Channel Islands Air National Guard Station

Channel Islands Air National Guard Station is located in Oxnard, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. The installation serves as the headquarters for the 146th Airlift Wing of the California Air National Guard.

The station was established following the relocation of the 146th Airlift Wing from Van Nuys Airport. Construction on the facility, situated on federal land leased to the State of California, began in December 1988. The transition of personnel and equipment was finalized in March 1990. The 115th Airlift Squadron, assigned to the wing, traces its lineage to the 115th Observation Squadron established in 1924.

Current operations are conducted by the California Air National Guard. When activated for federal service, the 146th Airlift Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. Stationed units include the 146th Operations Group, 115th Airlift Squadron, 146th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and 146th Contingency Response Flight. Support and maintenance are provided by the 146th Mission Support Group, 146th maintenance Group, 146th Medical Group, and 146th Security Forces Squadron.

The primary mission of the base is to provide global military airlift, aeromedical evacuation, and humanitarian relief. The installation hosts a fleet of Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. A specialized role of the station is aerial firefighting; the wing operates the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II) to suppress wildland fires.

Infrastructure at the station includes a military airfield shared with Navy and federal aviation activities. Notable facilities include a permanent fixed-base retardant reload pit equipped with 50,000-gallon storage tanks. This facility supports the reloading of MAFFS-equipped aircraft and Very Large Air Tankers (VLATs) with water and fire retardant. The station also includes a C-130 flight simulator facility.