| Tyndall Air Force Base | |||||||||
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| NearPanama City, Florida in United States | |||||||||
 The first operationalF-22A Raptor flies over Tyndall AFB on its delivery flight during 2003. | |||||||||
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| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Air Combat Command (ACC) | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www.tyndall.af.mil | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  Tyndall AFB  Tyndall AFB  Tyndall AFB  Tyndall AFB | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°04′43″N085°34′35″W / 30.07861°N 85.57639°W /30.07861; -85.57639 | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1941 (1941) (as Tyndall Field) | ||||||||
| In use | 1941–present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Colonel Chris Bergtholdt | ||||||||
| Garrison | |||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: PAM,ICAO: KPAM,FAA LID: PAM,WMO: 747750 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 5.1 metres (17 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||
Tyndall Air Force Base (IATA:PAM,ICAO:KPAM,FAALID:PAM) is aUnited States Air Force Base located 12 miles (19 km) east ofPanama City, Florida. The base was named in honor ofWorld War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) of theAir Combat Command (ACC). The base hosts 2,902 active duty members.[2] In October 2018,Hurricane Michael caused significant damage to the base.[3]
Tyndall Field first opened its doors on 7 December 1941, as a gunnery range.[4] The airfield was named in honor of 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall.[5] With the establishment of theUnited States Air Force in 1947, the facility was renamed "Tyndall Air Force Base" on 13 January 1948.In December 1940, a site board determined that Flexible Gunnery School No. 9 would be located 12 miles (19 km) southeast ofPanama City, Florida, on East Peninsula. On 6 May 1941,U.S. Army and local dignitaries held an official ground breaking for the school. Panama City's mayor, Harry Fannin, dug the first spade full of sand, and Colonel Warren Maxwell, Tyndall's first commander, wielded the first ax on the stubborn palmetto plants, so common on the East Peninsula. The site was covered with pine and palmetto trees, scrub brush, and swamps. Bulldozers worked around the clock to clear the brush and fill in swamps.[6] The base also subsumed the settlements of Cromanton, San Blas, Redfish Point, Auburn and Farmdale.[7]
Although construction was well underway, the base lacked a name. CongressmanBob Sikes suggested naming the school in memory of Lieutenant Francis B. Tyndall. A native ofSewall's Point, Florida, Lieutenant Tyndall was a fighter pilot duringWorld War I,Silver Star recipient, and commander of the22nd Aero Squadron, who was credited with shooting down sixGerman planes well behind enemy lines in 1918. While inspecting Army fields nearMooresville, North Carolina, on 15 July 1930, Tyndall's plane,CurtissP-1F Hawk,28–61, crashed, killing him instantly. On 13 June 1941, theWar Department officially named the new installation Tyndall Field.[6]
On 7 December 1941, the first of 2,000 troops arrived at Tyndall Field. The first class of gunnery students began in February 1942. Although construction was incomplete, instructors and students began preparing for the first class. The first class of 40 gunnery students began on 23 February 1942. Of the thousands of students passing through the Tyndall gates, the most famous was actorClark Gable, a student here as aU.S. Army Air Forces lieutenant during late 1942 and part of January 1943. Foreign student training began at Tyndall in 1943 withFrench Air Force gunnery students being the first and Chinese students following later that year.[6]
WhenWorld War II ended, Tyndall Field was demobilized. The base fell under the control of theTactical Air Command (TAC) in 1946, but this only lasted three months, as Tyndall became part of theAir University (AU). Tyndall Field was subsequently renamed as Tyndall Air Force Base when the U.S. Air Force (USAF) became a separate service in 1947.[6]
In September 1950, Tyndall became anAir Training Command (ATC) installation, designated as the USAF Pilot Instructor School. The base also trainedGround Controlled Intercept (GCI) operators as well as interceptor pilots & flight crews for theAir Defense Command (ADC). Under the auspices of this training system, GCI trainees would directTF-51H Mustangs against "enemy"A-26 Invaders. In late 1952, both aircraft were replaced by LockheedT-33 Shooting Star jet trainers. Airborne radar operator students would begin their training aboard radar-equippedTB-25 Mitchells, then transition to either LockheedF-94 Starfire or NorthropF-89 Scorpion aircraft. North AmericanF-86F andF-86Ds were eventually added to the training program as ADC units were equipped with them.[6]
In September 1957, Tyndall became an Air Defense Command, laterAerospace Defense Command, base until October 1979 when ADC was inactivated and all its bases and units transferred to Tactical Air Command. Tyndall was headquarters of the ADC73d Air Division in the late 1950s, and theNORADSoutheast Air Defense Sector from 1960 to 1979. ADC's20th Air Division based at Tyndall was responsible for the air defense of virtually all of the southeastern United States during the 1960s and 1970s, while ADC's23d Air Division, also based at Tyndall, was responsible for air defense forces in the upper midwest and south central United States.[6][8][9]
In the late 1950s into the 1960s, the base transitioned into theNorth American F-100 Super Sabre,F-101B,F-102A andTF-102B,F-104 Starfighter, and theF-106A and B aircraft, training interceptor pilots for ADC assignments. The base served as a stopover and refueling point for ADC aircraft deployed to Florida during theCuban Missile Crisis, to be redeployed to other bases in the southeast shortly thereafter. The base maintained an alert facility from which theF-101 Voodoo andF-102 Delta Dagger interceptors were scrambled to intercept unknown aircraft. Tyndall shared training for the F-102 aircraft withPerrin AFB,Texas, until Perrin's closure in mid-1971.[6]
On 1 July 1956 Tyndall AFB became the station operating for the third phase of the ADC mobile radar program, designated asTM-198. Activated by the 678th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Tyndall became operational to support theCIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air missile program atHurlburt Field. In 1958 the site was operating with anAN/FPS-20 search radar and a pair ofAN/FPS-6 height-finder sets to support the 4751st Air Defense Missile Squadron.
