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Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this facility is assigned GXF by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
History
The facility was opened in July 1942 when it was part of the Gila Bend Gunnery Range. During World War II it was under the command of the 492d (Reduced) Army Air Force Base Unit, AAF West Coast Training Center. It served as the range headquarters for a massive bombing and gunnery range, now known as the Barry M. Goldwater Range, and for maintenance of the range and range targets. It remained an active Air Force facility manned by USAF personnel until approximately 1995. It was also used as an auxiliary landing field. As of 2011, this role is handled by private contractors utilizing portions of the facility.
Auxiliary fields to Gila Bend AFAF (all on the Goldwater Range) are:
Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now – Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub, ISBN1-57510-051-7
Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas OCLC71006954, 29991467
Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC. OCLC57007862, 1050653629
A US Geological Survey aerial image from 2006
Gila Bend AFAFLocation in the United States
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Army Air Forces Training Command