# Albrook Air Force Station

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US Air Force facility in Panama

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Albrook Air Force Station Part of Air Combat Command Located near Balboa, Panama Site information Type Military Air Force Station Controlled by United States Air Force Location Albrook AFS Coordinates 08°58′33.24″N 079°33′19.91″W / 8.9759000°N 79.5555306°W / 8.9759000; -79.5555306 Site history Built 1928 In use 1932-1997

**Albrook Air Force Station** is a former [United States Air Force](/source/United_States_Air_Force) facility in [Panama](/source/Panama). It was closed on 30 September 1997 as a result of the [Torrijos-Carter Treaties](/source/Torrijos-Carter_Treaties) which specified that United States military facilities in the former [Panama Canal Zone](/source/Panama_Canal_Zone) be closed and the facilities be turned over to the Panamanian government. It was located on the east side of the [Panama Canal](/source/Panama_Canal) just south of [Fort Clayton](/source/Fort_Clayton) and north of the township of [Balboa, Panama](/source/Balboa%2C_Panama). Beginning in January 1999, the air field initiated civilian air service as [Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport](/source/Albrook_%22Marcos_A._Gelabert%22_International_Airport).

## Major commands to which assigned

- Panama Canal Department, 1932- 19 October 1940

- Panama Canal Air Force, 19 October 1940 - 5 August 1941

- Caribbean Air Force, 5 August 1941 - 18 September 1942

- [Sixth Air Force](/source/Sixth_Air_Force), 18 September 1942 - 31 July 1946

- Caribbean Air Command, 31 July 1946 - 8 July 1963

- [United States Air Forces Southern Command](/source/United_States_Air_Forces_Southern_Command), 8 July 1963 - 1 January 1976

- [Tactical Air Command](/source/Tactical_Air_Command)

- USAF Southern Air Division, 1 January 1976 - 1 January 1989

- 830th Air Division, 1 January 1989 - 15 February 1991

- [Air Forces Panama](/source/Air_Forces_Panama), 15 February 1991 - 11 February 1992

- [Tactical Air Command](/source/Tactical_Air_Command), 11 February - 31 May 1992

- [Air Combat Command](/source/Air_Combat_Command), 31 May 1992 - 30 September 1997

## Major units assigned

16th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group 24th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 26 October 1932-10 January 1943; 28 May-9 June 1943 28th Pursuit Squadron, 1 February-5 October 1940 29th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 October 1933-17 May 1942 43d Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 February 1940-13 July 1942 73d Pursuit Squadron, 1 October 1933-14 July 1941 78th Pursuit Squadron, 15 October 1932-1 September 1937 19th Composite Wing, 25 January 1933 Redesignated 19th Wing, 1937 Redesignated 19th Bombardment Wing, 1940 - 25 October 1941[1] 37th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group 30th Pursuit Squadron, 13 November 1940-24 November 1941 31st Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 13 November 1940-9 November 1941; 31 December 1941-3 February 1942; 19 May-30 September 1942 Headquarters, Panama Canal Air Force, 20 November 1940 Redesignated: Caribbean Air Force. August 5, 1941 Redesignated: 6th Air Force, September 18, 1942 Redesignated: Caribbean Air Command, July 31, 1946 Redesignated: United States Air Forces Southern Command July 8, 1963-1 January 1976 12 Pursuit Wing, 10 November 1940 – 6 March 1942 32d Pursuit (later Fighter) Group 51st Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 52d Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 53d Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 VI Bomber Command, 25 October 1941 – 1 November 1946[1] XXVI Fighter Command, 6 March 1942 - 25 August 1946 1st Communications Squadron, Air Support, 23 April 1942-April 1943 40th Bombardment Group, 16 September 1942 - 3 June 1943[2] 6th Bombardment Group, 14 January - 1 November 1943[3] 3rd Bombardment Squadron[4] 74th Bombardment Squadron[5] Sixth Air Force Base Command 20th Troop Carrier Squadron, 9 June 1943-September 1948 1st Depot Repair Squadron, 6 May 1943 – 7 December 1944 314th Troop Carrier Group, 1 October 1946 - 10 March 1948 5700th Composite Wing 18th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1 August 1948-1 March 1949 24th Composite Wing, 8 November 1967 - 3 January 1968 830th Air Division, 1 January 1976 – 15 August 1977; 1 March 1989 – 15 February 1991

