Little Rock Air Force Base Air Mobility Command
USGS aerial photo as of April 5, 2000
IATA: LRF – ICAO: KLRF – FAA LID: LRF
Summary
Airport type		Military: Air Force Base
Owner		United States Air Force
Operator		Air Mobility Command
Location		Jacksonville, Arkansas
Built		1955
In use		1955--present
Occupants		314th Airlift Wing
Elevation AMSL		311 ft / 95 m
Coordinates		34°55′01″N 092°08′47″W / 34.91694°N 92.14639°W / 34.91694; -92.14639
Website		www.littlerock.af.mil
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
69/249	3,482	1,061	Asphalt
7/25	12,000	3,658	Concrete
Sources: official web site and FAA

Main entrance, Little Rock AFB

19th Airlift Wing Headquarters Building

C-130s of the 19th Airlift Wing

C-130s preparing for takeoff

Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: LRF, ICAO: KLRF, FAA LID: LRF) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas.

The host unit at Little Rock AFB is the 19th Airlift Wing (19 AW), assigned to the Air Mobility Command 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. The wing provides the Department of Defense the largest C-130 Hercules transport fleet in the world, supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping supplies and troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas.

Little Rock AFB was established in 1955. The 19th Airlift Wing is commanded by Colonel Gregory S. Otey. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Anthony Brinkley.

Overview

Little Rock AFB is the only C-130 training base for the Department of Defense, training C-130 pilots, navigators, flight engineers, and loadmasters from all branches of the US military as well as 28 allied nations, in tactical airlift and aerial delivery. It is home to C-130E, C-130H and C-130J aircraft, as well as the C-130 Center of Excellence (i.e., schools for C-130E/H and C-130J crews).

The base is populated by over 6,000 military personnel and another 2,000 civilians. The 19th Airlift Wing (19 AW) of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) is the host wing, having assumed that role from the 314th Airlift Wing (314 AW) of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) on October 1, 2008. With the assumption of operational control by the 19 AW and AMC, the 314 AW became a tenant unit. Other organizations at Little Rock AFB include AMC's 19th Airlift Group, the 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard, and the U.S. Air Force Mobility Weapons School. All four of these organizations fly the C-130 Hercules.

Units

Little Rock Air Force Base is the home of the 19th Airlift Wing, the host unit. There are also two major associate units located here, the 314th Airlift Wing reports to Air Education and Training Command, and the U.S. Air Force Mobility Weapons School reports to Air Mobility Command. Additionally, the 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard is located here. The 189th AW also reports to Air Education and Training Command.

• 19th Operations Group

Provides and sustains combatant commands with precise and responsive theater combat aerial delivery. The group trains and develops Airmen to lead the Air Force and innovates and shapes future combat aerial delivery options. The 19th Operations Group is composed of four flying squadrons—the 41st, 50th, 53rd and 61st Airlift Squadrons. The 41st is the Air Force's first active-duty combat-ready C-130J squadron. These squadrons are operational and deploy throughout the world.

• 19th Mission Support Group

Every base is like a city. The 19th Mission Support Group ties together supply, transportation, contracting, aerial port, security forces, contracting, services and civil engineer functions that keep this 6,128-acre "city" operating.

• 19th Maintenance Group

Deploys and trains C-130 maintainers and aircraft. The 19th Maintenance Group’s goal in completing that mission are to deploy mission-ready combat airlifters, support AETC’s training mission with world-class maintenance, generate the best maintained C-130s in order to execute combat airlift, support AMC partners with the world's best T-56 engines and develop world class C-130 Isochronal Inspection process.

• 19th Medical Group

The 19th Medical Group offers family practice, pediatrics and flight medicine clinics that will provide the bulk of care. The 19th Medical Group also has women's health, physical therapy, optometry, life skills, and dental clinics along with a full array of diagnostic services and prevention programs. For specialty medical services not available in the immediate medical facility,the 19th have partnered with doctors and hospitals in the area.

