Duke Field

Duke Field, also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United StatesUnitsAlthough technically part of the larger nearby Eglin Air Force Base complex, today Duke Field is essentially a small air force base in its own right. Primarily an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation, Duke Field is hosted by the 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW), which operated the MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft until 2013 and currently operates the MQ-1 Predator, U-28 and C-145A aircraft. As an AFRC unit, the 919 SOW is operationally gained by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at nearby Hurlburt Field. The 919 SOW previously operated the AC-130A Spectre gunship ( 711 SOS) aircraft prior to transitioning to the MC-130E in 1995.InstallationThe installation is named for 1st Lt Robert L. Duke, who died in the crash of a Curtiss A-25A-20-CS Shrike, AAF Ser. No. 42-79823, near Spencer, Tennessee on 29 December 1943. He was assigned as Assistant A-3 to the Proving Ground of the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command at Eglin Field, Florida, now Eglin Air Force Base. The Duke Field installation is about 12mi north of the Eglin AFB East Gate on State Road 85.