# Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA)

> Rapid City, US · IATA: RCA · ICAO: KRCA · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `RCA` |
| ICAO | `KRCA` |
| City | Rapid City |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 999 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 44.14500, -103.10400 |

## Description

A 13,497-foot runway, rebuilt in a ten-month, $129.5 million project and returned to service in November 2025, is the backbone of Ellsworth Air Force Base (IATA: RCA, ICAO: KRCA) east of Rapid City, South Dakota. The base houses the US Air Force's 28th Bomb Wing, one of two wings flying the supersonic B-1B Lancer, whose aircraft returned from a temporary deployment to Grand Forks once the pavement work was finished. This is a military airfield, not a freight facility: no commercial cargo is handled, there is no cargo terminal, no freight carrier and no civil access, and what gets loaded here is munitions, spares and fuel. Ellsworth was designated in 2021 as the first main operating base and formal training unit for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, driving a roughly $2 billion construction programme whose first completed buildings are the $161 million Low Observable Restoration Facility and the $81 million wash rack and general maintenance hangar. Civil air freight for the Black Hills moves through neighbouring Rapid City Regional Airport (IATA: RAP), about 20 miles away, where FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service operate less-than-daily cargo services, or through Denver International (IATA: DEN) some 380 miles south. Interstate 90 runs past the base perimeter and carries the surface traffic, while regional rail freight uses the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern shortline. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink visited on 30 June and 1 July 2026 for an update on 28th Bomb Wing operations and B-21 preparations.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ellsworth-air-force-base-airport-rca](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ellsworth-air-force-base-airport-rca)*

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*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/ellsworth-air-force-base-airport-rca/llm-summary*