• 314th Airlift Wing

Directly reporting to Nineteenth Air Force at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, the 314th Airlift Wing is composed of two C-130 flying squadrons—the 48th and 62nd Airlift Squadrons. It is the premier C-130 training base in the Department of Defense, training C-130 crew members from all branches of the service and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as students from 28 allied nations.

• 314th Operations Group

The 314th Operations Group is a united team of diverse professionals providing the best training, airpower support and functional expertise for the 314th Airlift Wing mission through personal commitment to excellence. The 314th Operations Group mission is to train world-class, combat capable aircrews to sustain global airlift operations. The 314th Operations Group vision is to develop combat leaders of all ranks, support the warfighter, and develop world's premier C-130 and C-21 centers of excellence.

• 314th Maintenance Group

The 314th Maintenance Group provides direct support for the wing's primary mission forces, an AMC operational group and the Mobility Weapons School. The group’s mission includes direct sortie production, aircraft equipment support, aircraft preventive maintenance and inspections, component repair, maintenance training, and health of the fleet management. The group mission statement is: “Supporting the United States Air Force and worldwide C-130 community by providing the highest quality aircraft maintenance for aircrew initial qualification and continuation training." The group is composed of a command staff element and two reporting squadrons; 314th Maintenance Operations Squadron and 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

• 189th Airlift Wing (Arkansas ANG)

The Arkansas Air National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing is located on Little Rock Air Force Base and is aligned in the standard combat wing organization with the 189th AW headquarters staff, 189th Operations Group, 189th Maintenance Group, 189th Mission Support Group and the 189th Medical Group. The wing provides support to five geographically separated units: the Arkansas Air National Guard headquarters, the 123rd Intelligence Squadron and the 154th Weather Flight on Little Rock AFB, the 223rd Combat Communications Squadron in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

• 96th APS (Air Force Reserve)

Little Rock Air Force Base is also home to the 96th Aerial Port Squadron also known as the "Combat Hogs". The 96th is Arkansas's only Air Force Reserve unit which is attached to the 403rd wing located at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Established in 1975, the 142 authorized personnel are one of the most recognized Aerial port squadrons in AFRC (Air Force Reserve Command). The 96th augments the 19th yearly to fill vacancies due to their AEF (Aerospace Expeditionary Force) commitments. The mission of the aerial port is to provide Citizen Airmen to defend the United States and protect its interests through air space and power and to prepare qualified individuals to deploy and perform Aerial Port Operations anywhere, at anytime in support of Air Force global airlift operations.

History

Little Rock Air Force Base was authorized in 1953 and opened on January 24, 1955. Communications and several storage buildings, JATO facility, ordnance igloos, track and loading platform were completed by June 30, 1955, and the base was opened to limited air traffic on September 9, 1955. The base headquarters facility was accepted January 31, 1956, and all runways and other operational concrete areas were completed by January 1957.

Major commands to which assigned

• Strategic Air Command, February 1, 1955
• Tactical Air Command, April 1, 1970
• Military Airlift Command, December 1, 1974
• Air Mobility Command, June 1, 1992 – July 1, 1993; April 1, 1997 – present

Attached to: Air Education and Training Command, April 1, 1997 – present

• Air Combat Command, July 1, 1993 – April 1, 1997

Major units assigned

References for history introduction, major commands and major units

Operational history

Construction of Little Rock Air Force Base began on November 6, 1953 and the base was officially activated by Strategic Air Command (SAC) on August 1, 1955, hosting SAC's 384th Bombardment Wing (384 BMW) flying the Boeing B-47E Stratojet and the 70th Reconnaissance Wing (70 RW) flying the RB-47 Stratojet and KC-97 Stratotanker.

In 1960, the Air Force announced that Little Rock Air Force Base would house 18 Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles located throughout the state of Arkansas. In 1961, the 70 RW was redesignated as the 70th Bombardment Wing (Medium) and converted to the B-47, but was deactivated the following year before being declared combat ready.

