Hancock Field Air National Guard Base

Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force installation co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport, situated 4.6 miles north-northeast of Syracuse, New York. The base, owned by the Department of Defense and operated by the US Air Force under the New York Air National Guard, occupies approximately 350 acres of flight line, aircraft ramp, and support facilities on the airport's south side. It is currently operational.

Construction of the base, initially known as Syracuse Army Air Base (Mattydale Bomber Base), began in 1942 during World War II. It served as a personnel activation station and later as a facility for assembling and testing B-24 Liberator aircraft. Post-WWII, the City of Syracuse took over in 1946, opening it as Clarence E. Hancock Airport in 1949. The New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing was formed here in 1947 as the 138th Fighter Squadron, initially operating P-47D Thunderbolts. The USAF reactivated Hancock Field in 1952 under Air Defense Command, establishing a Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center and Combat Center in 1958 for air defense. Active Air Force use of Hancock Field concluded on December 31, 1983.

The base is the home station for the New York Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing and the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, both operationally gained by Air Combat Command. The 174th Attack Wing transitioned from F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft to MQ-9 Reaper unmanned combat aircraft in 2010. The installation employs approximately 2,000 personnel, including full-time Active Guard and Reserve, Air Reserve Technicians, and traditional part-time Air National Guardsmen. Base personnel maintain the BAK-14 arresting gear on the primary runway for military tactical jet aircraft and operate an Air Force crash fire department providing Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, structural Fire/Rescue, and Emergency Services to both the National Guard Base and the civilian airport.