In 1962 the search radar was upgraded and re-designated as anAN/FPS-64. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-198. During 1965 Tyndall AFB joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-09 atGunter AFB, Alabama. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the678th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 June 1965. Also in 1965, Tyndall became a joint-use facility with theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA).
It also received aBack-Up Interceptor Control (BUIC) II, and later BUIC III, capability to perform command and control functions. Tyndall retained this function until the 1980s. On 1 March 1970, the 678thwas redesignated as the678th Air Defense Group.
In addition to the main facility, Tyndall operated twoAN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
On 1 October 1979, this site came underTactical Air Command jurisdiction with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the formation ofADTAC. On 1 March 1983 the 678th Air Defense Group was inactivated and Tyndall became the home of the NORAD 23rd ADS (Air Defense Squadron) and operated the Southeast Regional Operations Control Center (SE ROCC), later renamed Sector Operations Control Center (SOCC).
The height-finder radar, modified as anAN/FPS-116 c. 1977, was removed c. 1988. In 1995 anAN/FPS-64A was performing search duties. The site now[when?] operates anARSR-4 search radar under FAA control as part of theJoint Surveillance System (JSS) as site "J-11".[6][10][11]
In 1991, Tyndall underwent a reorganization in response to theDepartment of Defense efforts to streamline defense management. Headquarters,First Air Force, what had predominantly been the Numbered Air Force for theAir National Guard, moved fromLangley AFB,Virginia, to Tyndall. With the disestablishment ofTactical Air Command (TAC) in 1992, Tyndall was temporarily transferred to theAir Combat Command (ACC) and then to theAir Education and Training Command (AETC) in July 1993.[6]
The 21st century proved to be momentous for Tyndall AFB, because it was selected as the first home of the Air Force's newest aircraft, theF-22 Raptor. In 2002 theChief of Staff of the Air Force changed the organizational structure of the 325th Fighter Wing from an objective type wing to a combat organization. This organization moved all maintenance activities under the 325th Maintenance Group and all support activities under the 325th Mission Support Group.[6]
Today, Tyndall is the home of the 325th Fighter Wing, providing training for all F-22A Raptor pilots. In 2012, with the gaining of a combat-coded F-22 squadron, Tyndall AFB returned to Air Combat Command, after a 19-year tenure in AETC.[6]
On 10 October 2018Hurricane Michael made landfall as aCategory 5 hurricane atMexico Beach just to the east of the base.[12][13] Aweather station near the base recorded a wind gust of 130 miles per hour (210 km/h) before it failed, according to theNational Hurricane Center advisory shortly after landfall.[14] TheNational Weather Service, in a preliminary report released later in the month, stated that the maximum sustained wind speed at the base was 75 knots (139 km/h; 86 mph)[a] and the maximum wind gust was 121 knots (224 km/h; 139 mph), both from 60°.[15] However, in a later interview withAviation Week on 27 October 2018, Commander Air Combat Command generalJames M. Holmes stated that, based on other data, the actual peak wind speed was closer to 172 mph.[16] Ninety-three Air Force personnel remained on the base during the storm, while the base's remaining 3,600 personnel and their families (a total of over 11,000 individuals) were evacuated beforehand.[17] Air Force officials described the damage to the base from the hurricane as "catastrophic," with all of the base's facilities being declared "unlivable".[18][19] While efforts to repair the base were underway, as of 12 October 2018 there was no confirmed time of completion on the repairs, according to 325th Fighter Wing Commander Col Brian Laidlaw. Airmen assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing were told they would be away from the installation for a significant amount of time.[20][21]Thirty-three of Tyndall´s 55F-22 stealth fighters were flown toWright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio before the storm.[22] Many of the seventeen F-22s which were left behind became damaged.[23] The extent of the damage to the planes was then unknown.[24][22] According to US SenatorBill Nelson and CongressmanMatt Gaetz, the aircraft left behind were not in a condition to be flown.[24] A spokesperson for the Air Force said that none of the F-22s were destroyed and that they "believe at this time that they are all repairable."[25]
