Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as
Rapid City Army Air Base (
AAB). It was later renamed for
Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth (1911–1953), a 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing commander killed when his
RB-36 Peacemaker aircraft crashed near Burgoyens Cove,
Newfoundland, during a training flight.
World War II On 2 January 1942 during
World War II, the
United States War Department established Rapid City Army Air Base to train
B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber units to fight the
Axis in Europe. The control tower opened on 30 September 1942; runways, quarters, offices, and facilities were complete on 1 October 1942, and five hangars were completed in late 1942. The airfield had three concrete runways, 7050x300 (N/S), 7000x300 (E/W), and 7872x300 (NW/SE). Rapid City AAF was assigned to the
17th Bombardment Training Wing,
II Bomber Command. The 88th Bombardment Group was reassigned to the new base in October 1942 to be the base's Operational Training Unit. In March 1944, the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit switched from training entire units to training individual replacement personnel to send to units deployed overseas. The field's instructors taught thousands of pilots, navigators, radio operators and gunners from nine heavy bombardment groups and numerous smaller units. On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) began to demobilize.
Postwar era, 19451947 Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to
Continental Air Forces. It was designated a permanent facility by the USAAF. The base briefly trained weather reconnaissance and combat squadrons using
Northrop P-61 Black Widow,
Lockheed P-38 Lightning,
North American P-51 Mustang, and
North American B-25 Mitchell aircraft. From September 1946 to March 1947, the airfield was shut down for major improvements to accommodate the
B-29 Superfortress. An extension to the runway was completed in spring 1948.
28th Bombardment Wing, 1948–1958 When operations resumed in 1947, its primary unit was the new 28th Bombardment Wing (28 BMW) flying the B-29. The installation changed names a few more times during its early years. In January 1948,
Air Force Chief of Staff general
Carl A. Spaatz renamed it Weaver Air Force Base in honor of brigadier general
Walter R. Weaver, one of the pioneers in the development of the
United States Air Force as an independent service. In June of that year, in response to overwhelming public appeals,
Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington returned the base name to its previous name of Rapid City AFB. More runway improvements were completed in July 1949, allowing the 28 BMW to switch from B-29s to the huge
B-36 Peacemaker. In April 1950, the Air Staff reassigned the base from
15th Air Force to
8th Air Force. In March 1953, an
RB-36 crashed in
Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe, killing all 23 aboard, including brigadier general
Richard E. Ellsworth, commander of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. On 13 June 1953, president
Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the base to re-dedicate it in memory of Ellsworth. The base was subsequently renamed Ellsworth AFB, and unlike the previous local controversy in 1948, there was no community objection to the name change. On August 27, 1954, another RB-36H crashed into a hill while performing a landing, following a routine training mission. 24 of the 27 crewmembers were killed in the initial crash, and the remaining 3 were critically injured; 2 later died from their injuries, leaving only one survivor. At a total death toll of 26, this crash remains the deadliest in B-36 history, surpassing the record set by the crash in Newfoundland the previous year. An investigation revealed multiple factors contributed to the crash. A previous lightning storm had damaged the warning lights on the hillside and they had not been fixed. Additionally, both the plane's altimeter and the ground radar had been incorrectly calibrated, causing both pilot and ground control to misinterpret the distance and angle at which the aircraft was approaching.
Nike missiles, 1957–1962 To provide air defense of the base, the
United States Army established the
Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed
Nike-Ajax surface-to-air missile sites. Sites were located near Ellsworth AFB: E-01 was north , E-20 was east-northeast , E-40 was south-southeast , and E-70 was west-southwest . Headquarters facilities were located at Ellsworth. In 1958, batteries E-20, E-40, and E-70 were removed from service and E-01 was converted to fire
Nike Hercules missiles. This battery remained in service until 1961 as part of the reduction of the air defenses in the United States against aircraft. An Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. The site was equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. The AADCP was integrated with the Air Defense Command
general surveillance radar facilities. The AADCP ceased all operations when the ADC radar site shut down in 1962. After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as USAF military family housing until about 1990.
