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Robins Air Force Base

Coordinates: 32°38′24″N 083°35′30″W / 32.64000°N 83.59167°W / 32.64000; -83.59167
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Robins Air Force Base
Warner Robins, Georgia in the United States of America
A C-5 Galaxy undergoing modifications during 2011 at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center.
A C-5 Galaxy undergoing modifications during 2011 at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center.
Robins AFB is located in North America
Robins AFB
Robins AFB
Robins AFB is located in the United States
Robins AFB
Robins AFB
Robins AFB is located in Georgia
Robins AFB
Robins AFB
Coordinates32°38′24″N 083°35′30″W / 32.64000°N 83.59167°W / 32.64000; -83.59167
TypeUS Air Force Base
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Air Force
Controlled byAir Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.robins.af.mil
Site history
Built1941 (1941) – 1942
In use1942 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Colonel Lindsay Droz
Garrison78th Air Base Wing (Host)
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: WRB, ICAO: KWRB, FAA LID: WRB, WMO: 722175
Elevation89.6 metres (294 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
15/33 3,657.9 metres (12,001 ft) Porous European Mix
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Robins Air Force Base (IATA: WRB, ICAO: KWRB) is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, 18 mi (29 km) south-southeast of Macon and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south-southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The base is named in honor of Brig Gen Augustine Warner Robins, the Air Force's "father of logistics".[2] The base is the single largest industrial complex in Georgia, employing a workforce of over 25,584 civilian, contractor, and military members.[3]

Robins AFB is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command's Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) (FLZ) which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics and accessories components. The commander of WR-ALC is Colonel Deedrick L. Reese .[4] It is one of three Air Force Air Logistic Complexes, the others being Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC) at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and Ogden Air Logistics Complex (OO-ALC) at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The host unit at Robins AFB is the 78th Air Base Wing (78 ABW) which provides services and support for the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex and its tenant organizations.

History

[edit]
Robins Army Airfield, about 1944

The War Department, in search of a site for an Army Air Corps Depot, selected the sleepy whistle-stop town known as Wellston, Georgia, 18 miles south of Macon. Army Colonel Charles Thomas, originally from Atlanta, landed at the Herbert Smart Airport near Camp Wheeler near Macon in October 1941 to oversee the building of the location which would later become the home to Wellston Air Depot at Robins Field (later to become Robins AFB).[5]

It was Col. Thomas who chose the name Robins for his mentor Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins. Brig. Gen. Robins is considered the "father of logistics" in the United States Air Force for his system of cataloging supplies and materials. He had a lengthy military career prior to becoming the chief of the Air Corps Materiel Division. Robins traveled in China disguised as a millionaire tourist, collecting intelligence for the Army. He also went to Mexico where he served under Gen. John J. Pershing in the Army's campaign against Pancho Villa. He trained during World War I to become a pilot earning his wings in June 1918. He didn't get to see combat because the war was ending. Robins suffered a near-fatal plane crash in 1921 in which his jaw and arm were severely broken. Brig. Gen. Robins died of a heart attack on Father's Day, 16 June 1940, at Randolph Field, Texas, while he was Commandant of the Air Corps Training Center.[5]

Aerial view of Robins Air Depot aircraft hangar

After World War II, the number of military and civilian employees dropped until in March 1946 it reached a total of only 3,900. The workforce grew again as the base supported the Berlin Airlift, until by 1949 the workforce had grown again to 11,000.[6] When the Air Force closed down its maintenance depots at the former Brookley AFB in Mobile, Alabama, and the former Olmsted AFB in Middleton Township, Pennsylvania, Robins AFB assumed the workload of these depots.

On 28 October 1949, Robins AFB became the headquarters of the 14th Air Force, the numbered air force responsible for administering the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.[7]

Some Robins AFB SAC units went to Guam or Vietnam during the Vietnam War and took part in many of the bombing missions. Maintenance teams from Robins frequently traveled to Southeast Asia to repair severely damaged aircraft. Robins AFB eventually managed the Lockheed C-141, C-7, and the F-15 Eagle as well as modifying the C-130s to the gunship configuration.

Robins played a key role in the Vietnam War (1964–73), supplying troops and materiel through the Southeast Asian Pipeline and modifying AC-119G/K and AC-130 gunships. Also playing a role were the C-141, the C-130, the C-123, and the C-124 cargo aircraft—all maintained at Robins. In 1973 these same C-141s supported the resupply of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. In October 1983, C-130s from Robins supported U.S. forces in the invasion of Grenada.

