Westover Air Reserve Base

Westover Air Reserve Base
Chicopee, Massachusetts in the United States
An aerial view showing C-5 Galaxies of the 439th Airlift Wing parked on the ramp at Westover ARB
Westover ARB is located in Massachusetts
Westover ARB
Westover ARB
Westover ARB is located in the United States
Westover ARB
Westover ARB
Westover ARB is located in North America
Westover ARB
Westover ARB
Westover ARB is located in North Atlantic
Westover ARB
Westover ARB
Coordinates42°11′38″N 72°32′05″W / 42.19389°N 72.53472°W / 42.19389; -72.53472 (Westover ARB)
TypeAir Reserve base
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Air Force (USAF)
Controlled byAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.westover.afrc.af.mil
Site history
Built1939 (1939)
In use1939 – present
Garrison information
Garrison439th Airlift Wing (host)
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF, FAA LID: CEF, WMO: 744910
Elevation73.4 metres (241 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
05/23 3,534.8 metres (11,597 ft) asphalt/concrete
15/33 2,159.5 metres (7,085 ft) asphalt/concrete
Airfield shared with Westover Metropolitan Airport
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Westover Air Reserve Base (IATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF, FAA LID: CEF) is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Established at the outset of World War II, today Westover is the largest Air Force Reserve base in the United States, home to approximately 5,500 military and civilian personnel, and covering 2500 acres (10 km²).[2] Until 2011, it was a backup landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle and in the past few years has expanded to include a growing civilian access airport (Westover Metropolitan Airport) sharing Westover's military-maintained runways.[3] The installation was named for Major General Oscar Westover who was commanding officer of the Army Air Corps in the 1930s.[4]

The host unit is the 439th Airlift Wing (439 AW) of the Fourth Air Force (4 AF), Air Force Reserve Command. Outside of the AFRC command structure, the 439 AW and Westover are operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

Due to its location as one of the few remaining active military air bases in the northeast United States, Westover ARB is transited by many different U.S. military aircraft of all the services.[5]

Westover ARB has the longest runway in Massachusetts.

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Westover ARB/Metropolitan (CEF)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. ^ "About Westover Air Reserve Base". Westover Air Reserve Base. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Westover AFB, Mass - 99th Bomb Wing -  B-52 - NEED INFO". www.strategic-air-command.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ Bowers, Peter M., "Captain of the Clouds", Airpower, Granada Hills, California, July 1972, Volume 2, Number 4, page 33.
  5. ^ "Presidential aircraft parked temporarily at Westover". 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2015.

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