History of Altus Air Force Base
Activated as a multi-engine flight training school in 1943, Altus AFB has been
the cornerstone of southwestern Oklahoma for nearly 60 years. With an average
of over 300 days of weather conducive to flying each year, a generally flat
landscape and few obstructions, the base was then, and is still, ideally
situated for young airmen to hone their airmanship. Over the next five
decades, the base evolved to become the premier air mobility training location
in the United States Air Force (USAF).
 The
first aircraft to operate from the base were the Cessna AT-17 and the Curtiss
AT-9. After the students perfected their skills with these aircraft, they
transferred to units that would prepare them to fly the actual type of aircraft
they would use in combat over the European and Pacific theaters during WWII. At
the end of hostilities in Europe, Altus Army Airfield was inactivated as a
training location and placed on temporary inactive status.
After
reactivation on August 1, 1953, Altus Air Force Base served briefly as a
Tactical Air Command base before switching to an operation Strategic Air
Command wing. Initially the durable c-47
Skytrain and the feisty C-45 Expediter were
the main aircraft assigned but through the 1950s and into the 1960s the base
would also experience many changes to adapt to the new and maturing Air Force.
These changes included the regular use of in-flight refueling with the KC-97 Stratofreighter, introduction of the
first all jet-engine powered bomber, the B-47 Stratojet,
followed by the B-52 Flying Fortress and the ageless KC-135 Stratotanker.
Also, during the early 1960s the base hosted a ring of Atlas missile silos
around the local area. As the Air Force expanded during the Cold War and the
war in Southeast Asia, the base would also see a new mission.
By the
start of the 1970s, Altus AFB had three aircraft assigned, the KC-135, the
C-141, and the C-5. Through the 1980s and the 1990s, these three aircraft
became a common sight in the skies above southwestern Oklahoma.
The end
of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first century would mark
the beginning and end for tow airframes.
In
1996, the latest addition to Altus AFB, the agile C-17
Globemaster
III, arrived. This aircraft, with a unique winglet, an expansive cargo area
and powerful engines, is the newest cargo aircraft in the Air Force. Even
before its arrival, the base began training pilots and loadmasters to operate
and fly the aircraft designed for use as an intermediate short-airfield cargo
aircraft.
 In
2001, the base witnessed the retirement of an old friend. After 32 years at
Altus AFB, the C-141 piloted by the men and women of the 57th
airlift Squadron, was released from active duty and transferred to the capable
hands of the USAF Reserves.
Altus
AFB missions grew in 2002 when the Air Force moved the basic loadmaster course
from similar training programs to reduce the number of moves required by
trainees while cutting overall costs.
The 97
AMW reorganized in August, 2002, as a “combat wing.” The Logistics Group
inactivated and the 97th Maintenance Directorate was activated as a
totally civilian operation. The 97th Support Group became the
Mission Support Group. The 97th Transportation Squadron was
inactivated and combined with a small contingent from wing logistics then
renamed the 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron under the Mission
Support Group.
As the
base moves
into the twenty first century, it continues to perform the basic mission it
started in 1943, providing a safe, comfortable location to train military
personnel and prepared them for action worldwide.
In 2005, the wing completed
the expansion of the Sooner Drop Zone. This allows for the students delivery
capability of the C-17 Loadmaster III. The feature doubles the amount of
equipment, personnel, and supplies that the C-17 aircrews can bring directly
into the combat theater of operations. Also, the wing began training the C-17
aircrews on the use of ninth vision goggles. This provides the crews with
increased survivability during low-light operations.
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