In September 1962, the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the Arkansas Air National Guard relocated to Little Rock AFB and reorganized as the 189th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (189 TRG). In October, the 384 BMW deployed 11 B-47 Stratojet aircraft to civilian municipal airports around the nation for dispersal alert purposes during in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also in 1962, SAC established the 308th Strategic Missile Wing (308 SMW) as the host organization for Little Rock AFB's Titan II missile operations, with the first of the Titan II missiles installed at a site in Searcy, Arkansas in February 1963.

In September 1964, the 384 BW deactivated following the retirement of the B-47 from front-line service in SAC. That same year, SAC's 43d Bombardment Wing transferred from Carswell AFB, Texas with its B-58 Hustler aircraft. The 43 BW would continue to operate at Little Rock until the B-58's withdrawal from operational service in January 1970.

In June 1965, Little Rock's 189 TRG became the first Air National Guard unit to operate the RF-101 Voodoo and by December, had assumed the RF-101 Replacement Training Unit (RTU) mission for the entire Air Force. The same year, the base and associated flying units also participated in various relief efforts such as a tornado that ripped through Conway, Arkansas in April and Hurricane Betsy in Louisiana in September.

In the 1970s the base went through significant changes, with the first C-130s arriving in March 1970. On March 31, 1970, Little Rock Air Force Base officially transferred from SAC to Tactical Air Command (TAC), with TAC's 314th Tactical Airlift Wing (314 TAW) taking over host wing responsibilities. Although SAC's 308 SMW and its Titan II ICBMs continued to be a major tenant, the base's primary mission became C-130 tactical airlift operations and training, with two operational C-130 squadrons assigned and two C-130 training squadrons assigned. In 1974, following the divestiture of C-130 tactical airlift aircraft from TAC, both the 314 TAW and Little Rock AFB transferred from TAC control to that of the Military Airlift Command (MAC).

On January 1, 1976, the 189 TRG transferred being a TAC-gained unit to a SAC-gained unit when it converted to the KC-135 Stratotanker and was redesignated the 189th Air Refueling Group (189 ARG), becoming one of the first Air National Guard units to be assigned to Strategic Air Command with a concomitant requirement to maintain a 24-hour alert force at Little Rock as well as deployments to support worldwide tanker task forces.

On October 1, 1986, the 189 ARG saw yet another mission change when it was redesignated as the 189th Tactical Airlift Group (189 TAG) and converted to the C-130 aircraft, with transfer of operational claimancy to MAC.

During the 1991 Gulf War, the 314 TAW's two operational C-130 squadrons and the 189 TAG's C-130 squadron supported operations from both the middle east and European theaters. Later that year, the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing was redesignated as the 314th Airlift Wing (314 AW), and following the disestablishment of MAC in 1992, the base and the 314 AW were transferred to the new Air Mobility Command (AMC). The 189 TAG was also redesignated as the 189th Airlift Group (189 AG) the same year, followed by redesignation as the 189th Airlift Wing (189 AW) in 1995. In 1993, the base and the 314 AW transferred to Air Combat Command (ACC), as part the U.S. Air Force's decision to transfer continental U.S. based C-130s from AMC to ACC. In 1997, the U.S. Air Force reversed this decision, returning most C-130 airlift back to AMC claimancy. However, given the 314 AW's primary training mission as the Formal Training Unit (FTU) for C-130s, the base and the 314 AW were transferred to the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), and the base's two operational Regular Air Force C-130 squadrons were organized under the 463d Airlift Group, an AMC unit.

From the mid 1990s to the late 1990s, the 314 AW and the 463 AG supported the air war over Serbia and since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the 463 AG has supported both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In its 50-year history, Little Rock Air Force Base has been operated by six Air Force Major Commands (MAJCOMs): SAC, TAC, MAC, AMC, ACC, and AETC. These represent every possible MAJCOM a continental U.S. based operational flying base could have been assigned to with the one exception being the former Air Defense Command/Aerospace Defense Command.

