Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is located east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. The installation was established in 1948 through the merger of Wright Field and Patterson Field. Military aviation at the site began in 1917 with the establishment of Wilbur Wright Field and McCook Field by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps. McCook Field served as an aviation testing and experimentation site until its closure in 1927, when functions were transferred to Wright Field. In 1931, the eastern portion of Wright Field was redesignated Patterson Field. The base was the site of the 1995 negotiations for the Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War.

The United States Air Force operates the facility under Air Force Materiel Command. The 88th Air Base Wing is the host unit, providing installation support for associate organizations. Stationed units include the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Air Force Institute of Technology. The base houses the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and the Space Force’s National Space Intelligence Center, which provide air and space threat analysis. The 445th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command is also stationed at the base.

Infrastructure is divided into Area A and Area B. Facilities include the National Museum of the United States Air Force and a medical center. The base hosts a wing of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. Research facilities located on the installation focus on areas such as propulsion, sensors, materials, and neurotechnology. The site also includes the Huffman Prairie Flying Field, used for flight testing by the Wright brothers between 1904 and 1905.