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| Pease Army Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pease Army Airfield |
| Location | Portsmouth/Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States |
| Coordinates | 43.0717°N 70.8231°W |
| Established | 1930s |
| Controlledby | United States Army (historically), United States Air Force (historically) |
| Built | 1939 |
| Used | 1939–present (reserve, joint civil-military functions) |
| Garrison | various United States Army, United States Air Force units; Air National Guard units |
| Occupants | Eighth Air Force (historically), Strategic Air Command (historically), Air Mobility Command elements (transient) |
Pease Army Airfield Pease Army Airfield is a former active United States military airfield located on the Pease Air National Guard Base complex in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, adjacent to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, and the Piscataqua River. Originally developed in the late 1930s and expanded during World War II, the installation has hosted a succession of United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force organizations and later transitioned to a Air National Guard and joint civil-military facility. The site has played roles in strategic operations, tactical training, civilian aviation, environmental remediation, and regional economic redevelopment.
The airfield originated as a civilian and municipal landing area before federal expansion during the Great Depression and the New Deal era when federal construction programs supported airfield improvements. With the onset of World War II, the field was requisitioned and expanded to support I Bomber Command-era training and coastal defense missions, aligning with broader Atlantic theater preparations such as the Battle of the Atlantic and transatlantic ferrying through Logistics Air Transport Command. Postwar, the installation was transferred to the United States Air Force and in the early Cold War hosted elements of the Strategic Air Command and units associated with Eighth Air Force deterrence posture. During the Vietnam War and later Cold War crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis, units rotated through for alert and tanker support. Base realignment in the 1990s and the end of the Cold War precipitated closure actions similar to other Base Realignment and Closure-era changes; the airfield area was repurposed for the Pease International Tradeport and retained aviation functions under the Air National Guard. Redevelopment efforts mirrored reuse at former bases such as Lowry Air Force Base and Presidio of San Francisco.
The airfield complex comprises multiple runways, taxiways, ramp areas, hangars, control tower facilities, and support buildings arranged on a former military reservation abutting the Strafford County/Rockingham County border. Primary paved runways were built to accommodate heavy strategic bombers and aerial refueling tankers comparable to runways at Grissom Air Reserve Base and Stratton Air National Guard Base. Hangar types included large monolithic steel hangars used by Boeing-built aircraft maintenance crews and smaller maintenance shops similar to those at Robins Air Force Base. The site contains munitions storage areas, fuel farms, and hardened alert facilities historically patterned on Strategic Air Command standards. Civil aviation infrastructure now interfaces with air traffic control elements coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration and regional flight service stations.
Throughout its operational life the airfield hosted bomber wings, air refueling squadrons, transport units, and Air National Guard wings. Notable tenant formations included squadrons aligned with Eighth Air Force strategic units, refueling groups comparable to those under Air Mobility Command, and airborne warning detachments similar to E-3 Sentry-equipped wings. Training operations encompassed joint exercises with United States Navy and United States Marine Corps aviation elements, reserve component mobilizations, and civil support missions paralleling operations by Air Force Reserve Command units. During contingency operations, transient deployments from units associated with Tactical Air Command and NATO partners utilized facilities for staging and airlift.
The airfield supported a progression of aircraft types across eras: World War II-era medium bombers and transports, Cold War strategic platforms such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (for which facilities were sized), aerial refueling tankers akin to the KC-135 Stratotanker, and various transport aircraft similar to the C-130 Hercules. Air National Guard eras saw fighter and support aircraft comparable to F-15 Eagle rotations for air defense alert and multi-role training. Ground equipment included runway arresting systems, crash-rescue vehicles comparable to those operated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and precision approach radars used in low-visibility operations.
The installation functioned as a strategic and tactical operations node for northeastern United States defense and a logistics hub for transatlantic movements, aligning with corridors used during Operation Desert Shield and other contingency deployments. After transfer to joint use, the site became a model of base conversion emphasizing civil aviation, industrial park development, and continued Guard readiness similar to the transformations at Charleston Air Force Base and Mather Air Force Base. The civilian airport component supports commercial carriers, general aviation, cargo operations, and supports regional New England disaster response and homeland security missions with coordination among Federal Emergency Management Agency and state authorities.
Decades of aviation fuel storage, munitions handling, and industrial activities produced environmental concerns including soil contamination, groundwater impacts, and remediation efforts comparable to Superfund sites at other closed bases. Remediation programs involved state environmental agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Defense Environmental Restoration programs employing soil vapor extraction, groundwater treatment, and land use controls similar to measures at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Safety upgrades addressed runway pavement rehabilitation, hazardous material handling, and ordnance clearance consistent with Department of Defense standards for base reuse.
Over its history, the airfield experienced a series of accidents, ranging from World War II training mishaps to Cold War incidents during tanker and bomber operations similar in character to events at Andrews Air Force Base and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Investigations by bodies equivalent to the Air Force Safety Center and National Transportation Safety Board informed procedural reforms and aircrew training revisions. Specific high-profile occurrences included emergency landings, ground collisions, and fuel-related fires that prompted operational reviews and infrastructure upgrades.
Category:Airfields in New Hampshire Category:Former United States Air Force installations