Kirtland Air Force Base

Kirtland Air Force Base
Albuquerque, New Mexico in United States of America
Buildings at Kirtland AFB, including the air traffic control tower
Kirtland AFB Show map of North America Kirtland AFB Show map of the United States Kirtland AFB Show map of New Mexico
Coordinates	35°02′25″N 106°36′33″W / 35.04028°N 106.60917°W / 35.04028; -106.60917
Type	US Air Force base
Site information
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
Condition	Operational
Website	www.kirtland.af.mil
Site history
Built	1941 (1941)
In use	1942 – present
Garrison information
Garrison	377th Air Base Wing (Host)
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: ABQ, ICAO: KABQ, FAA LID: ABQ, WMO: 723649
Elevation	1,632.2 metres (5,355 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26 4,204.1 metres (13,793 ft) concrete 03/21 3,048 metres (10,000 ft) concrete 12/30 1,828.8 metres (6,000 ft) concrete
Airfield shared with Albuquerque International Sunport Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Kirtland Air Force Base (IATA: ABQ, ICAO: KABQ) is a United States Air Force base. It is located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy C. Kirtland.^[2] The military and the international airport share the same runways, making ABQ a joint civil-military airport.

Kirtland AFB is the largest installation in Air Force Global Strike Command and sixth largest in the United States Air Force. The base occupies 51,558 acres and employs over 23,000 people, including more than 4,200 active duty and 1,000 Guard, plus 3,200 part-time Reserve personnel.^[3] In 2000, Kirtland AFB's economic impact on the City of Albuquerque was over $2.7 billion. ^{[citation needed]}

Kirtland is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command's Nuclear Weapons Center (NWC). The NWC's responsibilities include acquisition, modernization and sustainment of nuclear system programs for both the Department of Defense and Department of Energy. The NWC is composed of two wings–the 377th Air Base Wing and 498th Nuclear Systems Wing–along with ten groups and seven squadrons.

Kirtland is home to the 58th Special Operations Wing (58 SOW), an Air Education and Training Command (AETC) unit that provides formal aircraft type/model/series training. The 58 SOW operates the HC-130J, MC-130J, UH-1N Huey, HH-60G Pave Hawk and CV-22 Osprey aircraft. Headquarters, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center is also located at Kirtland AFB. Additionally the 150th Special Operations Wing of the New Mexico Air National Guard, an Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained unit, is also garrisoned at Kirtland.^[4]