4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, SD|left From 1 April 1970 to 30 September 1992, the
4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACCS), part of the 28th BMW, provided airborne command post responsibilities with specially modified
Boeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft for
Strategic Air Command. The 4th ACCS was the workhorse of
Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) operations. Three dedicated
Airborne Launch Control Centers (ALCC) (pronounced "Al-see"), designated ALCC No. 1, ALCC No. 2, and ALCC No. 3 were on ground alert around-the-clock providing ALCS coverage for five of the six
Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Wings. These dedicated ALCCs were mostly EC-135A aircraft but sometimes were EC-135C or EC-135G aircraft, depending on availability. ALCC No. 1 was on ground alert at Ellsworth and during a wartime scenario, its role would have been to take off and orbit between the Minuteman Wings at Ellsworth AFB and
F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, providing ALCS assistance if needed. ALCCs No. 2 and No. 3 were routinely on forward deployed ground alert at
Minot AFB, North Dakota. During a wartime scenario, ALCC No. 3's role would have been to take off and orbit between the Minuteman ICBM Wings at Minot AFB and
Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, providing ALCS assistance if needed. ALCC No. 2's dedicated role was to take off and orbit near the Minuteman ICBM Wing at
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, providing ALCS assistance if needed. The 4th ACCS also maintained an EC-135C or EC-135G on ground alert at Ellsworth as the West Auxiliary Airborne Command Post (WESTAUXCP), which was a backup to SAC's
Looking Glass Airborne National Command Post (ABNCP), as well as a radio relay link between the Looking Glass and ALCCs when airborne. Although equipped with ALCS, the WESTAUXCP did not have a dedicated Minuteman ICBM wing to provide ALCS assistance to.
B-1B Lancer, 1987–present In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced
Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber. Contractors completed new unaccompanied enlisted dormitories in March, a new security police squadron headquarters in October, and gave Ellsworth's runway a much-needed facelift. In addition, they completed new aircraft maintenance facilities for the complex new aircraft. The last of the 28 BMW's B-52Hs left in early 1986 and in January 1987, the wing received the first of 35 B-1B bombers. The
12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988. This organization was responsible for training B-1B, B-52, and
KC-135 Stratotanker aircrews at Ellsworth and other SAC bases in the region. Headquarters SAC activated a third wing, the 99th Strategic Weapons Wing, at Ellsworth on 10 August 1989. This wing assumed primary responsibility for B-1B advanced aircrew training.
44th Strategic Missile Wing HGM-25A Titan I Missile, 1960–1965 In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the
850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW. For more than a year this squadron prepared for the emplacement of
HGM-25A Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which finally arrived in 1962, shortly after the activation of the
44th Strategic Missile Wing (44 SMW) in January. Headquarters SAC named the 44th SMW 'host wing' at Ellsworth. The Titan I Missile retired in 1965.
LGM-30 Minuteman Missile, 1962–1994 In July 1962, SAC activated the
66th Missile Squadron, the first of three such units slated to operate 150
LGM-30B Minuteman I ICBMs under the
44th Strategic Missile Wing (SMW). The
67th Missile Squadron joined the 44th in August, followed by the
68th Missile Squadron in September 1962. The older Titan I's were inactivated in March 1965. On 1 June 1971, SAC inactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded
LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles. Ellsworth soon became known as one of "The Showplaces of SAC" along with Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB as it continued to fight the
Cold War by maintaining two legs of America's strategic triad: strategic bombardment and ICBMs. It carried out these missions for more than 15 years with relatively little change. The 1980s brought many new challenges.
