| Bryan Air Force Base Bryan Army Airfield
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|---|---|
| Part of Air Training Command (ATC) | |
| Brazos County, near Bryan, Texas | |
2006 USGS Airphoto
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  Bryan AFB
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| Coordinates | 30°38′16″N 96°28′43″W / 30.63778°N 96.47861°W / 30.63778; -96.47861 |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942–1947; 1951–1958; 1960–1961 |
Bryan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in unincorporated Brazos County, Texas, located west of Bryan. Today, the location houses The Texas A&M University System RELLIS Campus (stands for Texas A&M's six core values: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, Selfless Service). It was also formerly named the Texas A&M University-Riverside Campus.
Bryan Air Force Base was originally activated in 1943 as a U.S. Army Air Forces installation known as Bryan Army Air Field. The base housed a flight instructors' school and was assigned the task of developing a standardized system of instrument flight training. The Full Panel Attitude System developed at the base was one of the most significant contributions the base made to pilot training. The instrument training school at Bryan AAF was the only one of its kind in the United States Army Air Forces.[1]
The installation became Bryan Air Force Base upon the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in September 1947. Assigned to the Air Training Command, it conducted advanced flight training in the T-33 Shooting Star.
Deactivated in May 1961, the land and buildings were leased to the Texas A&M University in 1962. In 1988, full ownership of the former base was transferred to Texas A&M University at virtually no cost.[2]
Several state agencies and higher education facilities occupy space at the RELLIS Campus as of 2024[update], including:
The George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex is a $200 million military research center that opened in 2022 on the RELLIS Campus. Retired USAF Maj. Gen. Tim Green is director of the site for "national defense innovation" in weapons and technology which will bring together military, academic and private-sector researchers, according to local reporting.
The complex includes the Research Integration Center; Innovation Proving Ground; and Ballistic, Aero-optics and Materials Range, where weapons are tested. Raytheon tested a high-energy laser test there in 2023, the first open-air usage in the state of Texas.
The complex was initially funded by the state of Texas ($50 million), Texas A&M ($80 million) and the U.S. Army Futures Command ($96 million).[3]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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