Editing Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (section)

==History==
[[File:Wright Field 1920.JPG|thumb|left|Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Air Depot, {{Circa|1920}}]]
Prehistoric [[Tumulus#United States|Indian mounds]] of the [[Adena culture]] at Wright-Patterson are [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Mound|along P Street]] and, at the Wright Brothers Memorial, [[Mound Builders#Woodland period|a hilltop mound group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cast.uark.edu/nadag/projects_database/Bevan17/Bevan17-abs.htm |title=P Street Mound, OH (33GR31)] |website=North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics |publisher=[[University of Arkansas]] |access-date=14 January 2013  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302041228/http://www.cast.uark.edu/nadag/projects_database/Bevan17/Bevan17-abs.htm |archive-date=2 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=W. Eugene |last=Barnett |title=Archeologist stresses need to preserve Adena mounds |date=2 November 2018 |url=https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1680642/archeologist-stresses-need-to-preserve-adena-mounds/ |website=Wright-Patterson AFB |access-date=15 June 2023}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Aircraft operations on land now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base began in 1904–1905 when [[Wilbur Wright|Wilbur]] and [[Orville Wright]] used an {{convert|84|acre|m2|adj=on}} plot of Huffman Prairie{{r|Walker}}<!--{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}--> for experimental test flights with the [[Wright Flyer III]]. Their flight exhibition company and the Wright Company School of Aviation returned 1910–1916 to use the flying field.<ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2013}}{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref>

[[World War I]] transfers of land that later became WPAFB include {{convert|2075|acre|km2|adj=on}} (including the [[Huffman Prairie Flying Field]]) along the Mad River leased to the Army by the [[Miami Conservancy District]], the adjacent {{convert|40|acre|m2}} purchased by the Army from the District for the [[Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot]], and a {{convert|254|acre|km2|adj=on}} complex for [[McCook Field]] just north of downtown Dayton between Keowee Street and the Great Miami River. In 1918, Wilbur Wright Field agreed to let McCook Field use hangar and shop space as well as its enlisted mechanics to assemble and maintain airplanes and engines under the direction of [[United States Air Service|Chief of Air Service]] [[Mason Patrick]].<ref>Tate, Dr. James P. (1998). ''The Army and its Air Corps: Army Policy Toward Aviation 1919–1941'', Air University Press, p. 18</ref>

After [[World War I]], 347 German aircraft were brought to the United States—some were incorporated into the Army Aeronautical Museum<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ |title=National Museum of the United States Air Force |publisher=NationalMuseum.af.mil }}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref> (in 1923 the Engineering Division at McCook Field "first collected technical artifacts for preservation").<!--SOURCE: National Museum of the United States Air Force ARTICLE--> The training school{{Specify|reason=Is this referring to the "Air School of Application"?|date=September 2013}} at Wilbur Wright Field was discontinued. Wilbur Wright Field and the depot merged after World War I to form the Fairfield Air Depot. The Patterson family formed the Dayton Air Service Committee, Inc which held a campaign that raised $425,000 in two days and purchased {{convert|4520.47|acre|km2}} northeast of Dayton, including Wilbur Wright Field and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field.{{r|Maurer}}

In 1924, the committee presented the deeds to [[Calvin Coolidge|President Calvin Coolidge]] for the construction of a new aviation engineering center. The entire acreage (including the Fairfield Air Depot) was designated Wright Field,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Wright Patterson Air Force Base: The First Century |url=https://www.wpafb.af.mil/Portals/60/documents/Index/History-of-WPAFB.pdf |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=Wright Patterson Air Force Base |page=7 }}</ref> which had units such as the Headquarters, 5th Division Air Service (redesignated 5th Division Aviation in 1928),<ref>[https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA562278.pdf Article title]</ref> and its 88th Observation Squadron and 7th Photo Section.{{r|Maurer}} New facilities were built 1925–27 on the portion of Wright Field west of Huffman Dam to house all of the McCook Field functions being relocated.{{fact|date=October 2024}}

