| Eglin Air Force Base | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Valparaiso, Florida in United States of America | |||||||||
| File:First F-35 to arrive at Eglin AFB gets the order to taxi.jpg An F-35A Lightning of the 33rd Fighter Wing based at Eglin AFB | |||||||||
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| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | eglin.af.mil | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1935 (as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base) | ||||||||
| In use | 1935–present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison | |||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS, WMO: 722210 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 25.6 metres (84 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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| Airfield shared with Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||
Eglin Air Force Base (IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing).[2][3] The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) systems.
Eglin AFB was established 89 years ago in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It is named in honor of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin (1891–1937), who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 attack aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Alabama.
- ↑ "Airport Diagram – Eglin AFB (KVPS)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Eglin missions remain, but under new names". Eglin Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ↑ "96th Test Wing Fact Sheet". Eglin Air Force Base. 96th Test Wing Public Affairs Office. March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.