Between 1977 and 1981, Robins was the air base used by former President Jimmy Carter during his tenure on visits to his hometown of Plains. SAC's B-52s left Robins in 1983 leaving the 19th Wing as the sole SAC unit on the base with its KC-135s.

Modern era

[edit]
President George W. Bush hugs a trick-or-treater Tuesday, 31 October 2006, during a Halloween visit to a housing development on base.

In 1990–91, during the Persian Gulf War, Robins provided record numbers of parts, repairs, and personnel to coalition forces in the Persian Gulf. Robins-maintained F-15 Eagles and the E-8 Joint STARS played key roles in defeating the Iraqi military powers. In March–June 1999, during Operation Allied Force, the same employees and weapon systems played a decisive role in defeating the forces of the Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic.

In 1996, the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Fighter Wing at Dobbins AFB relinquished their F-15 aircraft and moved to Robins, transitioning to B-1 Lancer bombers and being redesignated as the 116th Bomb Wing. That same year, the former 93rd Bomb Wing at Robins was reactivated as the 93rd Air Control Wing with the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft. In 2001, the B-1 bombers left Robins AFB and the Georgia Air National Guard entered into a merged Active-Guard "associate" wing arrangement in the Joint STARS mission with the active Air Force, with the Air National Guard holding lead responsibility as the 116th Air Control Wing.

The Warner Robins Air Logistic Complex and Robins AFB form the largest single industrial complex in the State of Georgia. The 23,000 civilian employees have an annual payroll over $1 billion. The Logistic Complex manages and overhauls the F-15, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, and the AC-130 gunships—and all of the Air Force's helicopters. In addition, the Complex also supports the C-17 Globemaster III and U-2 aircraft.

Until June 2008, Robins was also the home of the KC-135s of the 19th Air Refueling Group, when the unit was inactivated, then reactivated a month later as the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. The E-8s of the 116th Air Control Wing continues to operate at Robins as a combined Regular Air Force and Georgia Air National Guard air control wing, and the headquarters of the Air Force Reserve Command is also located on the base. The metropolis of Warner Robins, Georgia, has grown in proportion to become the sixth largest city in Georgia.

Robins AFB main gate sign

For a brief period, Robins AFB was the home of the C-27J Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse officially began classes at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia on 9 September 2009. L-3 Link (a subsidiary of the former L3 Technologies) operated the official C-27J schoolhouse at the Georgia Department of Defense's Fixed Wing Flight Facility at Robins AFB. This flight facility included training classrooms, computer learning center, a 100-person auditorium, flight planning, and fight operations areas. The facility also housed the resident Government Flight Representative and Aviation Program Team assigned to the C-27J contract. Fixed Wing Flight Facility Robins AFB is also home of Hotel Company, 171st Aviation Regiment, Georgia Army National Guard, flying the cargo delivery Short C-23 Sherpa. The schoolhouse was deactivated when the Air Force divested its C-27J fleet as part of the 2014 National Defence Authorization Act.[8][9]

On 1 April 2016, an EF-1 tornado ripped through the northeast corner of Centerville and continued over Robins Air Force Base, ripping off hangar roofs.

Robins was one of several filming locations used in the 2020 disaster film Greenland, with the protagonist and his family being sent to the base to be evacuated in advance of a catastrophic comet impact.

Major commands

[edit]
  • Air Service Command, 22 July 1942
Redesignated: Army Air Forces Materiel and Services Command, 17 July 1944
Redesignated: Army Air Forces Technical Service Command, 31 August 1944
Redesignated: Air Technical Service Command, 1 July 1945
Redesignated: Air Materiel Command, 9 March 1946
Redesignated: Air Force Logistics Command, 1 April 1961 – 1 July 1992

Major units assigned

[edit]

Role and operations

[edit]
Team Robins Logo

Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex

[edit]

Has worldwide management and engineering responsibility for the repair, modification and overhaul of the F-15 Eagle, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, and C-5 Galaxy, C-5M Super Galaxy, Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, RQ-4A Global Hawk, Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft. In addition to these weapon systems, the ALC has worldwide management responsibility for the U-2S Dragon Lady, all Air Force helicopters, all special operations aircraft and their peculiar avionics systems. The center also provides logistic support for all the C-17 Globemaster III, Air Force missiles, vehicles, general purpose computers, and many avionics and electronic warfare systems used on most Air Force aircraft.

Through about 7,000 employees, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) provides depot maintenance, engineering support and software development to major weapon systems [F-15, C-5, C-130, C-17 and Special Operations Forces (SOF) aircraft]. The Complex achieves command objectives providing a capability/capacity to support peacetime maintenance requirements, wartime emergency demands, aircraft battle damage repair and a ready source of maintenance of critical items.

