The history of Cannon Air Force Base (Cannon airbase) began in the late 1920s, when an airstrip and a passenger terminal were built 11 km west of the town of Clovis, in New Mexico. The airport, mainly serving postal services, was renamed Clovis Municipal Airport in the late 1930s. After the United States entered World War II (in 1942), the airport became the Clovis Army Air Base. In wartime, in the southern United States, where the weather was mostly dry and sunny, airfields and training grounds were massively built to train military pilots. Clovis airbase was no exception, it was transferred to the 16th Bomber Wing for training and training of the crews of the four-engine B-24 Liberator bombers that bombed objects on the territory of the Third Reich.
In November 1943, the first B-29 Superfortress arrived at the airbase. For the "Superfortresses" just launched into serial production, which were to fight in the Pacific theater of operations, the first release of trained crews took place on April 1, 1944. In order to develop practical bombing skills by pilots and navigators-bombardiers, targets were built 45 km west of the airfield. Some of them have survived to this day and are part of the operating air range. Interestingly, there is a cattle ranch just 7 kilometers from the bomb targets.
Satellite image of Google Earth: a target for practicing high-altitude bombing at an air range
On April 16, Clovis Air Base was transferred from the jurisdiction of the US Air Force to the Continental Air Command, which was in charge of the National Guard Air Force, mobilization reserves, and auxiliary air transport. Which meant a decrease in the status of the airbase.
In the middle of 1946, due to a reduction in defense expenditures, the airfield was mothballed, and the question arose of its liquidation as a military facility. However, after the start of the Cold War and the course taken by the US leadership for "nuclear superiority", the airbase was subordinated to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) - the Strategic Air Command. And here again the B-29 bombers returned. However, soon the "Superfortresses" were relocated to Asian and European airfields, and the airbase in the vicinity of the city of Clovis was once again going to be liquidated.
These plans were thwarted by the outbreak of the war on the Korean Peninsula. The Air Force and the National Guard once again required an airfield to train and train pilots. On July 23, 1951, the Tactical Air Command (TAC) - Tactical Air Command - became the head of the airbase, and several squadrons of the 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing were stationed in Clovis on piston F-51D Mustang fighters.
F-86F Saber 417 Squadron from 50th Air Wing
In the summer of 1953, the 50th Fighter Wing F-86F Saber jet flew to Clovis. Soon, planes of the 338th fighter-bomber wing were located next to them, which eventually turned out to be much more in the airbase parking lots, since the main part of the 50th wing was located on the "front line" of the Cold War - American airbases in Germany. In addition to the three F-86F squadrons, the 338th Air Wing had 5 T-33 Shooting Stars jet trainers and 5 C-47 Dakota transport and passenger vehicles.
Training T-33 Shooting Stars at the Cannon Air Base Memorial Site
Political ups and downs are directly related to the history of the airbase. So, in the mid-50s, Charles de Gaulle, who came to power in France, decided to get rid of the American military presence. And the F-86H fighters of the 312th Fighter-Bomber Wing flew from French airfields to New Mexico. Soon, the Sabers of the 474th Fighter Wing were added to them, and the airbase became crowded.
F-100D Super Saber
In 1957, the rearmament to the supersonic F-100D Super Saber was completed, and over the next 12 years, these fighters were deployed at the airbase. In the same 1957, the airbase was renamed Air Force Base Cannon in honor of the late General John Cannon, the former commander of the Tactical Air Command. In this regard, Cannon airbase is often referred to as "Cannon" among the flight and technical personnel.
After the US intervened in the fighting in Indochina, the Super Sabers, based in New Mexico, went to Southeast Asia. Cannon Air Force Base has become a training site for pilots prior to departure to Vietnam. Special emphasis in training pilots was placed on instrument flights and training in air combat.
The F-100 repainted in tropical camouflage not only accompanied the F-105 Thunderchief bombers, but also carried out bombing and assault strikes with 250 and 500-pound bombs, napalm tanks and NAR. Meetings with the North Vietnamese MiGs were sporadic. However, several vehicles were lost to anti-aircraft fire.
For its time, the fairly light and maneuverable F-100 was a very good machine, and it proved itself worthy in providing close air support during the repulsion of Viet Cong attacks in South Vietnam. However, the F-100's range was not enough to escort bombers striking the DRV. In addition, the lack of radar and modern air combat missiles on the fighter made it ineffective in countering North Vietnamese MiGs. In addition, the operation of the Super Sabers in a humid tropical climate revealed a number of technical problems that reduced the readiness of fighters for combat missions. All this led to the fact that the role of the F-100 in the Vietnam War faded away by the beginning of the 70s.
After the withdrawal of the F-100 from Southeast Asia, all surviving fighters with sufficient flight life were transferred in 1972 to the Air Force of the National Guard and to test units. The Vietnam War showed that the US Air Force needed new attack vehicles capable of operating in a strong air defense environment, and squadrons of the 27th Tactical Wing deployed at Cannon switched to the F-111 Aardvark supersonic fighter-bombers with variable wing geometry. The first F-111A / E entered Cannon Air Force Base in the second half of 1969.