In April 2019, the Air Force estimated the hurricane damage to the base at $4.7 billion.[26]
In April 2022, Detachment 1 of the823rd Red Horse Squadron inactivated at Tyndall and was replaced by the801st Red Horse Training Squadron. The unit's role is to provide integrated, realistic training and exercises to combat support teams.[27]
The soil of an aerial gunnery school training range on Tyndall was contaminated with lead from 12-gauge shotgun shells during World War II. Tyndall Elementary was constructed on the former site of this training range; In 2009 a $5.5 million remediation of the soil at the school was completed and a perimeter fence put up, including a "buffer zone" outside the fence. When the hurricane destroyed the fence in October 2018, contractors erected a temporary replacement slightly offset which included some sections contaminated with lead to be located within the campus. As of August 2019, a new perimeter fence was planned to be erected until 12 August 2019 and School district officials were planning to contact families of the 180 affected students.[28]
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References for history, major commands and major units[33][34][35]
The325th Fighter Wing (325 FW)'s primary mission is to provide a combat ready air dominance force, trainF-22A Raptor pilots and maintenance personnel, and train air battle managers to support the combat Air Force. Tyndall's combat mission is performed by the95th Fighter Squadron. Training for F-22 pilots is performed in the43d Fighter Squadron and the2d Fighter Training Squadron. The325th Air Control Squadron trains air battle managers for assignment to combat Air Force units. Additionally, wing personnel manage the southeasternair combat maneuvering instrumentation range and provide mission-readyF-15,F-16, and F-22 air dominance forces in support of the Commander,North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Commander,First Air Force (1 AF) /Air Forces Northern (AFNORTH) contingency plans.
From 1983 until 2010, training for F-15 Eagle pilots was performed at Tyndall AFB by the 1st, 2d, and 95th Fighter Squadrons in the F-15A, F-15B, F-15C and F-15D aircraft. The 1 FS inactivated in 2006, while the 2 FS and 95 FS inactivated in May and September 2010, respectively. During this time, Tyndall also hosted training for F-15C/D maintenance personnel and intelligence officers assigned to F-15C/D units. The 95 FS was reactivated in September 2013 as part of the F-22 Raptor consolidation plan that moved the 7th Fighter Squadron's aircraft to Tyndall. The 2nd Fighter Training Squadron was activated in 2014 to performT-38adversary operations in support of the F-22 training mission.
The 325th Fighter Wing is host to more than 30 tenant organizations located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The wing consists of the 325th Operations Group, 325th Maintenance Group, 325th Mission Support Group and 325th Medical Group. It is also augmented by two Air Reserve Component (ARC) units from theAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and theAir National Guard (ANG), respectively.
Detachment 1 of Headquarters,Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) provides instructor pilot augmentation to the 325 FW, training active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel to fly and fight F-22A Raptor aircraft.[36][37]
The44th Fighter Group of theAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is an associate unit of the 325 FW and, if mobilized, is operationally-gained the Air Combat Command (ACC). Otherwise, it operates at Tyndall as a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) of AFRC's301st Fighter Wing atNAS JRB Fort Worth/Carswell Field, Texas. The 44 FG flies and maintains the F-22A Raptor in partnership with the 325 FW.[38]
Headquarters,First Air Force at Tyndall is part of theAir Combat Command (ACC), ensuring the air sovereignty and air defense of the continental United States. As the CONUS geographical component of the bi-nationalNorth American Aerospace Defense Command and air component ofUnited States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), 1 AF also provides airspace surveillance and control and directs all air sovereignty activities for the continental United States.