{|class="wikitable"
| colspan=6 bgcolor="silver" align=center | Aeronautical achievements/developments
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | 1919-09-18
| "World altitude record (unofficial) of 28,899 ft. set by Maj. R. W. Schroeder (Bristol-300 Hispano) at Dayton, Ohio."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|344}}
|-
| 1919-10-04
| Maj. R. W. Schroeder and Lt. G. E. Elfrey at Dayton set an "official world 2-man altitude record of 31,821 ft." in a Lepere airplane with a supercharged Liberty 400 engine.{{r|AAF}}{{rp|346}}
|-
| 1921-02-12
| "First section of American "model" Airways route from Washington, D. C. to Dayton, Ohio, inaugurated."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|348}}
|-
| 1922-06-12
| "24,206 ft. parachute jump made by Capt. A. W. Stevens from a Martin bomber piloted by Lt. L. Wade, at Dayton, Ohio."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|348}}
|-
| 1923-04-16,17
| "Non-refueled world duration and distance records set by Lts. J. A. Macready and O. G. Kelly (Fokker T2-Liberty 375) at Dayton, Ohio, Duration 36:04:34. Distance: 2516.55 miles."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|349}}
|-
| 1923-08-22
| "Initial flight of [[Witteman-Lewis XNBL-1|Barling bomber]] (6 Liberty 400 engines), largest airplane made in U. S., at [Wilbur] Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. Pilot, Lt. H. R. Harris."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|349}}
|-
| 1924-10-2,3,4
| "Air race winners at [Wilbur] Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio include: Liberty Engine Builders Trophy, Lt. D. G. Duke (DH4B-Liberty 400), speed 130.34 mph over 180-mile course; John L. Mitchell Trophy, Lt. C. Bettis (Curtiss PW8—D12HC Curtiss 460), speed 175.41 mph over 200&nbsp;km course; Pulitzer Trophy Race, Lt. H. H. Mills (Verville Sperry—D12AHC Curtiss 520), speed 216.55 mph over 200&nbsp;km course."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|350}}
|-
| 1927-10-12
| "Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, formally dedicated, and the Materiel Division moves from McCook Field to the new site. The John L. Mitchell Trophy Race won by Lt. I. A. Woodring, 1st Pursuit Group, during the ceremonies. Speed: 158.968 mph."{{r|AAF}}{{rp|352}}
|-
| 1928-03-10
| $900,000 was authorized for completing the Wright Field experimental laboratory.{{r|AAF}}{{rp|352}}
|-
| 1928-06-16
| Wright Field testing of "superchargers designed to give sea level pressure at 30,000 ft." and liquid oxygen breathing system.{{r|AAF}}{{rp|352}}
|-
| 1933-05-20
| "First class of "instrument landing" fliers demonstrate expertness at Wright Field".{{r|AAF}}{{rp|353}}
|}

===Wright and Patterson fields===
'''Wright Field''' was "formally dedicated" on 12 October 1927 when "the Materiel Division moved from [[McCook Field]] to the new site"{{r|AAF}}{{rp|352}} At the time of the dedication expenditures of approximately $5 million had been involved in the new facility after 18 months work, with the total amount expected to rise to between $7 and $8 million.<ref>Associated Press, "High Government and Aviation Officials Help Dedicate Wright Field - Built World's Premiere Field For $7,000,000 - 4,500 Acre Airport Is Almost On Spot Where Wrights Fashioned First Plane - Work Takes 18 Months - Ceremonies at Dayton Are Attended by Secretary Of War and Others," The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 13 October 1927, Volume LXI, Number 43, page 2.</ref> The ceremonies included the John L. Mitchell Trophy Race (won by Lt. I. A. Woodring of the 1st Pursuit Group—Speed: 158.968&nbsp;mph){{r|AAF}}{{rp|352}} and Orville Wright raising the flag over the new engineering center.{{Specify|reason=Of what unit? the Engineering Division, Materiel Division, or some other?|date=September 2013}}

On 1 July 1931, the portion of Wright Field east of Huffman Dam (land known today as Areas A and C of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base which included the Fairfield Air Depot and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field) was redesignated "Patterson Field" in honor of Lieutenant [[Frank Stuart Patterson]]. Lt. Patterson was the son of Frank J. Patterson, co-founder of [[NCR Corporation|National Cash Register]].

Shortly before the end of WW1, 1Lt Patterson and observer 2Lt LeRoy Swan, both of the [[137th Aero Squadron]], were killed at Wright Field in the crash of their [[Airco DH.4|de Havilland DH.4]] after its wings collapsed during a dive while firing at ground targets with a new synchronized-through–the–propeller machine gun.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/4686341.htm|title=A Close Tie|website=www.daytonhistorybooks.com}}</ref>  Patterson's grave and memorial arch is at Woodland Cemetery and Aborateum in Dayton, Ohio.

