Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in the northwestern Florida panhandle near Valparaiso. Established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base, it was renamed in 1937 to honor Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin. In 1940, the War Department expanded the reservation by acquiring over 340,000 acres of the Choctawhatchee National Forest for use as an aircraft armament proving ground. During World War II, the base served as a fixed gunnery school and a training site for the Doolittle Raiders. Post-war operations transitioned to missile launching and drone development, including the Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon.

The base is operated by the Air Force Materiel Command. The host unit is the 96th Test Wing, which serves as the test and evaluation center for air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Eglin functions as the focal point for the development, acquisition, testing, and sustainment of air-delivered non-nuclear munitions.

Primary tenant units include the 33rd Fighter Wing, a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II serving the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. The 53rd Wing is headquartered at Eglin and conducts operational testing for the Air Force fighter, bomber, and unmanned aerial vehicle inventory. The base also hosts the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, and the United States Space Force 20th Space Control Squadron. International presence includes the Royal Netherlands Air Force 323 Squadron.

The installation encompasses 463,128 acres and manages the Eglin Gulf Test Range, providing over-water airspace for munitions testing. Notable infrastructure includes the McKinley Climatic Laboratory for severe-weather testing and the AN/FPS-85 phased array radar for tracking Earth-orbiting objects. The base hosts squadrons of F-35A Lightning II, F-15C/D/E/EX Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft. Other facilities include the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal and the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate. The airfield is shared with the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport for scheduled commercial service.