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Barksdale Air Force Base
Part of Air Combat Command
Louisiana, United States
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1931-1932
In use	1933 - present
Garrison information
Past commanders	Colonel Robert E. Wheeler
Occupants	2d Bomb Wing Eighth Air Force 917th Wing 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron Detachment 13 ACC TRSS 8th Information Warfare Flight

Barksdale Air Force Base
IATA: BAD ICAO: KBAD
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	USAF
Location	Bossier City, Louisiana
Elevation AMSL	166 ft / 51 m
Coordinates	32°30′07″N 093°39′46″W / 32.50194°N 93.66278°W / 32.50194; -93.66278
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 15/33 11,756 3,583 PEM

Barksdale Air Force Base (IATA: BAD, ICAO: KBAD, FAA LID: BAD) is a United States Air Force base located about 1 mile west of Bossier City, and about ten miles west of Shreveport Louisiana.

The host wing at Barksdale is the Air Combat Command 2d Bomb Wing. It is also the home of Headquarters, Eighth Air Force and the Air Force Cyber Command (Provisional).

Barksdale warriors and aircraft have a proud tradition serving both at home and abroad in support of the Global War on Terrorism, playing vital roles in combat operations supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

Units at Barksdale include the oldest bomb wing in the Air Force, the 2nd Bomb Wing (2 BW). The 2d participated in Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell's 1921 off-shore bombing test (as the 2nd Bomb Group).

Components of the 2d Bomb Wing are:

• 2d Operations Group
  • 11th Bomb Squadron (B-52H)
  • 20th Bomb Squadron (B-52H)
  • 96th Bomb Squadron (B-52H)
  • 2nd Operations Support Squadron
• 2nd Mission Support Group
• 2nd Maintenance Group
• 2d Medical Group

The Commander of the 2d Bomb Wing is Colonel Robert E. Wheeler. He also functions as the installation commander of Barksdale Air Force Base.

Other assigned units at Barksdale are:

• Air Force Cyber Command (Provisional)
• Headquarters, Eighth Air Force
• 917th Wing (Air Force Reserve)
  • 47th Fighter Squadron (A-10A)
  • 93rd Bomb Squadron (B-52H)
• 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron
• Det 13 ACC TRSS
• 8th Information Warfare Flight

Barksdale Field was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (1895-1926) on 2 February 1933. Lieutenant Barksdale received his wings in Great Britain in 1918 and flew with the British during World War I. Barksdale died on 11 Aug 1926 over McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio when testing a Douglas O-2 observation airplane for spin characteristics. He did not recover from a flat spin while parachuting out of the plane, and his parachute was caught in the wing's brace wires, causing Barksdale to fall to his death. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

The name of the airfield was changed to Barksdale Air Force Base on 13 February 1948 concrrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a seperate military branch.

United States Army Air Corps/Forces

• 20th Pursuit Gp, 14 Oct 1932 - 19 Feb 1935
• 3d Attack Gp, 19 Feb 1935 - 1 Mar 1935
• Station Complement, Barksdale Fld, 1 Mar 1935 - 26 Aug 1936
• Base HQ and 6th Air Base Sq GHQ, 26 Aug 1936 - 13 Jun 1943
• 5th Base HQ and Air Base Sq, 13 Jun 1943 - 1 May 1944
• 331st AAF Base Unit, 1 May 1944 - 1 Dec 1945
• 2621st AAF Base Unit, 1 Dec 1945 - 26 Sep 1947

United States Air Force

• 2621st AF Base Unit, 26 Sep 1947 - 26 Aug 1948
• 3500th Pilot Training Wg, 26 Aug 1948 - 14 Oct 1949
• 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wg, 14 Oct 1949 - 16 Jun 1952
• 805th Air Base Gp, 16 Jun 1952 - 15 Apr 1958
• 4238th Air Base Gp, 15 Apr 1958 - 1 Jan 1959
• 4238th Combat Support 0p, 1 Jan 1959 - 31 March 1963
• 2d Bombarment Wing, 1 Apr 1963 - Present

• Fourth Corps Area (United States Army), 1 Aug 1932 - 1 Mar 1935
• GHQ Air Force, 1 Mar 1935 - 15 Oct 1940
• Southeastern Air Corps Training Center, 15 Oct 1940 - 6 Dec 1941
• AF Combat Command, 6 Dec 1941 - 10 Feb 1942
• 3d Air Force, 10 Feb 1942 - 6 Jun 1945
• Continental Air Forces, 6 Jun 1945 - 1 Nov 1945
• AAF Training Command, 1 Nov 1945 - 1 July 1946
• Air Training Command, 1 July 1946 - 1 Nov 1949
• Strategic Air Command, 1 Nov 1949 - 1 Jun 1992
• Air Combat Command, 1 Jun 1992 - Present

Section source: USAF^[1]

Barksdale Field officially opened in 1933. It is named in honor of Lt. Eugene Hoy Barksdale, United States Army Air Corps, who lost his life on August 11, 1926, while flight testing an observation airplane in Dayton, Ohio.

By the mid-1930s, Barksdale Field was the headquarters and main base of the 3rd Wing, used by fighter and attack pilots to hone their gunnery and bombing skills. The 1940s saw the training of bomber crews. Barksdale then became headquarters for the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949 and began phasing out bomber crew training. Barksdale Field was renamed Barksdale Air Force Base January 13, 1948.

From 1972 through 1973 almost all of the base's resources were deployed overseas for operations over Vietnam. All aircraft and crews returned to Barksdale in January and October 1973. January 1, 1975, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was installed on Barksdale.

In April 1982, and again in December 1990, the space shuttle Columbia made a stop at Barksdale on its way back to Cape Canaveral.

In April 1992, 265 buildings on Barksdale’s main base were placed on the National Register of Historic Places including much of family housing.

Barksdale was the first location President George W. Bush was flown to after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Barksdale is home to the Eighth Air Force Museum, which hosts static displays of numerous aircraft including a large display of past B-52's through the current model as the SR-71 Blackbird.

Barksdale hosts a large complement of B-52 bombers and A-10 "tank busters". During World War II Barksdale played host to the major contingent of the Free French Air Forces.

The base is closed to the public. However, there is an annual open house when visitors are allowed. Visitors may also request to visit the museum during other days of the year. On display are a number of aircraft including a Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan bomber, B-24, B-17, P-51, SR-71, F-111, and multiple versions of the B-52.

On August 30, 2007, a B-52 originating from Minot Air Force Base, carried six cruise missiles with W-80 nuclear war heads to Barksdale, with no knowledge of base personnel or crew. This incident sparked controversy across the country.^[2]

This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Barksdale Air Force Base

• Barksdale Air Force Base (official site)
• Barksdale Air Force Base at GlobalSecurity.org
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBAD
  • ASN accident history for BAD
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBAD
  • FAA current BAD delay information

• Strategic Air Command
• Air Combat Command