Sheppard Air Force Base

Sheppard Air Force Base
Near Wichita Falls, Texas in the United States of America
Aircraft from the 80th Flying Training Wing and personnel from the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard AFB.
Aircraft from the 80th Flying Training Wing and personnel from the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard AFB.
Sheppard AFB is located in North America
Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB is located in the United States
Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB is located in Texas
Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB
Coordinates33°59′20″N 098°29′31″W / 33.98889°N 98.49194°W / 33.98889; -98.49194
TypeUS Air Force Base
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Air Force (USAF)
Controlled byAir Education and Training Command (AETC)
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.sheppard.af.mil
Site history
Built1941 (1941) (as Sheppard Field)
In use1941 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander
Brigadier General George T.M. Dietrich III
Garrison
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: SPS, ICAO: KSPS, FAA LID: SPS, WMO: 723513
Elevation310.5 metres (1,019 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
15R/33L 3,992.8 metres (13,100 ft) Concrete
15C/33C 3,048.6 metres (10,002 ft) Asphalt & concrete
17/35 2,140 metres (7,021 ft) Asphalt
15L/33R 1,828.8 metres (6,000 ft) Asphalt & concrete
Airfield shared with Wichita Falls Municipal Airport.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Sheppard Air Force Base (IATA: SPS, ICAO: KSPS, FAA LID: SPS) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located five miles (8.0 km) north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Education and Training Command. The base is named in honor of Texas Senator John Morris Sheppard, a supporter of military preparations before World War II.

The host unit at Sheppard is the 82d Training Wing (82 TRW), which provides specialized technical training and field training for officers, airmen and civilians of all branches of the U.S. military, other Department of Defense agencies and foreign nationals.

The 80th Flying Training Wing (80 FTW), also at Sheppard, conducts the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program, a multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for both USAF and NATO. This internationally manned and managed flying training program is the only one in the world.[2]

Brigadier General [1] George T.M. Dietrich III is the commander of the 82d Training Wing and he concurrently serves as the installation commander of Sheppard AFB. Colonel [2] Brad E. Orgeron is the commander of the 80th Flying Training Wing.

Sheppard AFB shares one runway with Wichita Falls Municipal Airport under a joint civil-military arrangement.

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Sheppard AFB/Wichita Falls Muni (KSPS)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Sheppard Air Force Base > Library > Sheppard History". sheppard.af.mil. Retrieved 4 February 2019.