Simmons Army Airfield (SAAF) supports the aviation needs of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Operations, Reserve and National Guard aviation units, and other assigned units. Fort Bragg since its founding in 1918 has always had an association with aviation. The first airfield was a former farm field used as a landing strip for bi-planes and artillery observation balloons. This airfield later became Pope Field which today is Pope Air Force Base. As Pope Air Force Base portrays the beginnings of Fort Bragg aviation history, Simmons Army Airfield represents its recent history starting in 1952 and continuing today.
Combat engineers constructed SAAF in August 1952 to test and practice aerial deliveries of construction equipment and other supplies. During its early years, transportation remained the primary focus of Simmons Army Airfield until 1956. That year all Army aircrafts moved to the airfield, thus expanding its mission to include air mobility/air assault, surveillance and other military operations. Simmons Army Airfield played a vital role in military operations during the Cold War, the Gulf War, and it continues to do so today in the Global War on Terrorism.
As SAAF prepares to upgrade its facilities to better support its mission, the Fort Bragg Cultural Management Resources Program has developed this history so that future generations can learn about the history of Fort Bragg aviation during the second-half of the twentieth century.
With the BRAC changes, down the road, this particular installation will close, and the Army's fighting birds will relocate once again to "Pope Army Airfield."
Simmons Army Airfield