Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base

Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base
قاعدة أحمد الجابر الجوية
Summary
Airport type Military air base
Operator Kuwait Air Force
Serves Kuwait
Elevation AMSL 407 ft / 124 m
Coordinates 28°56′05.7″N 47°47′31.1″E / 28.934917°N 47.791972°E / 28.934917; 47.791972
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15R/33L 9,843 3,000
15L/33R 9,843 3,000

Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base (IATA: XIJ, ICAO: OKAJ) is a Kuwait Air Force base that is home to 3 Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 C/D squadrons: 9 Squadron, 25 Squadron, and 61 Squadron. The base also has an area designated for operations by the U.S. Air Force and its allies.

History

Sitting 75 miles south of the Iraqi border, the base has supported active duty United States Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter units, along with support individuals, rotated in and out. At Al-Jaber AB, the 332 ELS Commander and 10 personnel were on one-year tours; all others (1190 personnel) rotated every 90 to 120 days.

On 1 December 1998, the 4406th Operations Group (Provisional) at Al-Jaber Air Base inactivated and the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group activated.[1]

According to USA Today on 22 October 2003 the US Ambassador to Kuwait, Richard Jones, announced that the United States was reducing its presence at Al-Jaber with the intent of fully reducing its forces at that location. USAF assets remaining in Kuwait are primarily stationed at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

The U.S. side of the base was re-opened during 2014 sometime before October.

Between 15 October 2014 and 30 September 2015 the Royal Danish Air Force deployed seven General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcons with four being operational and three others in a reserve capacity.[2]

Current use

The U.S. side of the base is controlled by the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing[3] and due to the Military intervention against ISIL the American Government has deployed various aircraft there.[4]

From 22 November 2014 four Panavia Tornados from 6º Stormo of the Italian Air Force deployed there for an unknown amount of time[5] along with a Boeing KC-767A from 14º Stormo.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Globalsecurity.org, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia, accessed January 2009
  2. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. December 2015. p. 17.
  3. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. June 2015. p. 23.
  4. ↑ "SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines 'Could Clear' Iraq". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  5. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. February 2015. p. 35.
  6. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. January 2015. p. 27.


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