## Post USAF use

In September 1997, the base was turned over to Panama. It was then refurbished with an operations / control tower constructed; also a passenger terminal (near Building 446, the hangar that previously housed the former Air Force Post Office). In January 1999, the domestic/commercial Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport was relocated to Albrook from Punta Paitilla (across Panama City). The airport is under Panama's Civil Aeronautics Authority (Autoridad de Aeronáutica Civil —previously named Civil Aviation Directorate).

A number of shops, markets, mall and government agencies (Panamanian Red Cross, [International Maritime University of Panama](/source/International_Maritime_University_of_Panama)) operate out of some of the old buildings and hangars, and most of the officers quarters are now private homes.

The [Civil Aviation Authority](/source/Civil_Aviation_Authority_(Panama)) has its headquarters in Building 805.[6]

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-conway_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-conway_1-1) Conaway, William. ["VI Bombardment Command History"](http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.net/panama/vibchistorytem.htm). *Planes and Pilots Of World War Two*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Conaway, William. ["40th Bombardment Group (Heavy)"](http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.net/panama/40thbgphistorytem.htm). *VI Bomber Command In Defense Of The Panama Canal 1941 - 45*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Conaway, William. ["6th Bombardment Group (Heavy)"](http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.net/panama/6thbgphistorytem.htm). *VI Bomber Command In Defense Of The Panama Canal 1941 - 45*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Conaway, William. ["3rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)"](http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.net/panama/3rdbshistorytem.htm). *VI Bomber Command In Defense Of The Panama Canal 1941 - 45*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Conaway, William. ["74th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)"](http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.net/panama/74thbshistorytem.htm). *VI Bomber Command In Defense Of The Panama Canal 1941 - 45*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** "[Contáctenos](http://www.aeronautica.gob.pa/recursos/index.php?c=contactenos)." [Civil Aviation Authority](/source/Civil_Aviation_Authority_(Panama)). Retrieved on April 18, 2012. "Oficinas Administrativas: Albrook Edificio 805 - Panamá"

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Albrook Air Force Station](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Albrook_Air_Force_Station).

- Maurer, Maurer (1983). *Air Force Combat Units Of World War II*. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-89201-092-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-89201-092-4).

- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. [*Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II*](http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf) (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-405-12194-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-405-12194-6). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [70605402](https://lccn.loc.gov/70605402). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [72556](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/72556).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

## External links

- [Historic American Buildings Survey](/source/Historic_American_Buildings_Survey) (HABS) documentation, filed under Balboa, Former Panama Canal Zone, CZ: - HABS No. CZ-10, "[Albrook Air Force Station](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0017/)", 63 data pages - HABS No. CZ-10-A, "[Albrook Air Force Station, Field Officer's Quarters](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0022/)", 17 photos, 21 data pages, 4 photo caption pages - HABS No. CZ-10-B, "[Albrook Air Force Station, Company Officer's Quarters](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0023/)", 19 photos, 16 data pages, 4 photo caption pages - HABS No. CZ-10-C, "[Albrook Air Force Station, Non-Commissioned Officers' Duplex](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0024/)", 16 photos, 19 data pages, 5 photo caption pages - HABS No. CZ-10-D, "[Albrook Air Force Station, Parachute & Armament Building](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0025/)", 13 photos, 20 data pages, 3 photo caption pages - HABS No. CZ-10-E, "[Albrook Air Force Station, Dispensary](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/cz0026/)", 21 photos, 26 data pages, 3 photo caption pages

