After officially closing its doors, the former Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, is now the thriving home of the Boeing Aerospace Support Center and 1,700 employees.

In February 1998, Boeing Aerospace Support announced it would establish the center in San Antonio. It is Boeing’s largest maintenance and modification center and the largest private industry service provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul for large military aircraft. Four programs are maintained under its 1.5 million enclosed square feet; of which 791,600 square feet is hangar space. The programs are: C-17, KC-135, KC-10 and KC-135 Global Air Traffic Management.

Five years ago, San Antonio was reeling over the news that Kelly Air Force Base would close as part of the base re-alignment and closure process. In contrast, community and Air Force dignitaries gathered last summer to mark the fifth anniversary of the Boeing Aerospace Support Center.

Speaking at the event, Maj. Gen. William “Wayne” Hodges, director, Global Reach Programs, office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, said the Air Force was proud of the work the San Antonio team did to support the warfighter. He emphasized that the C-17’s exemplary mission readiness rate during Operation Iraqi Freedom and other recent world events can be traced to the team’s dedication and outstanding work. From September 2001 to October 2003, C-17s flew an unprecedented 65,150 sorties, while maintaining 94 percent worldwide departure reliability, despite exponential increases in deployments and operating sites.

Multiple levels of aircraft maintenance and modification are performed in San Antonio. These range from heavy structural maintenance, system modifications and upgrades, and corrosion control to avionics system maintenance, non-destruct and full aircraft inspections, and paint and depaint capabilities. Customer support is also provided for other areas, including inventory control systems, procurement and warehousing functions, technical field support, major component systems management, ground support equipment maintenance, offsite logistics support, back shop support and liaison engineering.

The center is home to one of the world’s largest freestanding high-bay aircraft hangars. It is designed for simultaneous maintenance of multiple wide-body aircraft. Aerospace Support recently signed a 17-year lease for a new 123,600-square-foot hangar, which will provide three additional wide-body aircraft positions. The new space means that 23 wide-body aircraft can be housed indoors. In addition, there are 3.5 million square feet of aircraft ramp space, run-up areas, parking pads and an 11,500-foot runway.