In 1992, the 49th Wing transitioned to the F-117 Nighthawk, and in 1999 deployed aircraft in support of Operation Allied Force, a NATO campaign in Yugoslavia to halt ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and in later operations in the Middle East. The Fightin’ 49ers would go on to call Holloman home for the next 55 years, a well-deserved rest after 27 other home station changes throughout their valorous service in World War II, the Korean War, and other Cold War conflicts. The roar of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing’s F-4 Phantom II fighter engines filled the New Mexico skies on 15 July 1968, bringing change to Holloman Air Force Base and the Alamogordo community by transitioning from predominantly a research site to introducing a new era of tactical fighter aircraft operations and training. “In an ever-changing world, this base has seen the evolution of airpower from first-generation bombers to the modern-day cyber-age weapons system.” “In the course of its history, the base went from bomber training, to test and development, to fighter pilot training, to RPA training,” said Martha Whipple, 49th Wing historian. Toward the end of the war, the base hosted Boeing B-29s Superfortresses, the same type of aircraft which would be used to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Initially, its primary purpose was to train B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews, but its mission jump started after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. HAFB was established in 1942 as an Army Air Corps training facility known as Alamogordo Army Air Field during World War II. This year, the 49th Wing celebrated 55 years of operations in the Tularosa Basin.īoth the wing’s and installation’s histories start in World War II and converge in 1968, when the 49th Wing arrived at Holloman. Since its establishment in 1942, the base has played a pivotal role in advancing aviation technology, training pilots, and supporting various military operations. Holloman Air Force Base stands as a statement to the legacy of American air power.
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