366 Fighter Wing

Mountain Home AFB and the 366th Wing have a rich history that stretches back more than 50 years to the United States' entry into World War II. Although the wing itself was not activated until after World War II, it shares the World War II heritage of the 366th Operations Group, whose precursor organization, the 366th Fighter Group, stood up about the same time the base was being built. In early 1991, the Air Force announced that the 366th would become the Air Force's premier "air intervention" composite wing.

Over the next decade the wing operated with fighters, bombers and tankers. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the consolidation of the Air Force's KC-135 and B-1 force led to the reallocation of the wing's bombers and tankers to McConnell AFB, Kansas, and Ellsworth  AFB, S.D. The wing was also home to F-16CJ Fighter Falcon aircraft from 1991 to March 2007. The F-16CJs left the base in another effort to consolidate from multiple airframes to one at Air Force installations across the country.

Air Combat Command

In World War II as the United States and its allies gained air superiority in the skies over Europe, the multifaceted role of tactical air power proved pivotal.  Allied pilots provided close air support for ground troops, prevented enemy reinforcements from reaching the front lines through battlefield interdiction, attacked lines of communication and supply targets, gathered vital intelligence through reconnaissance and surveillance, and airlifted entire airborne divisions behind enemy lines. 

The War Department recognized tactical air as one of the three pillars of modern air power when it established the Tactical Air Command (TAC) on 21 March 1946, along with the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and the Air Defense Command. Tactical Air Command complimented Strategic Air Command’s strategic approach of delivering an all-out nuclear punch with the tactical role of fighting limited wars with conventional arms. TAC Headquarters was initially activated at Tampa, Florida on 21 March 1946 but was moved to Langley Field, Virginia on 21 May. This move was directed by Headquarters Army Air Forces in order to locate the headquarters closer to the Headquarters Army Ground Forces at Fort Monroe and the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Headquarters in Norfolk.

F-15 E Strike Eagle and Weapon Systems

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night and in all weather.