1 AF primarily consists ofActive Guard and Reserve (AGR) andAir Reserve Technician (ART) personnel of theAir National Guard (ANG), augmented by additional part-time "traditional"Air National Guard andAir Force Reserve personnel, as well as active duty personnel of the U.S. Air Force,U.S. Navy,U.S. Marine Corps,U.S. Army, andU.S. Coast Guard.[39] Operationally-gained by ACC, 1 AF is the only Numbered Air Force in the Air National Guard and is responsible for all Air National Guard F-15 and F-16 fighter units.[40]
The53d Weapons Evaluation Group (53 WEG), is anAir Combat Command tenant organization that reports to the53d Wing (53 WG) at nearbyEglin Air Force Base. Among its subordinate squadrons at Tyndall, the 53 WEG manages offshore weapons ranges over the eastern Gulf of Mexico (EGOMEX), manages target drone programs ranging from sub-scale target drones to a fleet ofQF-16 Fighting Falcon Full Scale Aerial Targets (FSAT) based on conversion of older F-16A and F-16C aircraft. The 53 WEG previously managedQF-4 Phantom II FSATs, most of which were converted F-4E and F-4G aircraft. The 53 WEG also serves as primary manager for"William Tell", a biennial air-to-air weapons and aerial gunnery meet and competition for fighter aircraft held by the United States Air Force during even-numbered years.[41]
125th Student Flight, Florida Air National Guard
The 125th Student Flight is a training unit based out of Jacksonville, Florida. Established in 2018, the Tyndall AFB detachment of the 125th serves as a holding unit for Florida Air National Guard trainees. Once enlisted, Air Guardsmen awaiting basic training and tech school will be sent to the Student Flight detachment nearest to their home. The Tyndall detachment is located on a separate compound within the main air base, where instructors teach recruits basic skills and knowledge regarding the Air Force and the Florida Air National Guard.
The337th Air Control Squadron (337 ACS) is a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) of the33d Operations Group,33d Fighter Wing, atEglin AFB, Florida. As anAir Education and Training Command (AETC) unit, the 337 ACS conducts Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training (UABMT) at Tyndall AFB. All of the Air Force'sAir Battle Managers are initially trained at Tyndall prior to proceeding toTinker AFB, Oklahoma for actual positional training in theE-3 SentryAWACS aircraft orRobins AFB, Georgia for theE-8 Joint STARS aircraft.[42]
Prior to October 2012, Tyndall AFB was home to theAir Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA). Following AFCESA's merger with theAir Force Center for Engineering and the Environment andAir Force Real Property Agency, it was renamed theAir Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), but AFCEC headquarters remained with the other two previous activities which had relocated from the formerBrooks AFB toLackland AFB, part ofJoint Base San Antonio, Texas. As a tenant unit at Tyndall, AFCEC is a subordinate unit of theAir Force Materiel Command (AFMC). Its activities at Tyndall include the AFCEC Energy Directorate, Operations Directorate and Readiness and Emergency Management Directorate.[43]
TheAir Force Research Laboratory's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate atWright-Patterson AFB, Ohio maintains a research facility at Tyndall as a Geographically Separate Unit.[44]
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Tyndall Air Force Base.[45]
Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Tyndall are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
Air Combat Command (ACC)
| Air Education and Training Command (AETC)
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
Air National Guard (ANG)
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According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 14.5 square miles (37.6 km2). 14.5 square miles (37.5 km2) of it is land, and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (0.44%) is water.[46]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2019) |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4,248 | — | |
| 1980 | 4,542 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 4,318 | −4.9% | |
| 2000 | 2,757 | −36.2% | |
| 2010 | 2,994 | 8.6% | |
| 2020 | 139 | −95.4% | |
| source:[47][48] | |||
The base is delineated as the Tyndall AFBcensus-designated place (CDP) and recorded a population of 139 at the2020 census, a 95% reduction in population from 2,994 at the 2010 census.[49] It is part of thePanama City, Florida metropolitan area.
As of the 2000 census,[50] 2,757 people, 663 households, and 653 families resided on the base. The population density was 73.1/km2 (189.2/mi2). There were 663 housing units at an average density of 17.6/km2 (45.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the base was 77.8%White, 14.2%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 3.1%Asian, <0.1%Pacific Islander, 2.8% fromother races, and 4.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 8.3% of the population.[citation needed]
There were 663 households, out of which 81.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.8% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 1.4% were non-families. 1.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.59.[citation needed]
On the base the population was spread out, with 37.9% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 42.4% from 25 to 44, 2.1% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.7 males.[citation needed]
The median income for a household in the base was $34,191, and the median income for a family was $33,897. Males had a median income of $25,857 versus $19,821 for females. The per capita income for the base was $11,281. About 3.8% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[citation needed]
Bay District Schools operates area public schools. Tyndall Academy (also known as Tyndall Elementary School) is aK-8 school on the base property.[53] The area high school isRutherford High School.[54][55]
Previously Tyndall was elementary only, while Rosenwald Middle School included middle school grades.[56][57]
Other U.S. Air Force bases significantly damaged by natural disasters:
A wind gust of 130 mph (210 mph [sic]) was recently reported at a University of Florida/Weatherflow observing site near Tyndall Air Force Base before the instrument failed.
7800 Tyndall Pkwy, Tyndall AFB, FL 32403
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency This article incorporatespublic domain material from the United States Air Force
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