Hanscom is the headquarters of the Electronic Systems Center (ESC), one of the product centers of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). In addition to this primary function, which is its host unit, Hanscom supports the Air Force Research Laboratory's Sensors and Space Vehicles directorates, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the MITRE corporation, and various other companies and groups related to the Department of Defense.
Hanscom's mission within the Air Force is unique; it is the home base to no Air Force flying activities. Its mission, rather, is to support research and electronic systems instead of hosting military aircraft. Hanscom AFB does not have its own runways; it uses the runways of Hanscom Field, a civilian airport adjacent to the Air Force Base. Less than one percent of the airplanes that land on the runways of Hanscom Field are military aircraft.
The official website for Hanscom Air Force Base