===World War II===
[[File:US National Park Service marker for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.jpg|thumb|250px|A National Park Service marker showing the historical growth of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]
The area's [[Ohio World War II Army Airfields|World War II Army Air Fields]] had employment increase from approximately 3,700 in December 1939 to over 50,000 at the war's peak.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/ARMING/ARMING.HTM |title=Arming the Skies Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in World War II |publisher=ASC History Office  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216172907/http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/ARMING/ARMING.HTM |archive-date=16 February 2008 }}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref> Wright Field grew from approximately 30 buildings to a {{convert|2064|acre|km2|adj=on}} facility with some 300 buildings and the Air Corps' first modern paved runways. The original part of the field became saturated with office and laboratory buildings and test facilities. The Hilltop area was acquired from private landowners in 1943–1944 to provide troop housing and services. <!--The Materiel Command, headquartered at Wright Field, was responsible for the procurement of airplanes and equipment in production quantities and for sustaining an accelerated program of testing and development. The Air Service Command, on Patterson Field, assumed responsibility for all logistics functions, including maintenance and supply. In August 1944 the two organizations merged to become [[Air Technical Service Command]], and t-->

The portion of Patterson Field from Huffman Dam through the Brick Quarters (including the command headquarters in Building 10262) at the south end of Patterson Field along Route 4 was administratively reassigned from Patterson Field to Wright Field. To avoid confusing the two areas of Wright Field, the south end of the former Patterson Field portion was designated "Area A", the original Wright Field became "Area B", and the north end of Patterson Field, including the flying field, "Area C."

In February 1940 at Wright Field, the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] established the Technical Data Branch (Technical Data Section in July 1941, Technical Data Laboratory in 1942). After Air Corps Ferrying Command was established on 29 May 1941, on 21 June an installation point of the command opened at Patterson Field.{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|144}} The Flight Test Training unit of Air Technical Command was established at Wright Field on 9 September 1944 (moved to Patterson Field in 1946, [[Edwards AFB]] on 4 February 1951).<!--CITATION AT U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School ARTICLE-->

Two densely populated housing and service areas across Highway 444, Wood City and Skyway Park, were geographically separated from the central core of Patterson Field and developed almost self-sufficient community status. (Wood City was acquired in 1924 as part of the original donation of land to the government but was used primarily as just a radio range until World War II. Skyway Park was acquired in 1943.) They supported the vast numbers of recruits who enlisted and were trained at the two fields as well as thousands of civilian laborers, especially single women recruited to work at the depot. Skyway Park was demolished after the war. Wood City was eventually transformed{{When|date=October 2013}} into Kittyhawk Center, the base's modern commercial and recreation center.

In the fall of 1942, the first twelve "Air Force" officers to receive ATI{{Specify|reason=Perhaps there is a source that says "ATI" stands for Air Technical Intelligence?|date=September 2013}} field collection training were assigned to Wright Field for training in the technical aspects of "crash" intelligence (RAF Squadron Leader Colley identified how to obtain information from equipment marking plates and squadron markings.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} In July 1944 during the [[Robot Blitz]], Wright Field fired a reconstructed German [[Argus As 014|pulse-jet engine]]<ref name=Ordway>{{cite book |last=Ordway |first=Frederick I III |author-link=Frederick I. Ordway III |author2=Sharpe, Mitchell R |year=1979 |title=The Rocket Team |url=http://www.apogeebooks.com/indices/RocketTeamindex.htm |format=index |series=Apogee Books Space Series 36 |publisher=Thomas Y. Crowell |location=New York |page=174b |isbn=1-894959-00-0  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304025247/http://www.apogeebooks.com/indices/RocketTeamindex.htm |archive-date=4 March 2012 }}</ref> (an entire [[Republic-Ford JB-2|V-1 flying bomb]] was {{sic|"[[reverse engineering|reversed engineered]]"}} by 8 September at [[Republic Aviation]].)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mindling |first=George |year=2009 |title=U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5WMDJ0HyP8C&q=republic |isbn=978-0-557-00029-6 |page=27 |publisher=Lulu.com |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref>

