Creech AFB, Nev., a major hub of operations for the Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicle fleet, turned 67 on Jan. 14. The base, located about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, was first used as a military training camp on Jan. 14, 1942, under the name Indian Springs Airport. It operated throughout World War II, was inactivated in January 1947, but then reopened the following year under the new name: Indian Springs Air Force Base. Throughout the Cold War, it served in a variety of roles, including the practice site for the Thunderbirds air demonstration team. The base was later remained the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, which stuck until June 2005, when the Air Force redesignated it Creech Air Force Base in honor of Gen. Bill Creech who led Tactical Air Command from 1978 to 1984 and is considered the “father of the Thunderbirds.” Today, the base is home to the 432nd Wing and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which operate MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers. It also hosts the 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron, 98th Southern Ranges Support Squadron and the Joint Unmanned Aircraft System center of excellence. (Creech report by Theodore Turner)
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.