk
    • 87th Flying Training Squadron–T-38C Talon
    • 434th Flying Training Squadron – T-6A Texan II
  • 47th Medical Group
    • 47th Medical Operations Squadron
    • 47th Medical Support Squadron
  • 47th Mission Support Group
    • 47th Communications Squadron
    • 47th Contracting Flight
    • 47th Civil Engineering Squadron
    • 47th Force Support Squadron
    • 47th Logistics Readiness Flight
    • 47th Security Forces Squadron

Air Force Reserve Command

• Tenth Air Force
  • 340th Flying Training Group
    • 96th Flying Training Squadron(GSU) – T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II, T-38C Talon (GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Laughlin, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.)

Geography

According to theUnited States Census Bureau,the base has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²), all land.

Demographics

The U.S. Census Bureau counts the base as acensus-designated place(Laughlin AFB CDP) with a population at the2020 censusof 1,673.

Laughlin AFB CDP, Texas – Racial and Ethnic Composition'
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
Whitealone (NH)	1,790	1,581	1,178	1,183	70.03%	71.06%	75.08%	70.71%
Black or African Americanalone (NH)	286	236	112	107	11.19%	10.61%	7.14%	6.40%
Native American orAlaska Nativealone (NH)	16	5	8	2	0.63%	0.22%	0.51%	0.12%
Asianalone (NH)	97	61	40	63	3.79%	2.74%	2.55%	3.77%
Pacific Islanderalone (NH)	x	1	5	5	x	0.04%	0.32%	0.30%
Some Other Racealone (NH)	2	12	0	5	0.08%	0.54%	0.00%	0.30%
Mixed race/Multi-racial(NH)	x	55	54	55	x	2.47%	3.44%	3.29%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)	365	274	172	253	14.28%	12.31%	10.96%	15.12%
Total	2,556	2,225	1,569	1,673	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Education

Laughlin AFB is served by theSan Felipe Del RioConsolidated Independent School District. The school district operates an elementary school inside Laughlin AFB, theRoberto Barrera STEM Elementaryschool (K–5) (formerly known as Laughlin STEM elementary school).

Park Universityoffers onsite and online classes on base. Its office is located at the Education Center and is open to military and civilian personnel.

See also

• List of United States Air Force installations
• Texas World War II Army Airfields

References

This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency

• Manning, Thomas A. (2005),History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002.Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, TexasOCLC71006954,29991467
• Shaw, Frederick J. (2004),Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy,Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.OCLC57007862,1050653629
• FAA Airport Form 5010 for DLFPDF

External links

• Official website
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAAairport information for DLF
  • AirNavairport information for KDLF
  • ASNaccident history for DLF
  • NOAA/NWSlatest weather observations
  • SkyVectoraeronautical chart for KDLF
  • FAA Airport Diagram(PDF),effective June 13, 2024