Jacksonville Air National Guard Base

Jacksonville Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard facility located at Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. As an Air National Guard facility, it is also concurrently a U.S. Air Force installation.

History

Concurrent with the closure of Jacksonville's Imeson Airport in 1968, the then-125th Fighter-Interceptor Group (125 FIG) of the Florida Air National Guard (FANG) relocated to the newly-constructed Jacksonville International Airport (FAA identifier: JAX; ICAO identifier: KJAX). Military Construction (MILCON) funds provided for the establishment of Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in the southwest quadrant of the airport and placement of USAF BAK-14 emergency arresting gear cables on JAX's 10,000 ft runway. Jacksonville ANGB functions like a small air force base, albeit without the military housing, military hospital or other infrastructure of major U.S. Air Force installations. The Air National Guard provides a fully equipped USAF Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station to augment the airport's own fire department for both on-airport structural fires and ARFF purposes. The base employs approximately 300 full-time military personnel, both ART and AGR), and approximately 1,000 additional part-time military personnel who are traditional guardsmen.

The host wing at Jacksonville ANGB, now known as the 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW), is an Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained organization that has historically been assigned fighter aircraft in the interceptor and continental air defense mission for the region. Since establishing Jacksonville ANGB at the airport, the unit has operated the [F-102 Delta Dagger]], F-106 Delta Dart, F-16A/B (ADF) Fighting Falcon, F-15A/B Eagle, and now flies the F-15C and F-15D version of the F-15 Eagle in its frontline fighter role. Other previously flown support aircraft have included the T-33 Shooting Star, C-131 Samaritan and C-130 Hercules.

During the Cold War, at least two armed fighters were kept on quick-reaction alert at Jacksonville ANGB, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, their pilots able to get airborne within minutes. The 125 FW also maintains a 24/7/365 Air Superiority Alert posture with two F-15 aircraft under the wing's Detachment 1, Operating Location Alfa Alfa (OL-AA), at Homestead ARB in southern Florida in support of Operation Noble Eagle.

Following the first Gulf War in 1991, the 125 FW began deploying to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch. The wing later deployed to bases in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In addition to its F-15 Eagles, the 125 FW also operates the RC-26 Metroliner at Jacksonville ANGB in multiple air and ground support roles. In addition to its Alert Facility, the base also maintains a wide range of operational, maintenance, administrative and support facilities, to include a USAF Clinic (with a flight medicine facility) and separate military fuel farm and aircraft refueling vehicles for JP-8 fuel. Jacksonville ANGB also routinely hosts transient USAF aircraft and military aircraft from other services and components.