Eglin Air Force Base
| Eglin Air Force Base | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Valparaiso, Florida in United States | |||||||||
An F-35A Lightning of the 33rd Fighter Wing based at Eglin AFB | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | eglin.af.mil | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°29′22″N 86°32′32″W / 30.48944°N 86.54222°W | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1935 (as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base) | ||||||||
| In use | 1935–present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison |
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| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS, WMO: 722210 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 25.6 metres (84 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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| Airfield shared with Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport Source: Federal Aviation Administration | |||||||||
Eglin Air Force Base (IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) systems.
Eglin AFB was established 90 years ago in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It is named in honor of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin (1891–1937), who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 attack aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Alabama.