This article incorporates [public domain material](/source/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States) from the [Air Force Historical Research Agency](https://www.afhra.af.mil/)

v t e Air Combat Command (ACC) Air Forces First (Northern) Ninth (Central) Twelfth (Southern) Fifteenth Sixteenth (Cyber) Centers 601st Air Operations 609th Air Operations 612th Air Operations 616th Operations Air Force Technical Applications Cyberspace Capabilities United States Air Force Warfare Bases Beale Creech Davis–Monthan Grand Forks Langley–Eustis (Langley) Moody Mountain Home Nellis Offutt Seymour Johnson Shaw Tonopah Tyndall Wings Composite 23rd 53rd 55th 57th 355th 432nd Fighter 1st 4th 20th 325th 366th 388th Cyberspace 67th 688th Other 9th Reconnaissance 70th ISR 93rd Air Ground Operations 99th Air Base 319th Reconnaissance 363rd ISR 461st Air Control 480th ISR 505th Command and Control 552nd Air Control 557th Weather 633rd Air Base

v t e Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) Bases CONUS Amarillo Beale Charleston Davis–Monthan Dobbins Dover Dow Duluth Eglin Edwards Ellington Ellsworth England Ent Ethan Allen Fairfax Fallon Fort Lee Fort Heath Geiger George Glasgow Grand Forks Grenier Griffiss Gunter Hamilton Hancock Homestead Hurlburt Hunter Imeson Key West Kincheloe Kingsley Kirtland Lackland Laredo Larson Luke MacDill March Malmstrom McCoy McChord McClellan McGhee Tyson McGuire Minneapolis-St. Paul Minot Mitchel New Castle Niagara Falls Norton O'Hare Otis Oxnard Paine Perrin Peterson Pittsburgh Portland Presque Isle R.I. Bong Richards-Gebaur Robins K.I. Sawyer Selfridge Seymour Johnson Sioux City Stead Stewart Suffolk County Tinker Travis Truax Tyndall Vandenberg Vincent Walker Webb Westover Wright-Patterson Wurtsmith Youngstown Overseas Ernest Harmon Frobisher Bay Goose Keflavik McAndrew Pepperrell Thule Stations CONUS Adair Aiken Almaden Alpena Antigo Arlington Heights Baker Bedford Bellefontaine Belleville Benton Blaine Brookfield Brunswick Bucks Harbor Burns Calumet Cambria Cape Charles Cape Cod Carmi Caswell Chandler Charleston Cheyenne Mountain Claysburg Clear Colville Condon Continental Divide Cottonwood Cross City Crystal Springs Curlew Custer Cut Bank Dallas Center Dauphin Island Dickinson Duncanville Eldorado Empire Finland Finley Flintstone Fordland Fort Fisher Fort Lee Fortuna Gettysburg Grand Marais Grand Rapids Guthrie Hanna City Havre Highlands Houma Hutchinson Joelton Keno Killeen Kingman Kirksville Klamath Lake Charles Lake City Las Cruces Las Vegas Lewistown Lockport Lufkin Lyndonville Madera Makah Mica Peak Miles City Mill Valley Minot Montauk Moriarty Mount Hebo Mount Laguna Mount Lemmon Naselle North Bend North Charleston North Truro Oklahoma City Olathe Omaha Opheim Osceola Othello Owingsville Ozona Palermo Point Arena Port Austin Port Isabel Pyote Red Bluff Rochester Rockport Rockville (Indiana) Roslyn Rye Saint Albans San Clemente Island Santa Rosa Island Saratoga Springs Sault Ste Marie Shemya Snelling Snow Mountain Sweetwater Texarkana Tierra Amarilla Thomasville Tonopah Topsham Two Creeks Wadena Walnut Ridge Watertown Waverly West Mesa Willow Run Winnemucca Winslow Winston-Salem Woomera Yaak Zapata Overseas Armstrong Baldy Hughes Beausejour Cape Makkovik Cartwright Cut Throat Island Elliston Ridge Fox Harbour Hofn Hopedale Kamloops La Scie Langanes Latrar Melville Puntzi Mountain Ramore Red Cliff Rockville Saglek St. Anthony Saskatoon Mountain Sioux Lookout Spotted Island Stephenville Air Defense units Forces Central Air Defense Eastern Air Defense Iceland Western Air Defense First Fourth Tenth Fourteenth Air Divisions 8th 9th 20th 21st 23d 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 36th 37th 58th 64th 73d 85th Sectors Albuquerque Bangor Boston Chicago Detroit Duluth Goose Grand Forks Great Falls Kansas City Los Angeles Minot Montgomery New York Oklahoma City Phoenix Portland Reno Sault Sainte Marie San Francisco Seattle Sioux City Spokane Stewart Syracuse Washington Wings Fighter 1st 4th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 56th 78th 81st 325th 328th 507th Detection and Control 71st 73d 551st 552d Air Defense 46th 4620th 4621st 4622d 4624th 4625th 4627th 4628th 4683d 4700th 4702d 4703d 4704th 4705th 4706th 4707th 4708th 4709th 4710th 4711th 4750th 4751st 4752d 4756th 4780th Groups Fighter 1st 4th 14th 15th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 53d 54th 56th 57th 78th 79th 81st 82d 84th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 337th 343d 355th 408th 412th 414th 473d 475th 476th 478th 507th Air Defense 10th 500th 501st 502d 503d 514th 515th 516th 517th 518th 519th 520th 521st 525th 527th 528th 529th 530th 533d 534th 564th 566th 567th 568th 575th 637th 665th 678th 692d 701st 751st 762d 765th 778th 780th 827th 858th 4606th 4620th 4676th 4700th 4721st 4722d 4727th 4728th 4729th 4730th 4731st 4732d 4733d 4734th 4735th 4750th 4756th Aircraft Control & Warning 503d 505th 540th 541st 542d 543d 544th 545th 546th 563d 564th 565th 566th Squadrons Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons Major weapon systems Electronic TB-29 EB-57 EC-121 Fighters Propeller: F-47 F-51 P-61 F-82 Subsonic Jet: P-80 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-94 Supersonic Jet: F-101 F-102 F-104 F-106 Missiles AIM-4 AIM-26 AIR-2 CIM-10 Ships Guardian Interceptor Interdictor Interpreter Investigator Locator Lookout Outpost Pickett Protector Scanner Searcher Skywatcher Tracer Watchman Vigil Texas Towers Texas Tower 2 Texas Tower 3 Texas Tower 4 Miscellaneous Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons) General Surveillance Radar Stations