The first German and Japanese aircraft arrived in 1943, and captured equipment soon filled six buildings, a large outdoor storage area, and part of a flight-line hangar for Technical Data Lab study (TDL closed its Army Aeronautical Museum). The World War II [[Operation Lusty]] returned 86 German aircraft to Wright Field for study, e.g., the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter, while the post-war [[Operation Paperclip]] brought German scientists and technicians to Wright Field, e.g., [[Ernst R. G. Eckert]] (most of the scientists eventually went to work in the various Wright Field labs.){{Dubious|reason=Most Paperclip scientists went to Fort Bliss/White Sands.|date=September 2013}}

===UFO studies / sightings===
[[Project Sign]] ([[Project Grudge]] in 1949, [[Project Blue Book]] in March 1952) was WPAFB's T-2 Intelligence investigations of [[unidentified flying objects]] (UFO) reports that began in July 1947.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}<!--—some people believe{{Who|reason=What is the earliest source? (there has to be an earlier source than the 2007 "witness", right?)|date=September 2013}} that WPAFB Hangar 18 has contained wreckage of a crashed UFO.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071026/news_lz1mc26ufo.html | title=Witness to Roswell flying saucer incident tells his story | date=26 October 2007 | access-date=15 March 2008}}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref--> In 1951, the [[Air Technical Intelligence Center]] (ATIC) began analysis of crashed Soviet aircraft from the Korean war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/korea/contents.HTM |title=On The Front Line Of R&D Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the Korean War, 1950–1953 |publisher=ASC History Office |access-date=4 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213145443/http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/korea/contents.htm |archive-date=13 December 2007  }}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref> In March 1952, ATIC established an Aerial Phenomena Group to study reported UFO sightings, including those in Washington, DC, in 1952. By 1969, the [[Foreign Technology Division]] (FTD) and its predecessor organizations had studied 12,618 reported sightings: 701 remained unexplained when the Air Force closed its UFO investigations, and a 1968 report concluded that "there seems to be no reason to attribute [the unexplained sightings] to an extraterrestrial source without much more convincing evidence."<ref name="Bernstein 43">{{Cite journal |last=Bernstein |first=Burton |date=25 April 1988 |title=AuH2O |journal=The New Yorker ("Profiles" Section) |page=43}}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref>

The FTD sent all of its case files to the [[Maxwell Air Force Base|USAF Historical Research Center]], which transferred them in 1976 to the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives and Records Service]] in Washington, DC, which became the permanent repository of the Project Sign/Grudge/Blue Book records. In a 1988 interview, Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] claimed he had asked Gen. [[Curtis LeMay]] for access to a secret UFO room at WPAFB and an angry LeMay said, "Not only can't you get into it but don't you ever mention it to me again."<ref name="Bernstein 43"/>

===Technical base===
The '''Army Air Forces Technical Base''' ('''Air Force Technical Base''' before being designated a USAF base) was formed on 15 December 1945, under Brig Gen Joseph T. Morris, during [[Base Realignment and Closure|the World War II drawdown]] by merging Wright Field, Patterson Field, Dayton Army Air Field, and—acquired by Wright Field for 1942 glider testing—Clinton Army Air Field.{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|141}} The Jamestown Radar Annex became a leased installation of the Technical Base in 1946, and the "custodial units at Dayton and Clinton County AAFlds were discontinued in 1946".{{r|Mueller}}

An 8000-foot concrete runway with 1000-foot runoffs at each end was built 1946–1947 in Area C to accommodate very heavy bombers, initially referred to locally as the "[[Convair B-36|B-36]] runway".<!--{{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}--> The 1947 All-Altitude Speed Course at [[Vandalia, Ohio|Vandalia]] became a detached installation of the Technical Base. After the USAF was created in September 1947, Morris' base headquarters was redesignated '''Headquarters, Air Force Technical Base''', on 15 December 1947.{{r|Mueller}}

[[File:Wright-Patterson Air Force Base - 10 Oct 2000.jpg|thumb|The WPAFB northern section in 2000]]

===USAF base===
'''Wright-Patterson Air Force Base''' was redesignated from the '''Air Force Technical Base''' on 13 January 1948{{r|Mueller}}—the former Wright Field Areas A and B remained,{{Citation needed|reason=Does "remain" mean that the designations "Area A" and "Area C" were used before "Air Force Base"?|date=September 2013}} while Patterson Field became "Area C" and Skyway Park became "Area D" of the installation. In 1951, all locally based flying activities were moved to the Area B flight line. The 1948 All-Altitude Speed Course, later the Missile Tracking Annex, at Sulphur Grove, Ohio became a detached installation of Wright-Patt.{{r|Mueller}}

