Altus Air Force Base

Altus Air Force Base (Altus AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force installation located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east-northeast of Altus, Oklahoma. The base was established in 1943 as Altus Army Airfield (AAF) and has been in continuous use since then. It is owned by the Department of Defense and operated by the US Air Force, controlled by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC).

The host unit at Altus AFB is the 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW), which is assigned to the Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF). The wing's mission focuses on providing formal initial and advanced specialty training programs for C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, and KC-46 Pegasus flight crews and aircraft maintenance students. Other units stationed at the base include the 54th Air Refueling Squadron, 56th Air Refueling Squadron, 58th Airlift Squadron, and the 730th Air Mobility Training Squadron.

Historically, Altus AFB served as a training facility for multi-engine aircraft pilots during World War II. In the 1950s, it transitioned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC), hosting units with B-47 Stratojet and KC-97 Stratofreighter aircraft, later replaced by B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker. From 1961 to 1965, the base also controlled twelve Atlas “F” intercontinental ballistic missile sites. In 1967, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) took command, focusing on strategic airlift training for C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy aircraft. Following the Cold War, in 1992, the base transitioned to the Air Mobility Command (AMC) and then to AETC in 1993, assuming its current training role. The base features three runways: 17R/35L (4,097 m, concrete), 17L/35R (2,744 m, asphalt), and an Assault Strip (1,067 m, asphalt).