The 49th Wing, located at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide to support peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides combat-ready Airmen and Guardians, trains F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators. Additionally, the base delivers Air Transportable Clinics and Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources while providing support to more than 21,000 military and civilian personnel. The wing has a proud history of service in World War II, Korea, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and NATO-led Operation Allied Force.
On Easter Sunday 1941, Maj Gen H. H. Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Corps and Vice Marshall Sir Guy Garrod, Royal Air Force Chief of Training met to establish the British Overseas Training Program. Initially, an airfield outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico was identified for this mission. However, after the surprise Japanese attacks against the Hawaiian Islands, the British abandoned their overseas training program, and Alamogordo Army Airfield became a central training site for B-17, B-24, and B-29 units bound for service in Europe and the Pacific. To this day, the layout of Holloman Air Force Base reflects the British three-runway system.
After WWII, personnel returned from overseas duty, the population of Alamogordo Army Airfield swelled to over 10,000. Unprepared for this increase, troops lived in 200 tents, the base theater, and gymnasium. By 18 September, the majority of troops were discharged or reassigned, the tents were folded up gymnasium abandoned. By February 1946 base population fell to 282. Post-war rumors abounded concerning the closure of the airfield. This quells when Senator Dennis Chavez telegraphed the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, stating, “Alamogordo Army Air Field to be retained to accommodate interim Air Force for range and testing area.”
In 1947, Air Materiel Command took control of Alamogordo Army Airfield and transferred its guided missile program from Wendover Field, Utah. The first polyethylene balloon launched from Alamogordo Army Airfield in 1947, by a New York University team operating under contract for Air Materiel Command. Later, the Air Force took over Holloman’s balloon launching mission from the New York University Team and continued the balloon operations until 2020. Also in 1947, the first missile firing at Alamogordo Army Airfield, a ground-to-air pilot less aircraft (GAPA) missile launch.
On January 13, 1948, the Alamogordo installation was renamed Holloman Air Force Base in honor of the late Colonel George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research. The Holloman Air Development Center opened at Holloman AFB on October 10, 1952, at which time the base was designated a permanent Air Force installation. The rocket and missile program started at Holloman during this time. The program launched Tiny Tim (first army rocket), Rascal, V-2, XQ-2 Drone, Falcon, Firebird, Snark, MACE, Q-2 Firebee, Matador, and Shrike. Holloman remained one of the primary locations for guided missile, space research and development.
Several notable events occurred at Holloman in the 1950s and 1960s. On December 10, 1954, Lt Col (Dr.) John P. Stapp received the nickname “The Fastest Man Alive.” He rode a rocket propelled test sled, Sonic Wind No. 1, to a speed of 632 MPH during a 5-second acceleration which stopped in 1.4 seconds and generated the greatest G-Forces yet sustained, 40. At Holloman’s altitude of 4,100 feet above sea level, a speed equivalent to almost 1.7 mach. Additionally, Captain Joe Kittenger stepped out of an open balloon gondola at 102,800 feet on August 16, 1960, in an attempt to evaluate techniques of high altitude bailout. Capt Kittenger’s jump lasted 13 minutes reaching a velocity of 614 MPH. That jump broke four world records: highest open gondola manned balloon flight, highest balloon flight of any kind, highest bailout, and the longest free fall.
In 1968, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing arrived at Holloman with its fighter aircraft. Sixty-six F-4Ds of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing flew from the southern Eifel region of Germany to New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin. The aircraft flew the 5,000 mile, 11 hour trip in blocks of six, with seven air refuelings each. Tactical Training Holloman was inactivated and replaced by the 833rd Air Division on December 1, 1980. On November 15, 1991, command responsibility passed from the 833rd Air Division to the 49th Fighter Wing. The 49th arrived at Holloman with F-4s, then flew F-15s until the F-117s arrived in 1992. The wing supported Operations Allied Force, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
The 49th provided Air Force fighter lead-in training from February 1974 through December 1976. In October 1977, the wing's "dual-base" commitment to NATO ended. This allowed the wing to focus on its air superiority mission, with a training emphasis on dissimilar air combat tactics and multi-theater operations. In 1977 the 49th transitioned to the Air Force's newest air superiority fighter, the F-15. It was with this aircraft that the 49th again made history, in February 1980, two pilots from the 49th flew their F-15s, 6,200 miles in just over 14 hours and established a record for the longest flight of a single-seat fighter aircraft. The flight required six aerial refuelings and demonstrated the rapid global capability of the 49thTactical Fighter Wing. The 49th again demonstrated the unit's combat prowess in the fall of 1988, winning top honors at the William Tell air-to-air weapons competition. Over the course of the competition the wing outscored its closest rival by more than 2,000 points. The 49th won a variety of awards during William Tell-1988, including the coveted "Top Gun" for best fighter pilot.
