Creech Air Force Base Part of Air Combat Command (ACC)
Creech AFB main gate
IATA: INS – ICAO: KINS – FAA LID: INS
Summary
Airport type		Military: Air Force Base
Owner		U.S. Air Force
Location		Clark County, near Indian Springs, Nevada
Built		1942
In use		1942 - present
Occupants		• 432d Wing • 98th Southern Ranges Support Squadron • 11th Reconnaissance Squadron • 757th Maintenance Squadron • 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron • UAV Battlelab • Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence • No. 39 Squadron RAF
Elevation AMSL		3,133 ft / 955 m
Coordinates		36°35′14″N 115°40′24″W / 36.58722°N 115.67333°W / 36.58722; -115.67333
Website		www.creech.af.mil
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
8/26	9,002	2,744	Asphalt
13/31	5,468	1,667	Asphalt
Sources: USAF and FAA

Creech Air Force Base (IATA: INS, ICAO: KINS, FAA LID: INS), formerly known as Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, is a United States Air Force base located one mile (2 km) north of the central business district of Indian Springs, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Las Vegas and 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Nellis Air Force Base. It is named in honor of General Wilbur L. “Bill” Creech, known as the "Father of the Thunderbirds".

The host unit is the 432d Wing, which has six operational squadrons, one maintenance squadron, and MQ-9 Reapers and MQ-1 Predators.

Along with being the aerial demonstration training site for the Thunderbirds, the base plays a major role in the ongoing War on Terror. The base is home to the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle which is used regularly in Afghanistan and Iraq. The base is also home to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab.

History

World War II

The airfield that now bears General Creech’s name was originally built by the Army in the early 1940s to support the war effort during World War II. A month after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army began building the training camp. Known as Indian Springs Axillary Army Airfield , by the end of 1942, the service had contracted for regular facilities and by the end of February 1943 the base was being used as a divert field and a base for air-to-air gunnery training to support the Western Flying Training Command Gunnery School at Las Vegas Army Airfield. Personnel assigned to the airfield maintained five small airstrips.

• Auxiliary #1 (Groom Lake Field) 37°16′41″N 115°45′23″W / 37.27806°N 115.75639°W / 37.27806; -115.75639

May be a target airfield as bomb craters are visible in imagery.

• Auxiliary #4 (Forty-Mile Canyon Field) 37°06′10″N 116°18′45″W / 37.10278°N 116.3125°W / 37.10278; -116.3125

Now Pahute Mesa Airstrip.

• Auxiliary Fields #2; #3 and #5 have not been located.

The little post was in service supporting B-17s and T-6s until March 1945 when the Army put the base in stand-by status maintained by a small housekeeping staff. When Las Vegas AAF inactivated in January 1947, Indian Springs also closed down.

Cold War

The base re-opened in January 1948 and two years later received its first permanently assigned Air Force unit. In August 1951 the base became an auxiliary field and in July 1952 transferred from Air Training Command (ATC) to the Air Research and Development Command (ARDC), reporting to the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In 1961 the base transferred to the Tactical Air Command (TAC). It was officially known as Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field at least prior to 1977 and remained that until 2005. Following the inactivation of Tactical Air Command In 1992, the base became a component of Air Combat Command (ACC). During the 1970s and 1980s, the only assigned aircraft unit on the base was a detachment of UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters which was designated as "Det 1". The primary mission during this time was range maintenance for the vast Nellis weapons range. The 57th Combat Support Squadron was the primary squadron on the base during this time which was composed of Air Force Civil Engineers.

The base has also been the remote training site for the USAF Thunderbirds. On January 18, 1982, while practicing for an air show at Davis-Monthan AFB, the entire 4-ship diamond formation of the Thunderbirds crashed at Indian Springs. The four pilots, including the squadron commander, were flying T-38 Talon aircraft that equipped the team at the time and were performing a line abreast loop when all aircraft had a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) impact along the runway in front of the base Fire Station.

Modern era

On June 20, 2005, Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field officially changed its name to Creech Air Force Base in honor of the late General Wilbur L. “Bill” Creech. Gen Creech was a former commander of the Tactical Air Command and was also known as the “father of the Thunderbirds,” the Air Force’s premiere air demonstration squadron.

In October 2005, the 3d Special Operations Squadron was activated at Creech joining the 11th, 15th and 17th Reconnaissance Squadrons, becoming the first MQ-1 squadron in the Air Force Special Operations Command. The Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence was also established at the same time.

The 42d Attack Squadron was formed at Creech on November 8, 2006 as the first Reaper squadron.

On May 1, 2007 operational control of the base was moved from Nellis to the 432d Wing which was reactivated and assumed control of the base.

Many organizations have criticized the use of the Predator and Reaper drones, and the perceived extremely high danger of harming civilians In protest to UAV attacks in Pakistan, in an event sponsored by Nevada Desert Experience, Father Louie Vitale, Kathy Kelly, Stephen Kelly, SJ, John Dear, and others were arrested outside the Air Force Base on Wednesday April 9, 2009. Subsequent monthly protests have been ongoing and conducted by a number of organizations including Code Pink.

