Iowa Army National Guard Heliport

Military consolidation and modernization. The Waterloo facility (officially AASF #2) was deemed outdated and too small for the needs of the assigned units. As part of a statewide and national Army aviation restructuring plan, the decision was made to close the Waterloo facility and an older facility in Boone, and consolidate all of Iowa's Army National Guard aviation assets into a single, newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility in Boone. This move was determined to be more operationally efficient and cost-effective.

The site is no longer used for aviation purposes. However, it remains an active Iowa National Guard installation, now known as the Waterloo Readiness Center. The buildings and grounds, including the former helicopter ramp and hangars, have been repurposed to support non-aviation units of the Iowa Army National Guard, such as the 1133rd Transportation Company. The large paved area of the former heliport is now used for military vehicle parking, staging, and drill and ceremony training.

The Iowa Army National Guard Heliport was a key military installation known as Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) #2. It served as the home base for elements of the Iowa Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment. The facility supported the maintenance, training, and deployment of military helicopters and their crews. In its later years, it primarily operated the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, having previously operated the UH-1 Huey. The facility and its personnel were critical for both federal and state missions. They participated in overseas deployments to locations such as the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Domestically, the unit was instrumental in state emergency response, providing vital support during natural disasters, most notably the major Iowa floods (e.g., 1993 and 2008), where they conducted search and rescue, medical evacuations, and transported essential supplies.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as a heliport. The strategic decision to consolidate Army aviation assets into the new, multi-million dollar facility in Boone was a long-term investment. Re-establishing a separate aviation facility in Waterloo would be redundant and financially impractical, running counter to the consolidation strategy. The site has been fully and successfully repurposed as a ground-unit Readiness Center.