Air base
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2015) |
Anairbase[1][2](stylisedair basein American English), sometimes referred to as amilitary airbase,military airfield,military airport,air station,naval air station,air force station,orair force base,is anaerodromeor airport used as amilitary baseby amilitaryforce for the operation ofmilitary aircraft.
Airbase facilities
[edit]An airbase typically has some facilities similar to acivilianairport;for example,air traffic controlandfirefighting.Some military aerodromes have passenger facilities; for example,RAF Brize NortoninEnglandhas a terminal used by passengers for theRoyal Air Force's passenger transport flights. A number of military airbases may also have acivil enclavefor commercial passenger flights, e.g.Beijing Nanyuan Airport(China),Chandigarh Airport(India),Ibaraki Airport(Japan),Burlington International Airport(USA), Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport Srinagar(India),Taipei Songshan Airport(Taiwan),Eindhoven airport(The Netherlands). Likewise, the opposite also occurs; large civilian airports may contain a smaller military airbase within their environs, such asRoyal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba(located withinBrunei International Airport).
Some airbases have dispersed aircraft parking,revetments,hardened aircraft shelters,or evenunderground hangars,to protect aircraft from enemy attack.Combat aircraftrequire secure protected storage ofaircraft ordnanceand munitions. Other facilities may also include technical buildings for servicing and support of survival equipment (includingflying helmetsand personal liquid oxygen), flight simulator for synthetic training, servicing facilities for all aircraft systems (airframes, propulsion, avionics, weapons systems)[3]and associated ground support systems (including mechanical transport). All military airbases will have buildings formilitary administration(station headquarters, squadron briefing and operations), and larger bases will also include medical and dental facilities for military personnel (and sometimes their dependents), along with dining (mess,informally known as the 'cook house'), accommodation (single living accommodation forjunior ranks,Sergeants' and Officers' Mess for senior non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers), recreational facilities (club house for socialising), shopping facilities (NAAFIshops, base exchange, commissary), and sports facilities (gymnasium, swimming pool, sports pitches). An airbase may be defended byanti-aircraft weaponsandforce protectiontroops.
Dispersal airbase
[edit]A dispersal (or dispersed) airbase is an airfield that is used for the purpose ofdispersingair units in the event of conflict, so to minimise the vulnerability of aircraft and its supporting units whilst on the ground.[4]Dispersal airbases are not necessarily ordinarily operational in peace time, and may only be activated when needed. Airfields used as dispersal bases can either be auxiliary military airfields, civilian airports, orhighway strips.Examples of uses of dispersal bases are theSwedishBas 60andBas 90systems, theBritish V-Bomber dispersal bases,andNATO's Dispersed Operating BasesinFrance.
Road airbase
[edit]Road airbases arehighwaysconstructed to double as auxiliary airbases in the event of war. Countries known to utilise this strategy areIndia,[6]Sweden,[7]Finland,Germany(formerly),[5]Singapore,Switzerland,[8]South Korea,Turkey,Poland,Pakistan,and theCzech Republic.In the case ofFinnishroad airbases, the space needed for landing aircraft is reduced by means of anarrestor wire,similar to that used on some aircraft carriers (Finnish Air ForceusesF/A-18s,which can land on aircraft carriers).[9]
Aircraft carrier
[edit]Anaircraft carrieris a type ofnaval shipwhich serves as a seaborne airbase, the development of which has greatly enhanced the capabilities of modernair forcesandnaval aviation.In many countries, they are now a key part of the military, allowing for their military aircraft to be staged much nearer the area of conflict. Aircraft carriers were vital to theUnited StatesduringWorld War II,Koreaand theVietnam War,and to theUnited Kingdomin the 1982Falklands War.They retain modern roles as well as "several acres of sovereign territory a nation can move about at will", which allows greater flexibility in diplomacy as well as military affairs. Aircraft carriers may also used indisaster relief.
See also
[edit]- List of Royal Air Force stations
- List of Royal Australian Air Force installations
- List of Royal Canadian Air Force stations
- List of United States Air Force installations
- List of Soviet Air Force bases
- Naming of military air bases
- Satellite airfield
- Naval base
- Submarine base
References
[edit]- ^"airbase".Dictionary.Cambridge.org.Cambridge,England:Cambridge Dictionary.n.d.Retrieved17 April2023.
- ^"airbase".CollinsDictionary.com.Collins Dictionary.n.d.Retrieved17 April2023.
- ^Ronald V. (20 December 2010)."Brüggen".ForgottenAirfields.com.Netherlands: Abandoned forgotten & little known airfields in Europe.Retrieved17 April2023.
- ^Halliday, John M. (February 1987)."Tactical Dispersal of Fighter Aircraft"(PDF).RAND Corporation.
- ^abRonald V. (9 September 2011)."Ahlhorn highway strip".ForgottenAirfields.com.Netherlands: Abandoned forgotten & little known airfields in Europe.Retrieved17 April2023.
- ^"Mirage 2000 fighter jet test-lands on Yamuna Expressway near Delhi as part of trials".ndtv.com.Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2016.Retrieved6 May2018.
- ^[1]ArchivedFebruary 2, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Uno Zero Zero – Ein Jahrhundert Schweizer Luftwaffe".lw.admin.ch.Aeropublications, 324 pages,Swiss Air Force.2013.ISBN978-3-9524239-0-5.Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2016.
- ^"Puolustusvoimat – Försvarsmakten – The Finnish Defence Forces".Finnish Defence Forces. Archived fromthe originalon 25 June 2009.Retrieved26 November2015.
External links
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