Headquarters, Air Engineering Development Division, was at WPAFB from 1 January 1950 to 14 November 1950, followed by the [[Air Research and Development Command]] from 16 November 1950 to 24 June 1951 (began move to Baltimore{{Where|date=September 2013}} on 11 May 1951).{{r|Mueller}}<!--{{rp|604,608}}--> By 1952 the WPAFB headquarters of the [[Wright Air Development Center]] (WADC) included a Plans and Operations Department (WOO) and Divisions for Aeronautics (WCN), Flight Test (WCT), Research (WCR), Weapons Components (WCE), Weapons Systems (WCS).<ref>{{Cite report |format=memorandum report: serial number WADC-TR-52-43 |date=March 1952 |last=Altman |first=Captain Samuel P |title=Equations of Motion of the F-80 Aileron Boost |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA075871.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913171405/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA075871 |url-status=live |archive-date=13 September 2013 |publisher=Flight Test Division: All-Weather Section |access-date=12 September 2013 }}</ref> On 15 February, WADC medical examinations "for the final selection of the [[Mercury astronauts]] were started"<ref>Memo, George Low to NASA Administrator, subject: Status Report No. 8, Project Mercury, 4 March 1959. Cited in {{Cite web|title=Project Mercury - A Chronology. Part 2 (A)|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/p2a.htm|access-date=2023-03-26|website=history.nasa.gov}} This identifies the Boost Centrifuge Program was conducted [[Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster|at Johnsville, Pennsylvania]].)</ref> at the Aerospace Medical Laboratory<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/#q=%22Aerospace+Medical+Laboratory%22+mercury|title=Google|website=www.google.com}}</ref> (Wright-Patt test pilots<!--{{Specify|reason=In what unit? WADC?|date=September 2013}}--> [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]] became NASA astronauts.)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/birthplace/CHAP6.HTM | archive-url=https://archive.today/20030712183831/http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/birthplace/CHAP6.HTM | url-status=dead | archive-date=12 July 2003 | title=The Evolution of Aeronautical Development at the Aeronautical Systems Center | year=1999 | access-date=18 November 2009}}</ref>

From 6 March 1950 to 1 December 1951, [[Clinton County Air Force Base]] was assigned as a sub-base of WPAFB<!--until it became a "CONAC" base-->,{{r|Mueller}} and from 1950 to 1955, Wright-Patt had two [[Central Air Defense Force]] fighter-interceptor squadrons (1 from 1955 to 1960).
[[File:Wright Field Map 1954.JPG|thumb|A 1954 base map]]

===Cold War expansions===
In 1954, {{convert|465|acre|order=flip}} of land adjacent to the [[Mad River (Ohio)|Mad River]] at the northeast boundary of the base, near the former location of the village of [[Osborn, Ohio|Osborn]], were purchased for a [[Strategic Air Command]] dispersal site. Area D structures were demolished in 1957 (donated to the state in 1963 for [[Wright State University]]). In February 1958 the Wright Field (Area B) runways were closed to all jet traffic (1959 Area C operations included 139,276 takeoffs and landings, Area B had 44,699.) The West Ramp complex was built between August 1958 and July 1960.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/B52/B-52%20Book.pdf |title=Development of the B-52 The Wright Field Story |publisher=ASC History Office  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001200007/http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/B52/B-52%20Book.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2008 }}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref>

The 4043rd Strategic Wing began [[KC-135 Stratotanker]] operations in February 1960 and [[B-52 Stratofortress]] operations in June 1960.<ref name="auto"/> On 1 July 1963, the wing was re-designated the [[17th Training Wing|17th Bombardment Wing (Heavy)]] and continued its mission under this unit until 7 July 1975, when the last of its 11 B-52s was transferred to [[Beale Air Force Base]], California. From [[Indian Springs Air Force Base|1957]]–[[Edwards Air Force Base|1962]], WADC's [[Hurricane Mesa|Hurricane Supersonic Research Site]] in Utah was a detached installation of Wright-Patt.{{r|Mueller}}

