Biggs Army Airfield | |||||||||||
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 USGS 1996 photo of Biggs Army Airfield | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner |  United States Army | ||||||||||
| Location | Fort Bliss,El Paso,Texas | ||||||||||
| Built | 1916 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1916–present | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 3,946 ft / 1,203 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 31°50′56″N106°22′01″W / 31.849°N 106.367°W /31.849; -106.367 | ||||||||||
 Interactive map of Biggs Army Airfield | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Biggs Army Airfield (IATA:BIF,ICAO:KBIF,FAALID:BIF) (formerlyBiggs Air Force Base) is aUnited States Army military airbase located on theFort Blissmilitary base inEl Paso,Texas.
On 15 June 1919, following an attack byPancho Villa's forces onCiudad Juárez,United States Army Air Service personnel equipped withDayton-Wright DH-4 aircraft were sent to Fort Bliss to begin patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border, initiating theUnited States Army Border Air Patrol. In August 1919 construction commenced on a steel hangar for an airship station at Camp Owen Bierne, Fort Bliss and in December 1919 the 8th Balloon Company moved there fromBrooks Field, Texas. In January 1920 the1st Surveillance Group moved fromKelly Field to Fort Bliss.[1]
The airfield was officially named "Biggs Field" on 5 January 1925 after Lieutenant James Berthea "Buster" Biggs, an El Paso native killed in a plane crash on 27 October 1918 at Belrain, France.[2]
On 16 March 1948 the97th Bombardment Wing, Heavy operatingB-29 Superfortresses moved to Biggs AFB fromSmoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas.[3]
The810th Air Division was activated at Biggs AFB on 16 June 1952, it comprised the95th Bombardment Wing (H), 97th Bombardment Wing (H) and the 810th Air Base Group.[4] In September 1953, the 95th began training with theB-36 Peacemaker bomber while the 97th flew theB-50 Superfortress.[5]
On 12 February 1959, the last operationalB-36J Peacemaker left Biggs AFB where it had been serving with the 95th Bombardment Wing. The 95th then transitioned to theB-52B Stratofortress and theKC-135A Stratotanker.
In July 1959 the 97th Bombardment Wing (H) moved from Biggs AFB toBlytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas.
On 1 July 1962 the 810th Air Division moved from Biggs AFB toMinot Air Force Base,North Dakota.[4]
In December 1965 it was announced that Biggs AFB would be closed. In January 1966Assistant Secretary of Defense (Installations and Logistics)Paul Ignatius testified to Congress that "The operational environment at Biggs poses serious problems. Such factors as the proximity ofEl Paso International Airport, the suburbs of El Paso, and mountainous areas adjacent to Biggs…weapons testing areas to the north and the convergence of civil airways carrying heavy…traffic combine to create serious safety and traffic control problems."[6]
On 25 June 1966 the 95th Bombardment Wing (H) moved from Biggs AFB toGoose Air Base,Newfoundland.[7]
Starting in 1966, a branch of theDefense Language Institute (DLI) conducted Vietnamese training using native contract instructors at the airfield.[8]Vietnamese instruction continued at the Defense Language Institute-Southwest (DLISW) until 2004, concurrent with the establishment in 1972 of the US Army's Sergeants Major Academy.[9]
The former Biggs AFB remained under DoD control in a caretaker status until 1973 when it was transferred to the U.S. Army as a sub-post of nearby Fort Bliss. Renamed Biggs Army Airfield, the installation was reactivated in 1973 as a permanent airfield for the U.S. Army, which turned into the world’s largest Army Airfield at that time.[10]
Biggs AAF was used as a refueling stop forNASA'sShuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Biggs AAF is the base ofJoint Task Force North, aUnited States Department of Defense multi-service organization tasked to supportFederal law enforcement in the United States in the interdiction of suspected transnational threats within and along the approaches to the continental United States.[11]
TheBorder Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) operates from its headquarters co-located with its training unit at Biggs Army Airfield.[12]
TheSilas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group at Biggs Army Airfield serves military and civilian personnel who deploy to their overseas assignments, such as to and from Southwest Asia.[13]
On 14 July 2017 a new 116-foot (35 m) air traffic control tower was opened at the field.[14]
The annualAmigo Airsho, which was held at Biggs Army Airfield from 1982 - 2012 is set to return in October 2024, after a 12 year hiatus.[15]
1st Armored Division
HHC 1st Battalion (Attack),501st Aviation Regiment "Iron Dragons" 2nd Battalion (General Support), 501st Aviation Regiment "Desert Knights" 3rd Battalion (Assault), 501st Aviation Regiment "Apocalypse"
3rd Squadron (Heavy Attack-Reconnaissance),6th Cavalry Regiment "Heavy Cavalry"[16][17][18]
127th Aviation Support Battalion "Work Horse"
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
