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Altus Army Air Field began in 1942. A newspaper published at the time--near Christmas--complained of "mud, mud, mud!" Five thousand cadets, destined to be bomber pilots, trained at Altus Army Air field during the war. The all-metal AT-9 and the fabric-covered AT-17 were used by practicing cadets. Altus Army Air Field closed at the end of World War II.

During the intervening years, the field served as an Air Force salvage yard. Approximately 2500 war-weary aircraft came to Altus for salvage. Some aircraft, still in production when the war ended, were flown straight from the factory. The "Memphis Belle" and other B-17's and B-25's lined the runway at Altus. (The "Memphis Belle" was saved from destruction in 1946.)

In 1953, the Air Force reactivated the field as Altus Air Force Base. After serving first as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) and then as a Military Airlift Command (MAC) installation, Altus Air Force Base resumed a training mission. Today's planes are very different than the AT-9's or AT-17's. Cargo planes like the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III, or the KC-135 Stratotanker, fly Altus skies.

In October 1962, twelve Atlas-F missile installations became operational in the Altus area. The inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) were housed in underground silos spread throughout southwestern Oklahoma, along with one in northern Texas.

The Department of Defense, however, phased-out the Atlas-F in April 1965. Later the Altus installations were demilitarized. Today six of the twelve silos (all privately owned) have been filled by the Corps of Engineers.

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Visitors to Cole Heights Park in south Altus, also know as Missile Park, can see the "Waterbird." The attraction resembles an Atlas missile but held only water. It was used to test the lift mechanism in missile silos.

Last reviewed: 2004-Jan-21