Tinker Air Force Base

Tinker Air Force Base was named in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker of Pawhuska, Okla. General Tinker lost his life while leading a flight of LB-30 "Liberators" on a long-range strike against Japanese forces on Wake Island during the early months of World War II.

Tinker's history began in 1940 when a group of Oklahoma City civic leaders and businessmen learned that the War Department was considering the central United States as a location for a maintenance and supply depot. On April 8, 1941, the order was officially signed awarding the depot to Oklahoma City.

During World War II, Tinker's industrial plant repaired B-24 and B-17 bombers and fitted B-29s for combat. Throughout the Korean conflict, Tinker continued its output -- keeping planes flying and funneling supplies to the Far East. The base also played an important role in the Berlin and the Cuban crises. During the Vietnam War, Tinker provided logistics and communications support to Air Force units in Southeast Asia. Tinker and OC-ALC began the decade of the 90s providing front-line support to the forces engaged in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

In 1999 Tinker was awarded the largest engine repair contract in the history of the Air Force valued at 10.2 billion dollars over 15 years. Today with nearly 24,000 civilian and military assigned to the base, logistics work is just part of Tinker's mission. After the arrival of the Navy, Tinker became one of DOD's premiere interservicing facilities.

From the initial planned site of 960 acres in March 1941, Tinker's physical plant has become by many standards a "mega-facility." Today, the base is made up of 5,020 acres with 732 buildings containing 15.5 million square feet of floor space, including 136 acres of indoor maintenance area, 254 acres of ramp space all supported by the Wing. The base is comparable to a city with a population of 30,000 which includes Air Force and Navy active duty personnel, civilian employees and military retirees. The base offers a variety of recreational and leisure activities including Officers' and Enlisted Clubs, 18-hole golf course, picnic grounds, library, movie theater, swimming pool, fitness centers and a bowling alley.

The 72nd Air Base Wing is the host organization for Tinker Air Force Base. The Wing provides critical base functions including: security, fire protection, medical services, civil engineering, communications, supply, transportation and air field operations.

Organizations assigned to the Wing include: 72nd Medical Group, 72nd Support Group, 72nd Operations Support Squadron, Civil Engineer Directorate, 72nd Logistics Directorate, the Base Chapel, the offices for Plans, Military Equal Opportunity, International Military Students and Arms Control.

Tinker is home to seven major Department of Defense, Air Force and Navy activities with critical national defense missions.

The 552nd Air Control Wing flies the E-3 Sentry aircraft and is part of the Air Force's Air Combat Command mobile strike force. The E-3's radar and other sensors provide deep-look surveillance, warning, interception control and airborne battle management.

The Navy's Strategic Communications Wing ONE is a one of a kind unit in the Navy. This Wing provides a vital, secure communications link to the submerged fleet of ballistic missile submarines. OC-ALC airframe artisans perform depot work on the Navy's E-6 Mercury airplanes while sailors perform field level work.

The 507th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Force Reserve flying unit. OC-ALC is the primary source of depot maintenance for the wing's KC-135R aircraft and engines. The Wing also supports U.S. Military and NATO aircraft with aerial refueling and Airborne Warning and Control System missions world-wide.

The 3rd Combat Communications Group provides deployable communications, computer systems, navigational aids and air traffic control services anywhere in the world.

The 38th Engineering Installation Group has worldwide responsibility for engineering and installation of all communications and electronic facilities for the Air Force.

The Defense Distribution Depot Oklahoma provides the receipt, storage, issue, inspection and shipment of material, including material quality control, preservation and packaging, inventory, transportation functions and pick up and delivery services in support of OC-ALC and other Tinker-based organizations.

The Defense Megacenter Oklahoma City is the local branch of the Defense Information Systems Agency. The Megacenter operates computer systems for the base and serves 110 other bases in 46 states.

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Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC ALC)

Tinker's largest organization is the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, one of five depot repair centers in the Air Force Materiel Command. The ALC is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics and accessories components.

The center manages an inventory of 2,261 aircraft which include the B-1, B-2, B-52, C/KC-135, E-3, VC-25, VC-137 and 25 other Contractor Logistics Support aircraft. The Center also manages an inventory of nearly 23,000 jet engines that range from the Korean Conflict vintage J33s (T33) to state of the art B-2 engines such as the F118. Missile systems managed by the center include the Air Launched Cruise Missile, Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile, Harpoon and Advanced Cruise Missiles. Airborne accessories management includes responsibility for some 24,000 different avionics and accessories components.

OC ALC manages 19 types of engines (aircraft jet engines, missile engines, and helicopter engines). Tinker is designated the source of repair (SOR) for 11 of the 19 and is currently repairing the TF30, TF33, F101, F107, F108, F110, and F118 engines. OC-ALC is SOR for the Navy F110-400 and TF30-414A engines and manages the J79 engine. OC-ALC begins repair in FY95 of the CFM56-2A-2 engine which powers the Navy E-6 aircraft.