F-111 of various modifications from the 27th air wing
However, the operation of new aircraft was initially associated with a host of technical problems. The reliability of a very complex avionics left much to be desired, and wing mechanization failures led to flight accidents. However, as the aircraft were mastered and a new modification (F-111D) arrived, the 554th Fighter Squadron was declared fully operational in 1974. The personnel of the Cannon airbase played a significant role in the military tests of the new strike vehicle, which was facilitated by the proximity of the aviation ranges and flight test centers. The F-111D was followed by the F-111F with improved avionics and a reinforced chassis. After the withdrawal of the 509th Bomber Wing from the Portsmouth Pease Air Base in New Hampshire, the FB-111A belonging to this unit was taken to Cannon. The FB-111A bomber was a strategic all-weather version of the F-111 tactical fighter-bomber.
From June 1, 1992, Cannon AFB became part of Air Combat Command (ACC) - the Air Combat Command, which is supposed to control the actions of tactical aircraft in various theaters of operations. For better interaction, according to the experience of military operations in the Persian Gulf, the 27th Air Wing also included the EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft.
In the summer of 1995, the fighter-bomber squadrons of the 27th Air Wing began to re-equip with F-16C / D Fighting Falcon fighters. The F-111F was retired in September 1995 and the EF-111A in May 1998. After that, the service of various modifications of the F-111, which lasted for 29 years at Cannon AFB, ended.
F-16C fighters from the 27th air wing
In 2005, the US government once again announced plans to shut down Cannon. It came to the withdrawal of all F-16 fighters from the airbase, but the “difficult international situation” once again intervened in the liquidation process. As part of the global campaign with "international terrorism" that has begun, the armed forces needed a base for the "special forces" aviation.
On June 20, 2006, it was announced that the 27th Fighter Wing at Cannon AFB would be reorganizing into the 27th Special Operations Wing. Part of the equipment and weapons of the 16th Special Operations Wing was transferred here from the Helbert Field airbase, in particular, the AC-130H Specter and MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft. The MQ-1B Predator, MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, AC-130W Stinger II and MC-130J fire support and special forces aircraft were new. As the AC-130W Stinger II arrived, old 80s-built fire support vehicles were sent to the Davis Montan storage base.
Aircraft fire support AC-130W Stinger II
The AC-130W Stinger II fire support aircraft is a further development of the American gunship range. Its production began in 2010. Compared to the AC-130H Specter, the armament of the AC-130W Stinger II has changed significantly. Unlike the gunboats previously created on the basis of the transport Hercules, the main weapon of the AC-130W Stinger II is the AGM-176 Griffin and GBU-39 guided aviation ammunition, rather than artillery pieces.
However, one 30-mm cannon is retained on board to defeat point targets, since during the support of special forces forces a situation may arise when the use of fragmentation ammunition is unacceptable due to the possibility of hitting its own troops.
Satellite image of Google Earth: planes of special operations forces at the parking lot of Cannon airbase
Currently, about 4,000 military personnel are serving on a permanent basis at Cannon Air Base and 600 civilians are employed. The concrete runway is 3,048 meters long. Since 2012, the runway is being reconstructed and the parking lot expanded.
If special aircraft based on military transport C-130 are constantly in the open parking areas of the air base, then combat drones and Osprey tiltrotors are usually kept in closed hangars.
The airbase has a developed radio engineering complex that ensures flight safety. Not far from the control tower is a tower with a radar air traffic control (GCA) interrogator that sends a signal to a transponder installed on board the aircraft. The airbase also has a WSR-88D meteorological radar capable of detecting rain clouds and thunderstorm fronts at a great distance.
Satellite image of Google Earth: stationary radar in the vicinity of Cannon airbase
A stationary radar station ARSR-3 is installed on a hill 20 km west of the airbase. Data from it are transmitted in real time to the flight control point. Another radar, which ensures the safety of flights and carries out objective control during the development of combat use, is located directly at the aviation range.
Satellite image of Google Earth: radar station at the Melrose aviation range
The Melrose Range Air, located 45 kilometers southwest of the airbase runway, deserves special mention. At the test site, hundreds of training missions are performed annually by Air Force and National Guard aircraft based in the surrounding airfields of New Mexico.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the layout of the C-75 air defense system at the Melrose aviation range
Compared to the Holloman or White Sands proving grounds, Cannon Air Force Base is not impressive in size. However, there is a well-equipped target complex here.
Satellite image of Google Earth: parking of equipment used as targets at the Melrose training ground
Hundreds of samples of decommissioned military equipment were brought to the test site. These are not only tanks, armored vehicles, trucks and artillery pieces, but also planes and helicopters that have served their time. The fact that in the process of combat training turns into scrap metal is quickly replaced by new copies.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the position of an anti-aircraft battery with real guns at the Melrose training ground
Satellite image of Google Earth: a convoy with rocket launchers at the Melrose training ground
Most of the targets look very realistic. At the test site, in addition to the already familiar layouts of the air defense missile systems, there are trains, defense lines and an airfield of a conditional enemy, where, in addition to the decommissioned Phantoms, models of Russian MiG-29s are installed in the caponiers.
Satellite image of Google Earth: aircraft at a simulated enemy field airfield
Much attention during training is traditionally paid to the suppression of anti-aircraft and radio-technical means. Although the likelihood that in the course of the "fight against terror" the aircraft of the 27th Special Operations Wing will soon encounter something other than light anti-aircraft guns and MANPADS, it is vanishingly small. Pilots learn to counter and evade much more serious anti-aircraft systems. At least at the test site there are positions of large-caliber anti-aircraft batteries and long-range air defense systems, as well as means that simulate the operation of guidance stations. It is common practice to fly and train at the range at night using night vision devices and thermal imaging systems.
