Forbes Field Air National Guard Base

Topeka Regional Airport, formerly known as Forbes Field, is a joint civil-military public airport located in Shawnee County, Kansas, seven miles south of downtown Topeka. It is owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority. The facility originated as Topeka Army Air Field in 1942, later becoming Forbes Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) facility. From 1942 to 1973, it was supervised by various Air Force components including Second Air Force, Continental Air Forces, Air Materiel Command, Strategic Air Command, and Tactical Air Command. Forbes Air Force Base officially closed in 1973 for active duty operations.

Following its closure as an active duty base, a U.S. Air Force presence was retained in the form of an Air National Guard installation, which was subsequently named Forbes Air National Guard Base. In April 1976, most of the former Forbes Air Force Base was transferred to the city of Topeka and Shawnee County, with airline flights moving from Philip Billard Municipal Airport to the newly established Forbes Field. The Combat Air Museum was also established on the airport grounds.

In 2012, the facility was renamed Topeka Regional Airport and Business Center, while the airfield retained the name Forbes Field. The airport currently serves as the home for the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th Air Refueling Wing, which operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, and the 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment of the Kansas Army National Guard. The airport covers 2,854 acres and features two concrete runways: 13/31, measuring 12,803 by 200 feet, and 3/21, measuring 7,001 by 150 feet. As of September 2014, the airport has no scheduled airline service.