The [[NORAD Control Center|NORAD Manual Air Defense Control Center]]<!--{{Where|reason=Which area of the base?|date=September 2013}}--> for [[58th Air Division]] interceptors was at [[Wright-Patterson AFB]] by 1958,<ref>{{Cite NORAD Historical Summary |version=1958 |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref> and [[Brookfield Air Force Station]] near the Pennsylvania state line became operational as an [[Permanent System radar stations|April 1952 – January 1963 sub-base]] of WPAFB.{{r|Mueller}} The 1954–79 "Wright-Patterson Communications Facility #4"<!--{{Specify|reason=Was this an ADC [[Ground Air Transmit Receive]] station?|date=September 2013}}--> was at [[Yellow Springs, Ohio]] (which also had the 1965–77 Celestial Guidance Research Site.){{r|Mueller}}

WPAFB also had an [[Army Air Defense Command Post]] for nearby [[Project Nike]] [[surface-to-air missile]] sites of the [[Cincinnati-Dayton Defense Area]] were at Wilmington (CD-27, {{Coord|39|24|03|N|083|52|54|W}}); Felicity (CD-46, {{Coord|38|50|37|N|084|08|33|W}}); Dillsboro (CD-63), and Oxford (CD-78, {{Coord|39|33|30|N|084|47|31|W}}).<!--SOURCE: List of NIKE missile locations--> The AADCP activated in the spring of 1960<!--SOURCE: List of NIKE missile locations--> and moved to Wilmington—with [[Martin AN/GSG-5 Battery Integration and Radar Display Equipment|BIRDIE]] [[command, control, and coordination system|CCCS]]—by 1965<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ed-thelen.org/ppl-o.html|title=Nike People|website=ed-thelen.org}}</ref> ([[Base Realignment and Closure|closed March 1971]]).<!--SOURCE: List of NIKE missile locations--> [https://web.archive.org/web/20130222055330/http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/WilkinsAirForceStation.aspx Wilkins Air Force Station] was a 1961–8 [[Air Defense Command]] station of Wright-Patt, and [[Gentile Air Force Station]] (later the Gentile Defense Electronics Supply Center) was assigned to the base on 1 July 1962.{{r|Mueller}}

In December 1975, [[Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft]] transferred to the 4950th Test Wing at WPAFB. [[Air Force Research Laboratory#History|Following the July 1992 merging of WPAFB labs]], the base's [[Wright Laboratory]] included a Flight Dynamics Directorate.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TU-jpA7FVOYC&pg=PA387|title=Handbook of Aviation Human Factors|first1=Daniel J.|last1=Garland|first2=John A.|last2=Wise|first3=V. David|last3=Hopkin|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-8058-1680-8|page=387}}</ref> [[Superfund]] sites (39 initial areas) of WPAFB were found to be contaminated with chlorinated volatile organic compounds and benzene compounds (soils and groundwater), and an EPA/USAF Federal Facilities Agreement was signed in 1981 for remediation and continued investigation (the Installation Restoration Program for WPAFB identified 65 areas, including 13 landfills, 12 earth fill disposal zones, 9 fuel or chemical spill sites, 6 coal storage piles, 5 fire-training areas, 4 chemical burial sites, and 2 underground storage tanks).<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/R5Super/npl/ohio/OH7571724312.html OH7571724312, NPL Fact Sheet | Region 5 Superfund | US EPA]. Epa.gov. Retrieved on 17 August 2013.</ref> In November 1995, the "Dayton Peace Accords" held at WPAFB<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Dayton+Agreement#q=%22Dayton+Peace+Accords%22&tbm=nws&tbs=ar:1|title=Dayton Agreement - Google Search|website=www.google.com}}</ref> created the "[[Dayton Agreement|Agreement for Peace]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]" signed in Paris on 14 December.

===Huffman Prairie designation===
Huffman Prairie was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990 and named part of the 1992 [[Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/Foulois/Foulois.HTM |title=The Foulois House Its Place in the History of the Miami Valley and American Aviation |publisher=ASC History Office  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216172912/http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/Foulois/Foulois.HTM |archive-date=16 February 2008 }}{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}</ref> The West Ramp facility switched<!--{{When|date=September 2013}}--> from the [[4950th Test Wing]] to [[Air Force Reserve Command|AFRC's]] [[445th Airlift Wing]] with [[C-17 Globemaster III]] transports.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} The permanent party work force at WPAFB as of 30 September 2005, numbered 5,517 military and 8,102 civilian.<ref name="afa">{{cite web | url = http://www.afa.org/magazine/may2006/0506bases.pdf| title = Guide to Air Force installations worldwide| publisher = Air Force Magazine 2006 USAF Almanac| access-date = 18 April 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070221041333/http://www.afa.org/magazine/may2006/0506bases.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 21 February 2007}}</ref>

