Cannon Air Force Base
A variety of special operations aircraft are stationed at Cannon, including the AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II, MQ-9 Reaper, CV-22 Osprey and U-28 Draco.After their aircraft were destroyed when attacked in the Philippines, the Airmen of the 27th Bomb Group was converted into the 1st Provisional Air Corps Regiment (Infantry).They salvaged machine guns and cannons from crippled aircraft to fortify American fighting positions and vehicles with heavy weaponry.Two battalions of maintenance, ordnance, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew Airmen bravely held the left flank of the US Army’s II Corps throughout the defense of Bataan, even escaping encirclement in the final battles, earning them the moniker “The Steadfast Line.” [3] Cannon Air Force Base is named in honor of General John K. Cannon (1892–1955).At Clovis, passengers heading east would then transfer and board an overnight train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to Waynoka, OK where they would connect to another TAT-operated Ford Trimotor aircraft the next morning and continue their journey to the Port Columbus Airport in Ohio (now the John Glenn Columbus International Airport) where they would transfer again for the final stage of the journey to New York City via the Pennsylvania Railroad.In 1948 a new carrier, Pioneer Air Lines, began serving Clovis with the airport being one of several stops on a route between Albuquerque and Dallas Love Field.[6][7] According to the September 27, 1959 Continental Airlines timetable, a Viscount propjet was being operated on a daily roundtrip routing of Albuquerque (ABQ) - Santa Fe (SAF) - Clovis (CVS) - Lubbock (LBB) - Abilene (ABI) - Fort Worth (via Greater Southwest International Airport) (GSW) - Dallas Love Field (DAL).According to the March 15, 1978 Texas International system timetable, the airline was operating three departures every weekday from the airport with two nonstops to Albuquerque (ABQ) which offered connections via ABQ to TI DC-9 jet service on to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH) and Los Angeles (LAX) as well as a nonstop flight to Hobbs, NM with this service continuing on to Carlsbad, NM.The 509th operated Clovis AAF as a detachment from its headquarters at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, using the airfield as a deployment facility for the group's B-29s.However, with no funds to host an active Strategic Air Command (SAC) bomb wing, Clovis AFB was placed on reserve/standby status on 1 July 1948.Clovis AFB remained on standby status until 1 April 1950 when jurisdiction was transferred from SAC to Air Training Command (ATC).The first USAF unit to use Clovis AFB was the Air National Guard's 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing (140th FBW), which arrived in October 1951 after being activated due to the Korean War.In 2023, the FW1 Ute Reservoir pipeline project started construction to provide potable water by 2030 for Cannon Air Force Base and the communities of Clovis, Portales, Elida, Texico.
ClovisNew MexicoUnited States of AmericaDepartment of DefenseUS Air ForceAir Force Special Operations CommandColonel27th Special Operations Wing3rd Special Operations Sqn9th Special Operations Sqn12th Special Operations Sqn16th Special Operations Sqn20th Special Operations Sqn33rd Special Operations Sqn318th Special Operations Sqn551st Special Operations SqnFederal Aviation AdministrationUnited States Air ForceClovis, New Mexicospecial operations forces (SOF)AC-130J GhostriderMC-130J Commando IIMQ-9 ReaperCV-22 OspreyJohn K. CannonLos AngelesNew York CityTranscontinental Air TransportFord TrimotorKingman, AZWinslow, AZAlbuquerque, NMAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayWaynoka, OKPort Columbus AirportJohn Glenn Columbus International AirportPennsylvania RailroadAmarillo, TXWestern Air ExpressTrans World AirlinesWestern AirlinesPioneer Air LinesDallas Love FieldSanta Fe, NMLas Vegas, NMTucumcari, NMLubbock, TXAbilene, TXMineral Wells, TXFort Worth, TXEl Paso, TXRoswell, NMLas Cruces, NMDouglas DC-3Martin 2-0-2Continental AirlinesConvair 340Vickers ViscountHobby AirportCollege Station, TXTemple, TXWaco, TXGreater Southwest International AirportClovis Municipal AirportTexas International AirlinesDouglas DC-9-10Hobbs, NMCarlsbad, NMWorld War IISecond Air ForceII Bomber Command16th Bombardment WingB-24 LiberatorColorado Springs Army Air BaseRoswell Army Air FieldStrategic Air Command474th Tactical Fighter WingF-100D Super SabreAir Training CommandReese AFBKorean WarTactical Air CommandAir National Guard140th Fighter-Bomber WingColoradoWyoming Air National GuardsF-111D Aardvark524th Tactical Fighter Squadronsterrain following radarSecretary of DefenseBase Realignment and Closure CommissionF-16 Fighting FalconAir Combat Command16th Special Operations WingHurlburt FieldAC-130H SpectreUte ReservoirPortalesTexico27th Special Operations GroupMQ-1B Predator3rd Special Operations SquadronMQ-9A Reaper9th Special Operations Squadron12th Special Operations Squadron16th Special Operations Squadron20th Special Operations SquadronCV-22B Osprey33rd Special Operations Squadron318th Special Operations Squadron24th Special Operations Wing26th Special Tactics SquadronSixteenth Air Force363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group43rd Intelligence SquadronUnited States Census BureauAfrican AmericanNative AmericanPacific Islanderother racesHispanicLatinoRestoration Advisory Boardenvironmental restorationPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances