Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex

  • Published
  • By Greg L. Davis
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

As the Tinker and the Primes Conference continues, it’s important to understand why Tinker is so vital to the nation’s defense and how collaboration with industry ensures readiness and sustainment. Today, we look at the heart of Tinker’s industrial capability: Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex is the largest of three depot repair complexes in the Air Force Materiel Command. The complex performs programmed depot maintenance on the C/KC-135, B-1B, B-52H and E-3 aircraft, expanded phase maintenance on the Navy E-6B aircraft, and maintenance, repair and overhaul of F100, F101, F108, F110, F117, F118, F119, TF33, F135 and F137 engines for the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy and foreign military sales. Additionally, the complex is responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of a myriad of Air Force and Navy airborne accessory components, and the development and sustainment of a diverse portfolio of operational flight programs, test program sets, automatic test equipment and industrial automation software. More than 10,000 military and civilian employees work in the OC-ALC, comprised of more than 63 buildings and approximately 8.5 million square feet of industrial space on Tinker Air Force Base. The complex is headquartered in historic Bldg. 3001, which covers 62 acres and stretches for seven-tenths of a mile. Within its walls, workers perform a vast array of multifaceted maintenance processes on aircraft, engines, components, and accessories and a multitude of crucial administrative operations. From the initial planned site of 960 acres in March 1941, Tinker’s physical plant has become, by standards, a “mega-facility.” Today, the base is made up of 5,000 acres with 427 buildings containing more than 18 million square feet of floor space and 294 acres of ramp space, all supported by the 72nd ABW. The base is comparable to a city. The 72nd ABW provides essential support services for 22,906 civilian and military assigned to the base and approximately 1,605 contractors, along with dependents and military retirees and their family members in a six-county area. The wing provides critical base functions including: security, fire protection, medical services, civil engineering, communications and supply, transportation and air field operations. The base also offers a variety of recreational and leisure activities including the Tinker Club, 18-hole golf course, picnic grounds, library, swimming pool, fitness centers and a bowling alley. Organizations assigned to the wing include: 72nd Medical Group, 72nd Mission Support Group, 72nd Operations Support Squadron, 72nd Comptroller Squadron, Civil Engineer Directorate, Communications Directorate, the Base Chapel, Base Plans Office, Military Equal Opportunity, Judge Advocate, Safety, Inspector General’s office, Information Protection and Public Affairs. Tinker is host to operational missions for the Air Force and Navy as well as several Department of Defense agencies. Shared location and consolidation of these defense missions with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex allows maximum use of technical skills, saves money and reduces aircraft downtime.