Westover Air Reserve Base

Westover Air Reserve Base is a Department of Defense installation located in Chicopee and Ludlow, Massachusetts, near Springfield. Established in 1939 as Westover Field, the facility was part of a War Department plan to develop a "Northeast Air Base" for the U.S. Army Air Corps. It was named for Major General Oscar Westover, a former commanding officer of the Army Air Corps. In 1948, the site was redesignated Westover Air Force Base following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force.

During the mid-20th century, the installation was assigned to the Military Air Transport Service and transitioned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1955. From 1956 to 1974, it hosted the 99th Bombardment Wing, which operated B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. The base supported nuclear weapons storage at the adjacent Stony Brook Air Force Station until 1973. Until 2011, the facility served as a backup landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle. Following the Vietnam War, the installation was transferred to the Air Force Reserve in 1974 and received its current designation as Westover Air Reserve Base in 1991.

The base is operated by the Air Force Reserve Command and serves as the home of the 439th Airlift Wing. The wing is part of the Fourth Air Force and is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command. Approximately 5,500 military and civilian personnel are stationed at the 2,500-acre installation. As a joint-use facility, the base shares its airfield with Westover Metropolitan Airport while maintaining military control over flight operations.

Westover Air Reserve Base hosts a fleet of C-5M Super Galaxy transport aircraft operated by the 337th Airlift Squadron. An Armed Forces Reserve Center on the site accommodates units from multiple branches, including the U.S. Army Reserve's 302nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the 655th Regional Support Group, and the 382nd Military Police Battalion. Other resident units include the U.S. Navy Reserve's Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 27 and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve detachments. The base also houses the Springfield Military Entrance Processing Station and a Civil Air Patrol composite squadron. Infrastructure includes an air traffic control tower completed in 2002.