Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had ...

Geography

The base is in northeastern

Lowndes County, Georgia Lowndes County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census the population was 118,251. The county seat is Valdosta. The county was created December 23, 1825. Lowndes County is included ...

, with the eastern border of the base following the

Lanier County Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,078. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet S ...

line.

Georgia State Route 125 State Route 125 (SR 125) is a state highway that runs south-to-north in an S-shape through the southern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It travels through Lowndes, Lanier, Berrien, Tift, Irwin, and Ben Hill counties connecting the ...

runs through the western side of the base, leading southwest to the center of Valdosta and northeast to

Ray City Ray City is a city in Berrien County and Lanier County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2010 census. History Early variant names were "Ray's Pond" and "Ray's Mill". The community was named after Ray M. Thomas, the proprie ...

. The entire Air Force base is counted as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

for statistical purposes. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the base has an area of , with a residential population at the 2020 census of 1,307.

History

The 29th Training Wing was established at Moody Field in 1941 for primary flight training. Initially called Valdosta Airfield in June 1941, it was renamed Moody Army Air Field on 6 December 1941. The installation's namesake, Maj. George Moody (1908–1941), was an Air Corps test pilot who died on 5 May 1941 in a crash of the prototype Beech Model 25 twin-engine trainer aircraft on its first test flight in Wichita, Kansas. The Model 25 eventually became the AT-10 "Wichita", flown extensively at Moody Field during WWII. On 1 May 1945 Moody was transferred to the

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the C ...

. On 1 November 1945 Moody was transferred to

Army Air Forces Training Command The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...

. On 1 September 1947 Moody was transferred to

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...

. On 13 January 1948 the base was redesignated Moody Air Force Base. On 1 December 1948 the base was transferred to

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...

. On 1 April 1951 Moody AFB was transferred to

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC).

Air Training Command (1951–75)

On 1 September 1951 Moody AFB was transferred from SAC to

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as ...

and the 3550th Training Wing (Interceptor Aircrew) was established there. In 1952 Moody was assigned to undertake combat crew training. In July 1957, following the cessation of interceptor training at

Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, advanced interceptor training and Tyndall's F-86D Sabres were transferred to Moody, while Moody's F-89Ds were transferred to

James Connally Air Force Base James Connally Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located north of Waco, Texas. After its closure in 1968, the airport reopened as TSTC Waco Airport. History World War II The airport opened May 5, 1942 as Waco Army Air Field and ...

. On 3 November 1960 Moody stopped interceptor training and became a consolidated pilot training school. In 1961 following the closure of Graham Air Base, Moody became responsible for foreign pilot training. From 1962 onwards, increasing numbers of

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

pilots were trained on Moody's 30 T-28 Trojans. In 1963 foreign pilot training was moved to

Randolph Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Un ...

. On 1 December 1973 the 3550th Training Wing was inactivated and replaced by the new 38th Flying Training Wing. On 1 December 1975 Moody AFB was transferred from Air Training Command to

and the 38th Flying Training Wing was inactivated.

Tactical Air Command (1975–1992)

On 30 September 1975 the

347th Tactical Fighter Wing The 347th Rescue Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 1 October 2006. History : ''For additional ...

moved to Moody AFB from

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in northeast Thailand, approximately 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Bangkok and about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the centre of the city of Nakhon Ratcha ...

. On 1 October 1991 the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing was redesignated the 347th Fighter Wing.

Air Combat Command (1992–2003)

On 1 July 1994 was redesignated the 347th Wing, a composite wing with fighter, close air support and airlift elements. On 1 April 1997 the

41st Rescue Squadron The 41st Rescue Squadron is part of the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It operates HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft conducting search and rescue missions. Mission The 41st Rescue Squadron maintains combat-ready status as an H ...

and the

71st Rescue Squadron The 71st Rescue Squadron is part of the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It flies HC-130J Combat King II aircraft conducting search and rescue missions. Mission The 71st Rescue Squadron maintains combat-ready status as the ...

moved to Moody from

Patrick Air Force Base Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

and the 23d Wing was assigned to the 347th Wing. On 30 June 2000 the

70th Fighter Squadron The 70th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron. The Squadron was constituted on 14 Dec 1940 as the 70th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor). This squadron was activated on 1 Jan 1941 and patrolled the airspace around Fiji. ...

was inactivated at Moody. On 2 February 2001 the

69th Fighter Squadron The 69th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve fighter squadron. It is assigned to the 944th Operations Group, stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 69th Fighter Squadron replaced the 301st Fighter Squadron in 2010. ...

was inactivated at Moody. On 30 April 2001 the

68th Fighter Squadron The 68th Fighter Squadron was one of the longest-serving fighter squadrons in U.S. Air Force history, remaining active almost continually for 60 years. Known as the "Lightning Lancers", on the morning of 27 June 1950 pilots of the 68th Fighter-A ...

was inactivated at Moody. On 1 May 2001 the

38th Rescue Squadron The 38th Rescue Squadron (38 RQS) is an active United States Air Force Pararescue squadron. Part of the 347th Rescue Group, 23rd Wing, it is stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron flew combat search and rescue missions during ...

was activated at Moody and the 347th Wing was redesignated the 347th Rescue Wing.

Air Education and Training Command (2000–07)

On 31 July 2000 the

479th Flying Training Group The 479th Flying Training Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola. A component of Air Education and Training Command, the group was activated on 2 October 2009. The current commander of the 479th Flying ...

was reactivated at Moody to conduct primary Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals training. On 2 April 2001 the

39th Flying Training Squadron The 39th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 340th Flying Training Group and is the reserve associate to the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The squadron was first activated as the 39th Pursuit Squadron ...

was activated at Moody and it was joined by the

3d Flying Training Squadron The 3rd Flying Training Squadron is part of the 71st Operations Group under the 71st Flying Training Wing. It operates the T-1A Jayhawk aircraft conducting advanced phase tanker/transport flight training. The 3rd FTS is the third-oldest squa ...

. On 1 October 2001 the 435th Flying Training Squadron also moved to Moody. On 21 July 2007 the 479th Flying Training Group was inactivated and its aircraft and equipment were redistributed to other AETC units.

Air Force Special Operations Command (2003–06)

On 1 October 2003 the 347th Rescue Wing was assigned to

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

Air Combat Command (2006–present)

On 1 October 2006 the 23rd Fighter Group was redesignated as the 23d Wing and activated at Moody AFB. On the same date the 347th Rescue Wing was inactivated and the

347th Operations Group The United States Air Force's 347th Rescue Group (347 RQG) is an active combat search and rescue unit assigned to the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. : ''For additional lineage and history, see 347th Rescue Wing'' Mission The 347th ...

was redesignated the 347th Rescue Group which became a subordinate element of the 23d Wing. The 23rd Wing inactivated the 23rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in January 2022 while at the same time activating the 74th and 75th Fighter Generation Squadrons. The move was part of Air Combat Command's plans to improve the alignment of fighter operations and maintenance.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Moody Air Force Base. Units marked GSU are

Geographically Separate Unit In the United States military a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) is a base that is physically separate from, yet not autonomous of its "parent" base. GSUs are "owned" by their parent organization and are typically quite small. Assignment to a ...

s, which although based at Moody, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

(ACC) *

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

23rd Wing The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Mission The mission of the 23rd Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunder ...

*** 23rd Fighter Group ****

74th Fighter Squadron The 74th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23d Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircr ...

– A-10C Thunderbolt II ****

75th Fighter Squadron The 75th Fighter Squadron (75 FS) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23d Fighter Group, Air Combat Command and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thund ...

– A-10C Thunderbolt II **** 23rd Operations Support Squadron *** 23rd Maintenance Group **** 23rd Maintenance Squadron **** 23rd Maintenance Operations Flight **** 74th Fighter Generation Squadron **** 75th Fighter Generation Squadron **** 563rd Maintenance Squadron **** 71st Rescue Generation Squadron **** 763rd Maintenance Squadron *** 23rd Medical Group **** 23rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron **** 23rd Medical Operations Squadron **** 23rd Medical Support Squadron *** 23rd Mission Support Group **** 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron **** 23rd Communications Squadron **** 23rd Contracting Squadron **** 23rd Force Support Squadron **** 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron **** 23rd Security Forces Squadron ***

347th Rescue Group The United States Air Force's 347th Rescue Group (347 RQG) is an active combat search and rescue unit assigned to the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. : ''For additional lineage and history, see 347th Rescue Wing'' Mission The 347 ...

****

–

HH-60G Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems ...

****

–

HC-130J Combat King II The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed forc ...

**** 347th Operations Support Squadron ** 93d Air Ground Operations Wing ***

820th Base Defense Group The '820th Base Defense Group'' is the United States Air Force's only first-in, fully-integrated, world-wide deployable, base defense capability currently based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The BDG (approximately 800 personnel) was activa ...

**** 820th Combat Operations Squadron **** 822d Base Defense Squadron **** 823d Base Defense Squadron **** 824th Base Defense Squadron

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

(AFRC) *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

442nd Fighter Wing The 442d Fighter Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Overview The 442d Fighter Wing trains reserve person ...

***

476th Fighter Group The 476th Fighter Group (476 FG) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the Tenth Air Force (10 AF) of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. If mobilized to a ...

(GSU) ****

76th Fighter Squadron The 76th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the 476th Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II attack fig ...

– A-10C Thunderbolt II **** 476th Aerospace Medical Flight **** 476th Maintenance Squadron

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

(AETC) *

Nineteenth Air Force The Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF) is an active Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force. During the Cold War it was a component of Tactical Air Command, with a mission of command and control over deployed USAF forces in support of Unit ...

14th Flying Training Wing The 14th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The 14th Operations Group and its six squadrons are responsible for the 52-week Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (S ...

***

14th Operations Group The 14th Operations Group is the flying component of the 14th Flying Training Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force's Air Education and Training Command. The group is stationed at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The group was firs ...

****

81st Fighter Squadron The 81st Fighter Squadron (81 FS) is a training squadron of the United States Air Force's Air Education and Training Command (AETC), stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It is a Geographically Separate Unit of the 14th Operations Group, ...

(GSU) – A-29 Super Tucano

References

External links

Moody Air Force Base official website
{{authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in Georgia (U.S. state) Military installations established in 1948