Units assigned

First MQ-9 Reaper taxies at Creech AFB 2007

• 432d Air Expeditionary Wing - Reactivated on May 1, 2007
  • 11th Reconnaissance Squadron - Reactivated on July 29, 1995, at Nellis under command of the 57th Operations Group, 57th Wing as a training unit.
  • 15th Reconnaissance Squadron - Reactivated on August 1, 1997, at Indian Springs under command of the 57th Operations Group. This unit conducts real time surveillance.
  • 17th Reconnaissance Squadron - Reactivated on March 8, 2002, at Indian Springs under command of the 57th Operations Group. This unit conducts intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
  • 30th Reconnaissance Squadron - Activated in August, 2005 and based at Tonopah Test Range Airport under command of the 57th Operations Group. The unit is a test operation.
  • Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence
  • 19th Attack Squadron - established in 2006.
  • 42d Attack Squadron - Reactivated on November 8, 2006. The 42d Attack Squadron will oversee the training of pilots and sensor operators assigned to the MQ-9.
  • 432d Operations Support Squadron - Reactivated on May 1, 2007. The 432d Operations Support Squadron provides support to MQ-1 and MQ-9 operations.
• 3d Special Operations Squadron - Activated on October 28, 2005 at Indian Springs. This unit is under the command of the Air Force Special Operations Command.
• 98th Southern Range Support Squadron
• 99th Communications Squadron OL-A
• 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron - The 99 GCTS operates as a detachment of the 99th Security Forces Group located Nellis AFB. The 99 GCTS operates a number of training schools for members of the U.S. Air Force's Security Forces (AFSC 3P0X1). Primarily the USAF's CONUS (Continental United States) desert ground warfare school, Silver Flag Alpha, is conducted here.
• 432d Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron
• 432d Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
• 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron - Reactivated on March 5, 2008, at Indian Springs. 'This is the Air Force's first operational test squadron for unmanned aerial systems'.
• No. 39 Squadron RAF flying MQ-9 Reapers.

Location & QuickFacts

Owner & Manager

Airport Operations and Facilities

Airport Services

Runway Information

Runway 08/26

Runway 13/31

Radio Navigation Aids

Remarks

• BASE OPS OPER 0730-1630 WKDAY; CLSD WKENDS & HOL UNLESS MISSION ESSENTIAL.
• FUEL TANKS LCTD 175-195 FT SOUTH OF TWY A CNTRLN, 24-41 FT IN HEIGHT.
• NS ABTMT: NO TKOF, LO APCH, TOUCH AND GO OR ENG RUN PRIOR TO 1400Z++, WKNDS AND HOL. AFLD CLSD, NO LDG WKEND AND HOL, EXCEPT FOR NELLIS AFB LCL FLYING OR MSN ESSENTIAL.
• MISC: NO CLASSIFIED MATERIALS STOR WITH 99 SFOF-OLA, DSN 384-0556, C702-404-0556. TWO NSTD MRK 4' X 25' EA SIDE OF RWY CNTRLN, 2378' FR APCH END RWY 13, AND NORTH OF TWY "F".
• CAUTION: MICROWAVE TWR LOC 1230' SOUTH OF RWY 08/26 CL, HEIGHT 100' AGL.
• A-GEAR - RWY APCH END BAK-12 DISCONNECTED FOR PREDATOR OPR, RQR 20 MIN PN.
• SERVICE-FUEL: J8 AVBL 1200-0800Z++ MON-FRI. OT RQR 7 DAYS PN CTC BASE OPS, DSN384-0308, C702-404-0308.
• SERVICE-LGT: NON-STD THLD LIGHTING RWY 26, INBOARD LGTS ARE BI-DIRECTIONAL SPACED AT 10' AND 9 OUTBOARD BI-DIRECTIONAL LGTS EACH SIDE SPACED AT 5'.
• UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE 767 FT AGL.
• RSTD # 1: RY 13-31 USED BY BASE ASGN UNITS, PREDATOR DAY VFR USE ONLY. AFLD HAS RSTD ON ALL AIRLIFT ACFT, CTC DSN 384-0308/09. PPR UP TO 7 DAYS, BUT NOT LESS THAN 24 HR, PRIOR TO ETA. CTC BASE OPS DSN 384-0308/09, FAX 0407.
• RSTD # 2: C-17 & C-5 UTILIZE TWY B & C ONLY TO ENTER/EXIT RWY 08/26, TWY E LTD TO USE BY FTR AND SMALLER ACFT.
• CAUTION: TWY D FRM TWY E TO WEST SIDE OF RY 13/31 AND TWY B NORTH OF THE LOLA ARE 50 FT WIDE, ALL OTHER TWY ARE 75 FT.
• CAUTION: TWY LGT NOT AVBL ON BRAVO NORTH FRM THE LOLA TO UAV LOLA RAMP, DELTA AND TWY ECHO.
• (E137-04) NUMEROUS UNLGTD HILLS WI 2 MILES OF ARPT TO 4000' MSL.
• (E137-1) RWY COND: FAIR-GOOD, SMOOTH PACKED CHAD SURFACE, NO ROCKS.
• (E137-2) MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN ALL SIDES. NO OBSTN LGTS.
• (E137-3) JET LO ALT HI SPEED WEAPONS TRNG IN PROGRESS IMMED N OF INS AT ALL HR.
• TWY LGTS NOT AVBL ON TWY A, B, C & D FM PARKING APRON TO RY HOLD LINE. ALL TWY 75 FT WIDE.

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