v t e Tactical Air Command (TAC) Air Forces First Ninth Twelfth Eighteenth Nineteenth Air Divisions 20th (ADTAC) 21st (ADTAC) 23d (ADTAC) 24th (ADTAC) 25th (ADTAC) 26th (ADTAC) 28th (ADTAC) 831st 832d 833d 834th 835th 836th 837th 838th 839th 840th Named units Air Forces Panama Air Forces Iceland Air Defense, Tactical Air Command Wings TFW 1st 4th 12th 15th 20th 23d 27th 32d 33d 37th 50th 56th 312th 323d 347th 354th 355th Other 1st SOW 57th FWW 63d TAW 64th TAW 67th TRW 75th TRW 85th TFTW 317th TAW 363d TRW 405th TFTW 461st TBW 4505th ARW Former bases Active (MAJCOM) Altus (AETC) Brooks (AFMC) Cannon (AFSOC) Charleston (AMC) Creech (ACC) Davis–Monthan (ACC) Dover (AMC) Dyess (ACC) Eglin (AFMC) Hill (AMFC) Holloman (ACC) Hurlburt Field (AFSOC) Langley (ACC) Little Rock (AETC) Luke (AETC) MacDill (AMC) McChord (AMC) McConnell (AMC) Moody (ACC) Mountain Home (ACC) Nellis (ACC) Pope (AMC) Seymour Johnson (ACC) Shaw (ACC) Tonopah (ACC) Tyndall (AETC) Whiteman (ACC) Inactive Bergstrom Blythville Donaldson England Forbes George Howard Grenier Myrtle Beach Orlando Sewart Turner Williams Inactive, but with a military presence Bunker Hill Biggs Dow Godman Homestead Lockbourne March Otis Aircraft A-1 A-7 A-10 A-37 AC-47 AC-119 AC-130 B-26 B-57 B-66 C-7 C-47 C-82 C-119 C-123 C-130 E-3 E-8 EF-111 EC-135 F-4 F-5 F-15 F-16 F-47 F-51 F-80 F-82 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-100 F-101 F-102 F-104 F-105 F-106 F-111 F-117 H-1 H-5 H-6 H-19 H-43 H-60 H-53 KB-29 KB-50 KC-97 O-1 O-2 OH-23 OV-10 P-40 P-38 R-4 S-62 T-6 T-28 T-29 T-33 T-38

v t e USAAF Sixth Air Force in World War II Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942) Airfields Caribbean Coolidge (Antigua) Dakota (Aruba) Batista (Cuba) Camaguey (Cuba) Hato (Curaçao) Vernam (Jamaica) Arecibo (Puerto Rico) Borinquen (Puerto Rico) Losey (Puerto Rico) Benedict (Saint Croix) Beane (Saint Lucia) Carlsen (Trinidad) Piarco Airport (Trinidad) Waller (Trinidad) Canal Zone Albrook France Howard Panama Aguadulce Anton Calzada Larga Chame David La Chorrera Madden Patilla Point Pocri Río Hato Central and South America Belém (Brazil) Atkinson (British Guiana) Zandery (Dutch Guiana) Salinas (Ecuador) Baltra (Galápagos Islands) Guatemala City (Guatemala) Talara (Peru) Units Commands VI Bomber Command VI Fighter Command XXVI Fighter Command XXXVI Fighter Command VI Air Force Service Antilles Air Command Wings 6th Fighter 13th Bombardment 19th Composite 24th Composite Groups Fighter 16th Fighter 32d Fighter 36th Fighter 37th Fighter 53d Fighter Bomber 6th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 25th Bombardment 40th Bombardment Reconnaissance 72d Reconnaissance Squadrons 1st Depot Repair 20th Troop Carrier 23d Antisubmarine 91st Reconnaissance United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

v t e Panama Canal Management Panama Canal Authority Structures Locks Panamax Gatun Dam Gatun Lake Chagres River Culebra Cut Centennial Bridge Bridge of the Americas Panama Canal Railway Atlantic Bridge Locations Atlantic side Colón Arco Iris Cristóbal port Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport Limon Bay Gatún Passage Gatun Lake Culebra Cut Pacific side Balboa Albrook Airport Gamboa Panama City Expansion 2006 referendum Atlantic Bridge New Panamax / Post-Panamax History People Philippe Bunau-Varilla Ephraim S. Claybourn John G. Claybourn William Nelson Cromwell David du Bose Gaillard George Washington Goethals William Crawford Gorgas Ferdinand de Lesseps John Frank Stevens Construction 1903 Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty 1921 Thomson–Urrutia Treaty Isthmian Canal Commission (1904–1906) Health measures Panama Canal Museum Box 25 US Canal Zone (1904–1979/99) List of governors Canal Zone Police United States District Court for the Canal Zone 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties Former US military installations Airfields Albrook AFB France Field Howard AFB Forts Amador Clayton Davis De Lesseps Grant Gulick Kobbe Randolph Sherman Ports Coco Solo PSA Panama International Terminal Radio Galeta Island Balboa Naval Station Education Balboa High School

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Albrook Air Force Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrook_Air_Force_Station) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrook_Air_Force_Station?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.