Location & QuickFacts

Owner & Manager

Airport Operations and Facilities

Runway Information

Runway 069/249

Runway 07/25

Radio Navigation Aids

Remarks

• RSTD: PPR EXCP AIREVAC & ARMED FORCES COURIER.
• RSTD: OFFL BUS ONLY 1700-2100Z++ WKD EXC AIREVAC AND ARMED FORCES CARRIER. OBTAIN PPR 72 HRS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL. CALL DSN 731-6123, PPR IS VALID +/- 30 MIN OF PROPOSED ETA.
• CAUTION: HI POTENTIAL FOR HYDROPLANING ON RWY 07-25 DUR PERIODS OF WET WX.
• RSTD: MIN 24 HR PN RQR FOR B52 ACFT GND SUPPORT.
• CAUTION: NUMEROUS UNLGTD OBST LCTD PRIM SFC.
• CAUTION: NSTD RWY MRK- ASSAULT STRIP MRK (3500' X 60') PAINTED ON RWY 25.
• MISC: ALL TRANSIENT ACFT CTC COMD POST 20 MIN PRIOR TO ARR.
• SEE FLIP AP/1 SUPPLEMENTARY ARPT RMK.
• CAUTION: EXTV TURBO-PROP TRNG 1300-0600Z++ MON-FRI.
• BEARING STRENGTH RWY 07-25: ST175 SBTT570 TRT485.
• SERVICE-LGT: SFL INTS UNCTL MAY BE TURNED OFF O/R.
• SERVICE-LGT: PAPI RWY 07-25 RRP AND PAR/ILS/MLS RPI NOT COINCIDENTAL.
• JASU: 5(A/M 32A-86).
• FUEL: J8-MIN POL CAPABILITY 2200-0600Z++ MON-FRI, EXP 2-4 HR DELAY DUR LCL FLYING.
• FLUID: SP PRESAIR LHOX LOX.
• OIL: O-133-148-156.
• TRAN ALERT: SVC AVBL 1300-0200Z++ WKD, 1500-2300Z++ SAT, SUN, CLSD HOL. ACFT ARR AFTER 0100Z++ SVC NEXT DAY.
• RSTD: RWY 069-249 MRK FOR C130 ASSAULT OPR; USE OF ASSAULT STRIP LDG ZONE RQR PRIOR COORD WITH 314 AW CURRENT OPS OR COMD POST.
• BEARING STRENGTH RWY 069-249: ST175.
• CAUTION: COMPASS ROSE/SECD HOT CARGO TWY RSTD TO DAY VFR OPR ONLY, EXC NVG OPR.
• CAUTION: TWY EDGE LGTS ON TWY C LCTD 26' FR EDGE OF FULL STRENGTH PAVEMENT.
• CAUTION: RWY 25 CNTRLN MARKINGS OBSCURED BY RUBBER DEPOSITS.
• CAUTION: EXCESSIVE TRANSVERSE GRADE (19-25%) IS LCTD 100' FR BOTH SIDES OF RWY 07/25 CNTRLN BTN TWYS CHARLIE & DELTA. AIRCREWS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IN THIS AREA.
• SERVICE-LGT: NSTD INFRA-RED LGT CO-LCTD WITH RWY 25 AND 249 EDGE LGT AND ONE NSTD INFRA-RED STROBE LCTD END OF RWY 25 AND 249 OVRN. THESE LGT ARE VIS ONLY THRU NGT NVD.
• RSTD: DEP ACFT REMAIN AT OR BLW 1300' TIL DEP END OF RWY. FTR ACFT UNABLE TO CTC DEP TIL AIRBORNE.
• CAUTION: PHASE II IN EFF APR-MAY & SEP-NOV.
• RSTD: NO PRACTICE APCH OR LDG DUR LCL FLYING.
• NS ABTMT - DEP HVY ACFT CLIMB RWY HDG TO 1500' AGL PRIOR TO TURNING ON CRS.
• CAUTION: SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN BIRD ACT MAR-MAY, AUG-OCT.
• CAUTION: DEER HAZ.

LITTLE ROCK AFB Airport

Address: Pulaski County, AR

Tel: 501-988-3131

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We thank them for the data!