Originally named Moses Lake Army Air Base, the airfield was activated on 24 November 1942 as a temporary World War II training center. Moses Lake AAB was a sub-base of Spokane Air Technical Service Command, headquartered at Spokane Army Airfield.
The first flight of the XB-47 took place on 17 Dec. 1947, originating at Boeing Field and terminating at Moses Lake Air Force Base. In Feb. 1949, a B-47 took off from Larson, headed east and "broke all coast-to-coast speed records" with an average speed of 607.8 miles per hour.
The first ADC flying unit to arrive was the 325th Fighter-Interceptor Group, which arrived on 26 November 1948. The mission of the 325th FIG was to conduct ADC's All Weather Combat Crew Training School. Its operational component, the 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, initially flew Northrop P-61 Black Widows, almost immediately transitioning to the North American F-82 Twin Mustang. A second squadron, the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron arrived on 2 September 1949, being reassigned from McChord AFB. The 319th also flew the F-82 Twin Mustang. The 325th FIG remained at Moses Lake until being reassigned to McChord AFB on 23 April 1950, along with the 317th FIS. The 319th remained until 9 February 1952 when it was reassigned to Suwon Air Base, South Korea flying F-94 Starfires.
On 15 April 1952, the YB-52 made its initial flight from Boeing Field to Larson Air Force Base, piloted by Tex Johnston and Col. Townsend. Johnston noted, "At three hours and eight minutes, the flight in the YB-52 was the longest-duration maiden flight in the history of aviation and introduced one of the world's great airplanes."
Strategic Air Command
On May 25, 1959, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) issued General Order 38, which established the 4170th Strategic Wing (later renamed the 462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing) at Larson AFB effective July 1, 1959. On January 1, 1960, the 4170th SW took over Larson AFB. In 1963, the 4170th was redesignated as the 462d Strategic Aerospace Wing. The SAC wing at Larson AFB was equipped with B-52E Stratofortress bomber, KC-135A Stratotanker mid-air refueling aircraft, and Titan I ICBMs located at three underground complexes surrounding the base.
In the SAC era at Larson AFB, the 4170th SW/462nd SAW had five commanders:
Lt. Col. Robert R. Johnston, 1959–1960
Col. Everett W. Best, 1960–1961
Col. David A. Tate, 1961–1965
Col. Alex W. Talmant, 1965–1966
Col. John G. Martin Jr., 1966
Under SAC, Larson AFB was commanded by four men who each held a dual role as base commander and commander of the Combat Support Group:
Lt. Col. Charles T. Olmsted, 1959–1960
Col. William R. Calhoun Jr., 1960–1961
Lt. Col. Richard D. Salter, 1961–1963
Col. Clyde W. Owen, 1963–1966
SAC's 568th Strategic Missile Squadron (SMS) headquartered at Larson AFB operated the three Titan I missile sites that surrounded Moses Lake. The 568th SMS was led by three commanders:
Col. Robert S. Milner, 1960–1963
Col. Bernard J. Schutten, 1963–1964
Col. Robert E. Mullin, 1964–1965
Civil use
With the closure of the Larson AFB in 1966, Colonel Owen retired from the Air Force and became the first director of the Port of Moses Lake, overseeing the transfer of the property from the U.S. Government to Grant County International Airport.
The 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane temporarily moved its KC-135 R/T fleet and operations to Moses Lake in 2011 while Fairchild's runway underwent reconstruction and other infrastructure improvements, to include an upgrade to the base's aviation fuel distribution system.
For over four decades, Japan Air Lines trained its 747 crews at the facility, until 2009.
The Titan I ICBM program at Larson was initiated in 1959 when the Walla Walla District of the Army Corps of Engineers set up an area office in October. The contractor broke ground on 1 December 1959 and the sites were turned over to SAC in early April 1961. In May 1964 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara directed that the phase-out of the Atlas and Titan I missiles be accelerated, and in January 1965 the missiles of the 568th were taken off operational alert. The squadron was inactivated 2 months later.
Today, site "A" appears to be largely intact, the owner has the facility for sale. Photos of the interior show it to be in good condition. Site "B" appears to be largely cleared, the silo launch doors of two pads appear to be open, and is also apparently also for sale. Site "C" appears to be a scrap site, filled with clutter; its underground facilities apparently are flooded by groundwater.
^Johnston, A.M. "Tex" (1992). Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot. New York: Bantam. pp. 173–175. ISBN9780553295870.
^George F. Hassinger, “History 4170th Strategic Wing (Heavy), 1 January–30 June 1960, Larson AFB, Wash.,” ca. June 1960, 2-3, microfilm roll no. P0064, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Maxwell, Alabama.
^“Colonel Assigned,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), 31 July 1959.
^“Colonel Best to Command Larson Wing,” Spokane Daily Chronicle, 11 Jan 1960
^“AF Shifts 2 Officers,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane), 22 November 1961.
^Bill Gasman, “First Larson Units Transfer April 1,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), 10 March 1966.
^George F. Hassinger, “History 4170th Strategic Wing (Heavy), 1 January–30 June 1960, Larson AFB, Wash.,” ca. June 1960, 4, microfilm roll no. P0064, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Maxwell, Alabama.
^George F. Hassinger, “History 4170th Strategic Wing (Heavy), 1–31 December 1960, Larson AFB, Wash.,” ca. December 1960, iv and 2, microfilm roll no. P0065, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
^“Corsicanan Is Commander of Washington Base,” Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light (Corsicana, Texas), 21 November 1961.
^“Col. Owen Takes Over,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.), 27 April 1963.
^“Larson Titan Sites Readied for Combat,” Columbia Basin Herald (Moses Lake, Washington), 17 July 1962.
^“Officer Is Going to Arizona Base,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), 10 December 1964.
^Richard L. Mayer, “462d Strategic Aerospace Wing (Heavy): October–December 1964,” ca. December 1964, 12, microfilm roll no. N0750, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Maxwell, Alabama.
Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN0-912799-02-1).
Mueller, Robert (1989). Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. ISBN0-912799-53-6, ISBN0-16-002261-4
A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 – 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.