Modern era, 1990–present After the
Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, presaging the demise of the
Soviet Union, the USAF reshuffled its organizations and resources to meet a shifting, diminishing, threat. On 3 January 1990, SAC re-designated the 812th Combat Support Group as the 812th Strategic Support Wing (812 SSW), which, for a short time, became Ellsworth's fourth wing. The 812 SSW consolidated all combat support activities into one organization. On 31 July 1990, SAC replaced the 12th Air Division with the Strategic Warfare Center (SWC), which provided operational command and administrative control over Ellsworth's subordinate units. Then, as part of SAC's intermediate headquarters and base-level reorganization plan, on 1 September 1991, SAC renamed the 28 BMW the 28th Wing (28 WG), the 44 SMW the 44th Wing (44 WG) and the 99 SWW the 99th Tactics and Training Wing (99 TTW). Ten days later, SAC inactivated both the SWC and the 812 SSW. Once again, the 28th became Ellsworth's host organization and it soon absorbed all previous 812 SSW functions. It was also during this period that, in acknowledgment of the elimination of the
Warsaw Pact, that the President, via the
Secretary of Defense, ordered all strategic nuclear alert operations to stand-down. The decades-long Cold War was over. On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated
Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations (including a renamed 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW)) to the newly activated
Air Combat Command (ACC). After less than a year under the new command, the 28th's mission changed from that of strategic bombardment to one of worldwide conventional munitions delivery. The mission of the 99th Tactics and Training Wing (later to become the 99th Wing) also continued, albeit slightly modified to fit the requirements of the new force concept. The 44th Missile Wing, however, had ably accomplished its deterrence mission. On 3 December 1991, the wing permanently pulled the first
Minuteman II missile from its silo and on 6 April 1992, the first Minuteman II launch control center shut down. Inactivation of the entire missile complex ended in April 1994. In keeping with its patriotic Minuteman tradition, the 44th Missile Wing formally inactivated on 4 July 1994. Under conditions of the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, all of the 44th Missile Wing's Minuteman silos and launch control centers were slated for demolition with the exception of Sites Delta-01 and Delta-09. These latter two sites were turned over to the
National Park Service for preservation as part of the
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. In March 1994, Ellsworth welcomed the 34th Bomb Squadron, a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) that was awaiting airfield upgrades before it could return to its parent organization, the 366th Wing (366 WG), at
Mountain Home AFB,
Idaho. While under the aegis of the 366 WG, the 34th's B-1Bs were part of one of the USAF's composite wings, which also included C/D and E model
F-15 Eagles, C/D model
F-16 Fighting Falcons, and R model
KC-135 Stratotankers. Also during 1994, the USAF selected Ellsworth as the exclusive location from which to conduct a Congressionally mandated operational readiness assessment of the B-1B, known locally as "Dakota Challenge." After six months of hard work, under both peacetime and simulated wartime conditions, the 28 BW and Ellsworth, relying on extensive personnel, technical and logistical support from sister B-1 units at
McConnell, Grand Forks and Dyess Air Force Bases, passed the test "with flying colors"; and proved the B-1 to be a reliable and capable weapons system; the mainstay of America's heavy bomber fleet for years to come. In 1995, the 99th Wing departed Ellsworth for a new assignment at
Nellis Air Force Base,
Nevada, although a small contingent formerly attached to that wing remained behind to continue bomber tactics training and radar munitions scoring from a handful of dispersed detachments. The year also saw the inactivation of one of Ellsworth's oldest units, the 77th Bomb Squadron. While the unit (as an administrative entity) departed to save USAF dollars for development of new follow-on B-1 munitions, the organization's aircraft remained at Ellsworth (in a flying reserve status) under the able care of its sister unit, the 37th Bomb Squadron. In early 1996 on 26 March, an announcement was made that the 77th Bomb Squadron would soon return to Ellsworth. On 1 April, the squadron again activated at Ellsworth as the geographically separated 34th Bomb Squadron completed its transfer to its new home with the
366th Wing at
Mountain Home AFB,
Idaho. By June 1998, the 77th had six of its B-1Bs out of the reconstitution reserve. This number balanced those lost by the 34th BS. In March 1999, the USAF announced a reorganization plan that makes Ellsworth AFB and the 28 BW partners in the new Expeditionary Air Force (EAF) concept, now known as the Air & Space Expeditionary Force (AEF). The 28 BW was named a lead wing in the EAF, which enabled the 77 BS to gain six additional B-1Bs, and Ellsworth AFB to gain about 100 additional military personnel. The expeditionary force construct enables the USAF to respond quickly to any worldwide crisis while making life more predictable for military members. The summer of 2007 marked the last time that Ellsworth hosted a college/university level
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Field Training (FT) encampment. All college AFROTC FT encampments were subsequently consolidated at the Air Force
Officer Training School at
Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
Operation Allied Force, 1999 It was not long before Ellsworth and the 28th Bomb Wing were taking the lead in the AEF concept. Five B-1Bs from the 28th Bomb Wing joined
NATO forces in
Operation Allied Force and began striking military targets in
Kosovo on 1 April 1999. By the end of the conflict in June 1999, B-1Bs from Ellsworth had flown 100 combat missions and dropped over 1,260 tons of
Mk 82 general-purpose bombs.
