Harrisburg Air National Guard Base Olmsted Air Force Base |
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Part of Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) | |
Located in: Lower Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near Middletown, Pennsylvania |
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EC-130E and EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft of the 193d Special Operations Wing
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Coordinates | 40°11′37″N 076°45′48″W / 40.19361°N 76.76333°WCoordinates: 40°11′37″N 076°45′48″W / 40.19361°N 76.76333°W |
Type | Military airfield |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Air Force |
Site history | |
Built | 1917 |
In use | 1917–1969, Afterwards by Pennsylvania Air National Guard |
Garrison information | |
Garrison |
193d Special Operations Wing |
Harrisburg Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Harrisburg International Airport, (IATA: MDT, ICAO: KMDT, FAA LID: MDT) Pennsylvania. It is located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard facility is sited on the location of the former Olmsted Air Force Base, which was closed in 1969. The 193d Special Operations Wing operates EC-130J Hercules aircraft, designated as "Commando Solo" for special operations missions. The airfield is shared with MDT, the civilian airport being moved from Capital City Airport, near Harrisburg in 1970 after Olmsted AFB's closure.
The PA ANG 193d Special Operations Wing consists of:
Other components of the Wing are located at State College and at Muir Army Airfield at Fort Indiantown Gap.
The facility is named in honor of 1st Lieutenant Robert Sanford Olmsted, U.S. Army Air Service, on 11 March 1948. 1st Lieutenant Robert Sanford Olmsted was killed in a ballooning accident over the village Loosbroek, Netherlands on 23 September 1923 while competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup. Olmsted remained in the race despite threatening weather which caused some competitors to drop out. Lightning struck the S-6 over Nistelrode, the Netherlands, killing Olmsted.