===Dayton Agreement===
In 1995, [[Alija Izetbegović]], the [[President of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]; [[Franjo Tuđman]], the [[President of Croatia]]; and [[Slobodan Milošević]], the [[President of Serbia]], arrived at Wright-Patterson AFB to commence negotiations to end the [[Bosnian War]], an ethnic conflict that by 1995 was between the Bosnia and Herzegovina's Bosniaks and the Croats (who had put aside their differences) on one side versus Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serbs on the other side. American diplomat [[Richard Holbrooke]] led the negotiations. Eventually an [[Dayton Agreement|agreement]] was made to have Bosnia and Herzegovina have two internal entities, a Bosniak-Croat federation known as the [[Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]], and a Serb territory known as [[Republika Srpska]].

===2019–22 coronavirus pandemic===
In response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the base sent [[airmen]] from the 88th Medical Group to [[Detroit]] for two months, where they set up a COVID-19 vaccination site in support of the Federal Emergency Management whole-of-government COVID response.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2543662/wright-patt-airmen-deploy-for-covid-19-effort/ |title=Wright-Patt Airmen deploy for COVID-19 effort| date=19 March 2021 |first1=Darrius|last1=Parker|work=88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/wright-patt-airmen-returning-home-after-assisting-with-vaccination-efforts-in-michigan/75IR3JW4MNBE5NG5WWXG66FJHI/ |title=Wright-Patt Airmen deploy for COVID-19 effort| date=18 May 2021 |first1=Micah|last1=Karr|work=[[Dayton Daily News]]}}</ref> The base sent medical Air Force professionals to [[New York City]] after airmen from the 445th Airlift Wing were deployed to aid the city's [[2020 coronavirus pandemic in New York (state)#Government response|response]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/business/coronavirus-relief-wright-patt-covid-commandoes-fly-nyc/O3FXOLggWQ86U1r5Q1wALN/ |title=Coronavirus relief: Wright-Patt 'COVID Commandos' fly to NYC| date=8 April 2020 |first1=Thomas|last1=Gnau|work=[[Springfield News-Sun]]}}</ref>

===Assignments===
<!--* Patterson Field (and predecessor organizations, including Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot)
: [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps]], 16 June 1917
: Bureau of Aircraft Production, 20 May 1918
: [[Army Air Service]], 4 June 1920
: Air Corps Materiel Division, 15 October 1926
: Air Corps Maintenance Command, 29 April 1941
: Air Service Command, 17 October 1941
: AAF Technical Service Command, 31 August 1944 (redesignated [[Air Technical Service Command]], 1 July 1945)
: [[Air Materiel Command]], 9 March 1946
* Wright Field
: Air Corps Materiel Division, 15 October 1926
: AAF Materiel Center, 16 March 1942
: AAF Materiel Command, 1 April 1943
: AAF Technical Service Command, 31 August 1944 (redesignated [[Air Technical Service Command]], 1 July 1945)
: [[Air Materiel Command]], 9 March 1946
* Wright-Patterson AFB-->
: [[Air Materiel Command]], 9 March 1946
: [[Air Force Logistics Command]], 1 April 1961
: [[Air Force Materiel Command]], 1 July 1992

===Units===
In addition to the command headquarters, major units formerly assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base include:
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* Air Materiel Command Technical Intelligence Department, 10 October 1947 – 21 May 1951
: Redesignated: Air Technical Intelligence Center, 21 May 1951 – 1 July 1961
* USAF Technical Intelligence School, 1 May 1953 – 1 July 1961
* 1702d Air Transport Group, 1 October 1948 – 17 July 1950
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* [[58th Air Division]], 8 September 1955 – 1 February 1959
* [[4043d Strategic Wing]], 1 April 1959 – 1 February 1963
* [[17th Bombardment Wing]], 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1975
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===Museum===
Located adjacent to the base proper is the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]. The oldest and largest military aircraft museum in the world,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Home/About-Us/ | title=About Us}}</ref> it houses such aircraft as the only [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie|XB-70 Valkyrie]] in existence, an [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter]], and the [[World War II]] [[B-17]] [[bomber]], ''[[Memphis Belle (B-17)|Memphis Belle]]''.