McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base

McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base is a joint military facility situated at McGhee Tyson Airport, approximately 10 miles south of Knoxville, Tennessee. The base was constructed in 1952 and officially opened as McGhee Tyson Air Force Base on August 9, 1952. Its initial purpose was to host fighter-interceptors for the defense of Atomic Energy Commission facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Alcoa aluminum plant, and Tennessee Valley Authority dams. The military facilities were built on the northwest side of the airfield, separate from the civilian airport.

From 1952 to 1960, the base operated under active duty Air Defense Command units, including the 516th Air Defense Group and its 469th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which initially flew F-47 Thunderbolts and later F-86D Sabre jet fighters. The 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron also operated F-86Ds from the base in 1953. Regular Air Force operations ceased by July 1960, and control was transferred to the Tennessee Air National Guard, renaming it McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base.

Currently, McGhee Tyson ANGB is home to the 134th Air Refueling Wing (134 ARW) of the Tennessee Air National Guard, which operates KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft for air mobility and aerial refueling missions. Other tenant units include the 119th Command and Control Squadron, the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center (TEC), the Air National Guard Band of the South, and the 1st Squadron, 230th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Army Aviation Support Facility, operating UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. The TEC provides professional military education and continuing education to service members from various U.S. Air Force components, the U.S. Coast Guard, and partner nations. The base features two runways: 5R/23L, which is 2,743.2 meters long with an asphalt surface, and 5L/23R, which is 3,048.0 meters long with a concrete surface. The facility continues to be operational, serving both military and civilian aviation.