Operation Enduring Freedom 2001–present After the
September 11, 2001 attacks, Ellsworth deployed a number of B-1s in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. Aircraft from the 37th BS at Ellsworth AFB joined additional B-1s from the 34th BS at
Mountain Home AFB and formed the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. This squadron, along with other elements from Ellsworth, deployed to
Diego Garcia and joined the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing. Their combat mission effectiveness was greater than 95% and they flew 5% of the total strike aircraft missions. They dropped 39% of the total tonnage of bombs, which was more than any other platform. During their deployment the 28th EBS dropped 2,974
JDAMs, 1,471
Mk-82, 135
Mk-84, and 70
CBU-87 bombs. Currently, the 28th Bomb Wing and personnel from Ellsworth Air Force Base continue to be the lead wing for AEF 8, and Ellsworth personnel continue to prepare for ongoing deployments in support of operations around the globe.
34th BS replaces the 77th BS, 2001 On 19 September 2001 the "Thunderbirds" of the
34th Bomb Squadron arrived from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho to rejoin the Ellsworth team. Due to a drawdown in the number of active B-1B aircraft in the USAF inventory, the 77th BS at Ellsworth was inactivated.
Base realignment and closure 2004–2005 During the
2004 Senate race in South Dakota,
Republican challenger
John Thune made Ellsworth a campaign issue, stating in a 16 April 2004 appearance at the base that if he were elected over incumbent
Democrat and Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle: "It puts Ellsworth in a lot stronger position than having someone who's going to be in the minority and someone who doesn't have a relationship with the President of the U.S." In a debate between the two men broadcast on
KSFY-TV and
KOTA-TV television on 17 October 2004, Thune said: "I think we have got to have somebody that has a relationship with the President of the United States, can work constructively across party lines in the Congress to get this done if we're going save Ellsworth" and was later quoted in the "Rapid City Journal" newspaper on 27 October 2004 claiming that: "an all-Democratic congressional delegation would have little political influence if
President Bush is elected to a second term." On 24 May 2004 campaigning in South Dakota for Thune, Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist said of Daschle: "Who is the president going to listen to more? The majority leader of the Senate, who he works with on almost a daily basis, or a senator from another party who every day is saying things on the floor that demonstrate a lack of support?" also adding: "This time around, the President is appointing who's on that
BRAC commission, all of them." Thune defeated Daschle with 51% of the vote in the election, and president Bush was elected to a second term. Nevertheless, on 13 May 2005, the
Department of Defense recommended that Ellsworth Air Force Base be closed. Thune stated in protest he would vote against confirmation of the president's nominee for
United Nations Ambassador,
John Bolton. On 26 August 2005 the nine-member BRAC commission voted 8–1 to spare Ellsworth from the closure list. Commissioner
Harold Gehman said, "We have no savings, we're essentially moving the airplanes from one very, very good base to another very, very good base, which are essentially equal." Senator Thune called the move a good, nonpolitical decision.
Expansion of bomber training area Since 2008, a bomber training area
Powder River Training Complex is being expanded to about 28,000 square miles, including portions of Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas.
Move to the Eighth Air Force On 1 October 2015, Ellsworth became part of the
Eighth Air Force and fell under the command of
Global Strike Command.
2024 crash A Rockwell B1 plane crash landed in January 2024. All occupants managed to eject.