The German Air Force Tactical Training Center formally activated as a tenant unit at Holloman AFB on May 1, 1996. Since 1958 the German Air Force has been training aircrews at various bases throughout the United States before moving to Holloman AFB, New Mexico, after the closure of George AFB, California. The 49th Fighter Wing's 20th Fighter Squadron trainedGerman pilots and weapon system officers to operate the F-4F Phantom II (German Air Force variant). Additionally, the 20th conducted the Flight Instructor and the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course for the F-4. The German government paid all of the expenses for this program. The 20th Fighter Squadron was inactivated on December 20, 2004 as the German Air Force transitioned into the Panavia Tornado. On July 1, 1999 the German Air Force Tactical Training Center at Holloman AFB was redesignated as the German Air Force Flying Training Center (GAF FTC) which better represented their expanding training mission. In addition to training German Air Force pilots and weapon system officers to utilize first the F-4F Phantom II and then the Tornado as an effective weapon system the GAF FTC also conducted advanced combat tactical training and a Fighter Weapons Instructor Course for the Tornado.The training program, based on a memorandum of understanding between the two governments and financed by the German Federal Ministry of Defense, was unique in the way that it allowed the German Air Force to deploy and station their fighter/ground attack aircraft permanently at Holloman AFB, NM. The German Air Force ceased flight training at Holloman AFB in 2019 and moved to Sheppard AFB.
On October 23, 2009, the 49th picked up the unique remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training mission which trained RPA pilots, sensor operators, and maintenance technicians for the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. On June 25, 2010, the 49th Fighter Wing was redesignated yet again becoming the 49th Wing. In April 2012, the 7th Fighter Squadron departed on what became the first and longest deployment of the F-22A Raptor to Southwest Asia in support of contingency operations in and around the Persian Gulf region. The squadron remained deployed for approximately 10 months finally returning to Holloman on January 22, 2013. On April 8, 2014, the 49th Wing sent the last of its F-22A Raptors to Tyndall AFB, Florida, completing a long delayed move that centralized F-22 training and consolidated the F-22 Raptor fleet maximizing available combat aircraft and squadrons for contingencies while enhancing overall operational flexibility. The following month on May 2, 2014, the 7th Fighter Squadron inactivated leaving the 9th Attack Squadron as the only historically attached 49th Wing unit.The base expanded its training to F-16s in 2014.
Today, Holloman AFB and the 49th Wing continue to serve at the forefront of military operations, with its F-16 Viper and MQ-9 Reaper training supplying the Air Forces growing need for qualified fighter pilots, RPA pilots, sensor operators, and maintenance technicians. The primary mission at Holloman is training, building combat airpower and leading and developing Airmen. The base also supports dozens of mission partners, to include the 704th Test Group and the 635th Materiel Maintenance Group.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Alamogordo's population is approximately 31,309 and is the 11th most populated city in New Mexico.
| Active Duty Officer | 606 |
| Active Duty Enlisted | 4199 |
| Family Members | 4245 |
| Retirees | 3808 |
| Civilian Employees | 1377 |
| Non-Appropriated Funds | 494 |
Holloman AFB was originally established in 1942 is located aboutsix miles west of Alamogordo, New Mexico on Highway 70/82; 90 miles north of El Paso, Texas, and 60 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Holloman is located in Otero County. Alamogordo's cost of living ranks even with the national average. Employment opportunities and wages in Alamogordo and New Mexico in general are ranked lower than the national average; but bet you can have 300 days worth of sunshine.
If driving, Holloman AFB is located on Highway 70, approximately10 miles west of Alamogordo and is clearly marked. If arriving at the Alamogordo Airport, take Airport Road to Highway 70, turn left (west) and follow the signs to Holloman AFB, approximately 5 miles however, we highly recommend arriving via El Paso International Airport in El Paso, Texas. If arriving by bus, you must travel from Alamogordo west on White Sands Blvd, which turns into Highway 70 and follow the signs to Holloman AFB, approximately12 miles.
Currently, there is no base transportation on this installation.
However, Z-Trans-Public Transportation Services, 575-439-4971 is a commercial bus operation, provide paid transport from designated points on base to predetermined stops in Alamogordo, and the surrounding Tularosa Basin area.
