Kelly Field — LLMpedia

Kelly Field
Name	Kelly Field
Location	San Antonio, Texas, Bexar County, Texas
Type	Airfield
Used	1917–present
Controlledby	United States Air Force; United States Army

Contents

Kelly Field is a historic air installation in San Antonio, Texas with origins in the United States World War I mobilization. Established during the Mexican Revolution aftermath and expanded through World War II, the installation played roles in Air Service, United States Army, United States Army Air Corps, and later United States Air Force operations. Over decades it hosted training, logistics, and aerospace maintenance activities tied to facilities such as Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Brooks City-Base.

History

Kelly Field opened amid the U.S. entry into World War I as part of a national expansion that included Ellington Field, Chanute Field, and Mitchell Field (NY). During the interwar period it supported the Army Air Corps Training Center and air mail experiments connected to the Air Mail scandal (1934). In World War II Kelly Field served as a hub for the Air Transport Command and USAAF technical training programs; contemporaneous facilities included Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Stewart Air National Guard Base. Postwar reorganizations linked Kelly operations to the Cold War aerospace logistics network alongside Tinker Air Force Base and Sacramento Air Logistics Center. The 1990s Base Realignment and Closure process affected nearby installations such as Kelly Air Force Base transitions and consolidation with Port San Antonio and private contractors including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman.

The installation encompassed runways, hangars, and depot complexes similar to those at Ogden Air Logistics Center and Hill Air Force Base. Major structures included repair hangars modeled after designs used at Kelly Field No. 1 and Kelly Field No. 2 during earlier expansions, warehouses comparable to Defense Logistics Agency depots, and specialized shops for engines and avionics akin to facilities at Tinker AFB. On-base rail connections interfaced with Union Pacific Railroad and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines serving San Antonio industrial districts. Adjacent properties became part of redevelopment projects linked to Port San Antonio and aviation campuses analogous to Pima Air & Space Museum outreach and Texas A&M University research partnerships.

Kelly hosted training and logistics units paralleling units at Sheppard Air Force Base and Keesler Air Force Base. Units assigned over time included depot wings, maintenance groups, and flying squadrons with administrative relationships to higher headquarters such as Air Force Materiel Command and predecessors like Air Force Logistics Command. Cooperative operations involved civilian contractors and government entities including General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, and the Naval Aviation Depot network. During contingency operations the installation supported deployments tied to Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom through sustainment and repair missions.

Aircraft types maintained and overhauled reflected U.S. inventory trends, including piston transports like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, jet transports like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and fighters such as the Northrop F-5 and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Rotary-wing platforms serviced mirrored assets at Army facilities including the Bell UH-1 Iroquois and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. Engines and components matched series like the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 and General Electric TF34; systems work paralleled programs at Ogden ALC and Sacramento ALC. Ground support equipment and avionics overhauls related to suites used on Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft and transport fleet modifications akin to those performed at McClellan Air Force Base.

Industrial activities produced remediation challenges comparable to cases at Kelly Air Force Base (former)-adjacent sites and other legacy depots like McClellan AFB and Lowry Air Force Base. Contaminants of concern included solvents, fuels, polychlorinated biphenyls used in electrical equipment, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances associated with firefighting foams such as Aqueous film forming foam. Environmental response actions followed frameworks established by the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies similar to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality procedures; cleanup partnerships involved contractors like URS Corporation and Bechtel. Safety programs integrated standards from Occupational Safety and Health Administration and DoD guidance reflecting lessons from incidents at Andrews Air Force Base and Eglin Air Force Base.

The installation influenced San Antonio's development, contributing to neighborhoods like Kellyville and economic initiatives connected to Port San Antonio and Randolph Air Force Base-area commerce. Workforce ties included veterans educated at institutions such as University of Texas at San Antonio and training relationships with Alamo Community College District. Cultural heritage projects linked the site to museums like the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology and commemorations of Air Mail Service pioneers, aviators from World War I and World War II, and figures honored at monuments similar to those for Tuskegee Airmen and Civil Air Patrol volunteers. Community reuse efforts mirrored transformations at Presidio Trust sites and redevelopment examples such as Fort Ord.

Category:Airfields in Texas Category:Buildings and structures in San Antonio, Texas Category:United States military installations