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC ALC) at Tinker AFB provides worldwide logistics support for a variety of weapons systems, including B 1B, B 2, B 52, E 3, multi purpose C 135 series, and provides depot support for the Navy E-6 aircraft. The Navy Strategic Communications Wing (STRATCOMMWING) ONE is based at OC-ALC allowing for depot support of the E-6 aircraft. Commonality between the E-6 and E-3 airframes facilitates maximum utilization of depot support functions already in place. OC-ALC manages all 25 series of contractor logistics support (CLS) aircraft including the C 9, VC 25, E 4, KC 10, C 26, C 20, and C-12 aircraft of the Air Force, Army and other military services.
 

In 1990, the Air Force determined it could not meet the full depot maintenance requirement for 23 B-1B aircraft per year at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center without adding personnel or offloading other aircraft workload to contractors. The center awarded a sole-source contract to Rockwell International Corporation, the B-1B manufacturer, to perform programmed depot maintenance on about 5 aircraft per year, leaving 18 aircraft to be repaired at the air logistics center. At the time, the Air Force anticipated that contractor support would decrease and eventually the entire annual B-1B workload would be repaired at the center. The original depot maintenance contract (1-year contract with 4 option years) expired at the end of fiscal year 1995. At that time, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center was ready to assume the entire workload. However, because of uncertainties surrounding the 1995 base closure and realignment process and the resulting need to maintain two sources of repair, a contract extension was awarded to Rockwell for fiscal year 1996. Subsequently, the Air Force awarded an additional contract extension for five aircraft for fiscal year 1997, with an option for the same number in 1998.

OC-ALC is the only source of repair, overhaul, and test for the air launched cruise missile (ALCM) and the F112-100 cruise missile engines. All of the functions are accomplished in a single facility that also has the capability to repair and overhaul the Navy F107-400 sea launched cruise missile (SLCM) engine.
 

OC-ALC is designated the Technology Repair Center (TRC) for hydraulics/pnuedraulics, oxygen/other gas generating equipment, instruments, B-1B offensive avionics systems, and engine-related exchangeable. The center manages approximately 82,000 accessory items and annually repairs approximately 250,000 exchangeable.

Operational Flight Program (OFP) software support, modifications, enhancements and new capabilities for the B-1B, B-2, E-3 are currently being accomplished in the Weapon System Support Center and Avionics Integrated Support Facility. B-52/ALCM software integration is also being worked in the Avionics Integrated Support Facility.

OC ALC is located at Tinker AFB in the southeastern Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It lies between Interstate 40 on the north and Interstate 240 on the south. It is five miles east of Interstate 35. Tinker AFB has a total of 4,996 acres and 761 buildings that enclose approximately 15.2 million SF of floor space. The industrial complex is responsible for depot level maintenance, and has 55 buildings with 5.5 million SF, and plant equipment valued at $330M.

The Tinker AFB work force totaled 24,509 in FY94 with a payroll of $760.9M. This figure consists of 8,695 military and 15,814 civilian employees. (Maintenance work force and payroll were 6,040 and $260M, respectively.) Over 99 percent of Tinker's employees reside in eleven counties surrounding the base. Oklahoma County has the greatest number of Tinker employees, over 73 percent of the work force. Forty percent of the work force are from an urban industrial community and are hired to perform lesser skilled work. Generally these employees have related training or experience and require short-term training specific to the position being filled. When training needs occur, the center has an in-house aircraft maintenance vocational/technical training program in which employees can complete intermediate skill training in a short time period. Approximately 35 percent of the work force are moderately skilled, and are from Tinker's industrial/aviation pool. Approximately 25 percent are highly skilled and come from military/civil aerospace related industries in the general recruiting area.

Late in 1940 a group of Oklahoma City businessmen and civic leaders learned that the War Department planned to locate a maintenance and supply depot in the central United States. They purchased 960 acres of land and took a 60 day option on an additional 480 acres to be used as the War Department saw fit. On 8 April 1941, the order was officially signed awarding the depot project to Oklahoma City. In 1942 the new installation was named Tinker Field in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker. Tinker's industrial plant repaired B 17 and B 24 bombers and engines, and fitted B 29s for combat during World War II. In 1946 Tinker expanded to include the Douglas Aircraft Plant and was named Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area (OCAMA).

During the Korean conflict, OCAMA gave materiel support to the US effort there. The rest of the fifties were noted for base expansion and new management responsibilities. OCAMA undertook complete system management of the latest Air Force weapons, the B 52 bomber and the KC 135 tanker. In 1958, the most encompassing project in Tinker's history took place when hundreds of B 47s flew in for wing modification.

In the 1960s, OCAMA responded to crises as it steadily increased its role in management of weapons systems. It provided substantial aid to the Air Force in the Berlin crisis of 1961 and in the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962. Throughout the Vietnam conflict, Tinker provided significant logistics support, especially for the B 52 bombers. In 1974, the depot was renamed the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC ALC).