Previous names • Established as Rapid City Army Air Base, December 1941 • Rapid City Army Air Field (unofficial designation), c. 1 September 1946 • Rapid City Air Field, 28 November 1947 • Weaver Air Force Base, 13 January 1948 • Rapid City Air Force Base, 24 June 1948 • Ellsworth Air Force Base, 1 June 1953–present
Major commands to which assigned •
Second Air Force, 9 June 1942 •
Continental Air Forces, 16 April 1945 : Redesignated:
Strategic Air Command, 21 March 1946 •
Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – 30 September 2015 •
Global Strike Command, 1 October 2015 – present
Major units assigned •
17th Bombardment Training Wing, 17 June 1942 – 28 June 1943 • 88th Bombardment Group, 20 Oct 1942 – 15 May 1943 (OTU/RTU) •
96th Bombardment Group, 29 Sep 1942 – 28 Oct 1942 (VIII BC, England) •
383d Bombardment Group, 12 Nov 1942 – 17 Jun 1943 (II BC OTU) •
95th Bombardment Group, 17 Dec 1942 – 18 Apr 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
41st Bombardment Wing, 25 March-2 May 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
447th Bombardment Group, 13 June-1 August 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
452d Bombardment Group, 9 July −8 October 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
457th Bombardment Group, 9 July-25 October 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
463d Bombardment Group, 1 September-1 November 1943 (VIII BC, England) •
III Reconnaissance Command, 13 November 1945 – 9 April 1946 •
28th Bombardment Wing, 15 August 1947–present •
54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 December 1952 – 25 December 1960 (ADC) •
821st Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 January 1959 – 30 June 1971 •
44th Strategic Missile Wing, 24 November 1961 – 5 July 1994
Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities The
850th Strategic Missile Squadron operated three
HGM-25A Titan I ICBM sites: (1 Dec 1960 – 25 Mar 1965) • 850-A, 4 miles NNW of Wicksville, South Dakota • 850-B, 5 miles SSE of Hermosa, South Dakota • 850-C, 10 miles SE of Sturgis, South Dakota • 850-C has been destroyed - after trying to sell it for a few years, owner gave up and let a scrapper excavate and destroy the entire complex
LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM Missile Alert Facilities (MAF) (each controlling 10 missiles) were located as follows: •
66th Missile Squadron (1 Sep 1962 – 1 Sep 1993) : A-01 19.9 mi S of Howes, SD, : B-01 7.5 mi NxNW of Wall SD, : C-01 10.1 mi N of Philip SD, : *D-01 6.7 mi SxSW of Cottonwood SD, :: *D-09 (Launch Facility) 4.4 mi SxSW of Quinn SD, :: *Designated as part of the
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site : E-01 6.3 mi NxNE of Kadoka SD, •
67th Missile Squadron (1 Sep 1962 – 15 Aug 1992) : F-01 61.0 mi NxNE of Ellsworth AFB, SD. : G-01 11.3 mi N of Union Center SD, : H-01 10.0 mi SW of Union Center SD, : I-01 5.7 mi E of White Owl SD, : J-01 13.8 mi SE of Maurine SD, •
68th Missile Squadron (1 Sep 1962 – 5 July 1994) : K-01 5.6 mi N of Spearfish SD, : L-01 6.2 mi SxSE of Vale SD, : M-01 17.7 mi NxNW of Belle Fourche SD, : N-01 6.7 mi NW of Newell SD, : O-01 38.5 mi W of Opal, SD, A complete list of Minuteman missile launch control facilities and missile silos can be found
here. The Titan-I sites still exist, in various states of abandonment. Site "A" is still fenced, with all the missile silos capped and in place. Most of the concrete roads remain, along with what remains of the launch control blockhouse and several axillary buildings. Site "B" is in similar condition, abandoned with prairie grass in a very remote location. Site "C" also has the three missile silos capped, but much of the concrete has been removed and appears to be part of a grazing rangeland, the outlines of the missile site still very visible in aerial imagery. Most Minuteman Launch Control Facilities appear to be still in federal government ownership, as after fifteen or more years of inactivation, all are standing but abandoned; the buildings still standing within the locked security fence. Some are used by farmers seemingly. The missile launch sites (again, with the exception of D-09) are all in private ownership, most being used for agricultural use, the remainder abandoned and returning to a natural state. == Role and operations ==