Reorganized on 17 July 2012 from an Air Logistics Center to an Air Logistics Complex, it currently consists of five Groups --- see below.

78th Air Base Wing

[edit]

The wing provides support for Robins AFB and its 39 associate units. Responsible for logistics readiness, medical, civil engineer, security, comptroller activities, contracting, morale and welfare, mission support, public affairs, legal civilian personnel, environmental management, fire emergency services, and emergency management for the installation.

  • 78th Mission Support Group
  • 78th Medical Group
  • 78th Civil Engineer Group
  • 78th Security Forces Squadron
  • 78th Operations Support Squadron
  • 78th Comptroller Squadron
  • 78th Communications Directorate

402d Aircraft Maintenance Group (402 AMXG)

[edit]

Provides Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) and unscheduled repair activities on F-15, C-130, C-5 and C-17 aircraft. Responsible for the repair, modification, reclamation and rework of over 200 aircraft worldwide. Prepares and deploys combat Aircraft Battle Damage Repair (ABDR), crash recovery and supply and transportation teams worldwide.

402d Commodities Maintenance Group (402 CMXG)

[edit]

Provides depot maintenance support to major weapons systems, primarily F-15, C-5, C-130 and Special Operation Forces (SOF) aircraft, through major structural repair, manufacturing, modification, component and special process repair. Applies industrial engineering and production control programs and procedures.

402d Electronics Maintenance Group (402 EMXG)

[edit]

Provides combat-ready avionics parts and services to our warfighting forces. Production encompasses 75 percent of the Air Force organic workload, consisting of 275 key systems incorporating 6,100 discrete items. Transformed capability into effects through outstanding depot-level test, maintenance, manufacturing, repair, and engineering capabilities for all Department of Defense Services and Foreign Military Sales.

402d Maintenance Support Group (402 MXSG)

[edit]

Provides logistics support for depot maintenance repair facilities and provides plant facilities, equipment engineering, calibration, and installation support to the wing's infrastructure. The unit is organized into two squadrons: the Industrial Services Squadron, which manages capital investment-related programs; and the Maintenance Materiel Support Squadron, which is responsible for determining, establishing, maintaining, forecasting, and transporting inventory of consumable and exchangeable materiel required for depot maintenance.

402d Software Engineering Group (402 SWEG)

[edit]

Serves as the single organic source of Mission Critical Computer Resources and Automatic Test Equipment software for all assigned prime systems and equipment and for all echelons of maintenance requiring computer programming skills and assembly level computer programming languages. Designs, develops, and provides new, altered, updated, or modified software and updates/corrects existing avionics items/system software. Provides on-site engineering assistance to identify and correct software deficiencies and provides criteria and documentation for automated equipment. Conducts feasibility studies for the application of automation to the depot maintenance process, and serve as the Automatic Test Systems focal point for the wing.

Tenant Units

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Based units

[edit]

The following are flying and notable non-flying units based at Robins Air Force Base.[10][11][12]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Robins, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

[edit]

Museum of Aviation

[edit]
Airphoto of the museum

Near the base, is the Museum of Aviation,[14] begun in 1981, has four major structures on its 51 acres and more than 85 historic aircraft. The museum is also home to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame which honors outstanding Georgians prominent in aviation.

The approximate 85 aircraft and missiles on display include a B-1, a B-52, an F-15, an F-16, an SR-71, a Marietta, Georgia-built B-29, and a C-123 modified as a sprayer aircraft that was used by the U.S. military as part of its Agent Orange herbicidal warfare program (Operation Ranch Hand) during the Vietnam War.

It has become a major regional educational and historical resource that hosts more than 500,000 visitors annually.

Geography

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The base is located in northeastern Houston County, bordered to the west by the city of Warner Robins. The Ocmulgee River is to the east. It is 17 miles (27 km) south of Macon.

