Truax Field Air National Guard Base

Truax Field Air National Guard Base, also known as Truax Field, is a military facility located at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin. The base was constructed in 1942 and was originally known as Madison Army Airfield. It was activated as an Army Air Forces airfield in June 1942 during World War II, serving as a major technical training school for radio operators, mechanics, and communications fields. The host unit during this period was the 334th (later 3508th) Army Air Force Base Unit. The airfield's mission changed to a separation center in September 1945 and it closed as an active AAF airfield in November 1945.

After being conveyed to local civilian authorities, it became the home of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. The base was reactivated by the United States Air Force on February 1, 1952, and renamed Truax Air Force Base, serving as an Air Defense Command (ADC) fighter-interceptor base during the Korean War. Various ADC units, including the 78th Fighter-Interceptor Group and the 327th Fighter-Interceptor Group, were stationed there, operating aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre, F-89 Scorpion, and F-102 Delta Dagger. The base also hosted the headquarters for ADC's 37th Air Division and later the 30th Air Division, which operated the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system. By the late 1960s, the base's active ADC mission diminished, leading to its deactivation as an active Aerospace Defense Command base in early 1968. Portions of the base were then turned over to the Wisconsin Air National Guard, establishing Truax Field Air National Guard Base as a joint military/civil airport.

Currently, Truax Field ANGB is the home installation of the 115th Fighter Wing (115 FW) of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, which is operationally gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). The 115 FW previously flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon C/D multi-role fighter aircraft. In April 2020, the Air Force announced that the F-35A Lightning II would be based at Truax Field, with the 115th Fighter Wing receiving its first aircraft in April 2023, following the departure of its last F-16 in October 2022. The base also hosts the Wisconsin Army National Guard. It features three concrete runways: 18/36 (2,745 meters), 3/21 (2,194.5 meters), and 14/32 (1,781.8 meters).