Davis–Monthan Air Force Base

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, located 5 miles southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona, was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. It was named in honor of World War I pilots Lieutenants Samuel H. Davis and Chief Engineer Oscar Monthan, both Tucson natives. Initially operating as a dual civil and military airfield, it transitioned to a purely military role in the early 1940s, becoming Tucson Army Air Field in 1940 and Davis–Monthan Army Air Field in 1941. During World War II, it served as a training base for heavy bomber units and later as a storage site for decommissioned aircraft due to Tucson's dry climate and alkali soil, a mission that continues to the present day.

During the Cold War, the base was under Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1946 to 1976, hosting B-29s, B-47s, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, and Titan II ICBMs. In 1949, the 43d Bombardment Wing's B-50A, the Lucky Lady II, completed the first nonstop round-the-world flight from the base. The 390th Strategic Missile Wing, operating Titan II missiles, was inactivated in 1984, with one site preserved as the Titan Missile Museum. In 1976, the base transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) and became a primary training location for A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots. Since 1992, it has been under Air Combat Command (ACC).

The host unit is the 355th Wing, which provides A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support and forward air controller capabilities. It also serves as the sole formal training unit for A-10 pilots. Major tenant units include the 55th Electronic Combat Group, operating EC-130H Compass Call aircraft for electronic attack; the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), known as the "aircraft boneyard" for military and government aircraft storage and regeneration; the 943rd Rescue Group, equipped with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters for combat search and rescue; and the 924th Fighter Group, an Air Force Reserve Command unit also flying the A-10. Other units include the Twelfth Air Force Headquarters and the 214th Attack Group of the Arizona Air National Guard, which operates MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. The base also supports various other military and federal agencies.