Demographics

[edit]
Robins Air Force Base CDP
Census-designated place
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyHouston
Elevation
[15]
266 ft (81 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,061
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID2403484[15]

Robins Air Force Base CDP is a census-designated place (CDP) and the official name for an area covering the residential population of the Robins Air Force Base, in Houston County, Georgia, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 1980 U.S. Census.[16] The population at the 2020 census was 1,061.[17]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19803,571—
19903,092−13.4%
20003,94927.7%
20101,170−70.4%
20201,061−9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1970[19] 1980[16] 1990[20]
2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23]
Robins AFB CDP, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[24] Pop 2010[22] Pop 2020[23] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 2,174 791 588 55.05% 67.61% 55.42%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,263 203 172 31.98% 17.35% 16.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 22 3 6 0.56% 0.26% 0.57%
Asian alone (NH) 98 25 26 2.48% 2.14% 2.45%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 17 6 0 0.43% 0.51% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 25 0 8 0.63% 0.00% 0.75%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 155 34 98 3.93% 2.91% 9.24%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 195 108 163 4.94% 9.23% 15.36%
Total 3,949 1,170 1,061 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2010 census, the residential population on the base was 1,170,[25] in 231 households, 203 of which were families. There were 245 housing units. The racial makeup of the base residents was 72.6% White, 18.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 0.6% some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population.[26]

72.3% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were headed by married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.1% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33, and the average family size was 3.62.[26]

28.4% of the residential population were under the age of 18, 38.4% were from 18 to 24, 27.5% were from 25 to 44, 5.2% were from 45 to 64, and 0.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 157.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 196.1 males.[26]

For the period 2011–15, the estimated median annual income for a household in the base was $62,125, and the median income for a family was $62,375. Male full-time workers had a median income of $28,529 versus $35,500 for females. The per capita income for the base was $20,122. About 7.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[27]

Tornadoes

[edit]

As with the adjacent city of Warner Robins, tornadoes have continually plagued the base since its inception with the 1950s seeing at least two catastrophic tornadoes strike the area. The first one occurred on 30 April 1953, when an F4 tornado with winds of over 200 mph hit the base, killing 18 people near the base and injuring 300 more.[28][29] Just ten months later on March 13, 1954, a long-tracked F1 tornado struck the base, killing one and injuring five.[30] At least seven tornadoes have hit the base and the surrounding area.[31]

Amateur radio restrictions

[edit]

The US Code of Federal Regulations specifies that amateur radio operators within 200 kilometers of Robins must not transmit with more than 50 watts of power on the 70-centimeter band.[32]

See also

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References

[edit]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Robins Air Force Base. United States Air Force.

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Robins AFB (KWRB)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  2. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 190. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  3. ^ "Robins AFB". www.militarybases.us. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Deedrick Reese".
  5. ^ a b The Father of AF Logistics: The Life and Times of Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins (RCS HAF-CHO(AR) 7101); William Head, PhD; Office of History, WR-ALC, Air Force Logistics Command, Robins AFB, GA, 1991
  6. ^ AFD-140718-056 - R O B I N S A F B a n d 7 8 A B W H e r i t a g e P a m p h l e t (PDF). United States Air Force. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  7. ^ Keith Barr. "AF RESERVE HISTORY AT ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE". Air Force Reserve Command. AFRC History Office. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  8. ^ "New Air Force Cargo Plane flies straight into mothballs". Fox News. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  9. ^ "H.R. 1960 (113th): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014". Govtrack. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Units". Robins AFB. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Military Intelligence Detachment (JSTARS)". US Army Intelligence and Security Command. US Army. 19 June 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  12. ^ Moriarty, Kristin (7 May 2019). "Defense Logistics Agency at Robins Air Force Base: Director of Distribution shares insight". Defense Logistics Agency. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  13. ^ "New BACN mission begins with 18th ACCS activation". Robins Air Force Base. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  14. ^ Museum of Aviation Official site at Robins AFB
  15. ^ a b "Robins Air Force Base Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  16. ^ a b "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  17. ^ "Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  19. ^ "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1970.
  20. ^ "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1990.
  21. ^ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  22. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  24. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  25. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 19 May 2017.[dead link]
  26. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1): Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  27. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Robins AFB CDP, Georgia". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  28. ^ Mackie, Matt. "Midstate residents remember EF4 tornado in Warner Robins 65 years ago". WGXA. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  29. ^ National Weather Service (February 2020). Georgia Event Report: F4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Georgia F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Tornado History Project: Houston County, Georgia". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  32. ^ "47 CFR §2.106 - Footnote US270". Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  • Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
  • Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
  • Shettle, M. L. (2005), Georgia's Army Airfields of World War II. ISBN 0-9643388-3-1
  • Ryan Winkle. 4\25 BSTB Fort Richardson Alaska: STP-21-1-SMCT: Department of the Army- ATSE-DOT-DD: Directorate of Tranining:320 Engineer Loop-Suite 336-Fort-Leonard-Wood-MIssouri-65473-8929:Joint-Engineer-Operations:Field-Manual:5-34
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