Runways | |
---|---|
Direction | Length and surface |
17L/35R | 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Asphalt |
17R/35L | 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Asphalt |
Prince Sultan Air Base (Arabic : قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية) ( IATA : AKH [3] , ICAO : OEPS) (PSAB) is a military air base located in the closed-city of Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. [1]
There was a large United States presence there during Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. presence was predominantly that of multiple United States Air Force (USAF) flying units, augmented by a United States Navy (USN) or United States Marine Corps (USMC) Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler squadron, a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter squadron with Panavia Tornado F.3s and a French Air Force fighter squadron with Dassault Mirage 2000s, Mirage F1 CR plus a Boeing C-135RF Stratotanker air refueling aircraft. Following the attack on USAF facilities at Khobar Towers in Dharan in 1996, all USAF activities at that location were relocated to PSAB.
Before the September 11 attacks, per agreement with the Saudi Arabian government, all U.S. and Allied aircraft stationed at PSAB were to be of a "defensive" versus "offensive" nature. This was due to Arab sensitivities that non-Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) aircraft in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be perceived as being there for the defense of the Kingdom.
During Operation Southern Watch, this required aircraft carrying offensive strike ordnance for use against ground targets in Iraq to be stationed in Kuwait or aboard aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Royal Air Force, and French Air Force aircraft that were based at PSAB primarily consisted of airborne early warning, reconnaissance, air refueling, electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and air-to-air fighter aircraft, along with transient airlift aircraft. U.S. squadrons came under the operational control of the, formerly 4404th Wing (Provisional), 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing (363 AEW) at PSAB, with associated squadrons or detachments prior to 11 Sep 2001 rotated in and out from their home bases in Europe, the United States or the Pacific on a 90-day to 6-month basis. During Operation Southern Watch, in addition to Active Component aircraft, the USAF made extensive use of Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and associated personnel on rotational assignments to PSAB. The United States Navy, Navy Reserve and United States Marine Corps also employed EA-6B aircraft from PSAB as well.
In August and early September 1998, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) and its associated Coalition Air Operations Center (CAOC) were in the process of relocating from the Eskan Village complex in Riyadh to PSAB concurrent with construction of a more modern and expanded CAOC at PSAB. The 1996 Khobar Towers bombing accelerated this movement, so that subsequent command and control of all Coalition air operations for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom were executed from PSAB, before 11 September 2001.
During the War in Afghanistan, the Saudi government refused to allow the United States to use its air bases in Saudi Arabia to launch offensive air operations against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, but did allow them to use Prince Sultan Air Base to coordinate offensive air operations of air combat operations launched from other countries. [4] In mid-2003, all U.S. operations at PSAB began migrating to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar.
Between 2003 and 2005 Vickers VC10s from No. 101 Squadron RAF were based here in support of Operation Telic before moving to RAF Al Udeid (a section of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar). [5]
In October 2019, 2,000 U.S. troops joined approximately 700 service members already stationed at the air base, [6] along with deploying B-1B bombers, F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Patriot missile batteries. [7] The new troop buildup followed several attacks on oil tankers by Iran in the Gulf of Oman. [8]
The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing was activated at Prince Sultan on 17 December 2019, with the Air Force stating the wing's mission is to 'provide strategic depth and increased defensive support while sustaining regional presence to promote peace through deterrence'. [9]
The air base resides at an elevation of 1,651 feet (503 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways designated 17L/R/35L/R with an asphalt surface measuring 4,000 by 45 metres (13,123 ft × 148 ft). [1]
The base currently uses hundreds of tents as temporary housing, though there are plans to have the tents replaced with trailers and more permanent structures. [11]
The US Air Force 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron is responsible for pest management on the base. [12]
The McDonnell DouglasF-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic-warfare aircraft. United States Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagles can be generally distinguished from other US Eagle variants by darker aircraft camouflage, conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) mounted along the engine intake ramps and a tandem-seat cockpit.
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces.
King Abdulaziz Air Base, also known as Dhahran Air Base and formerly Dhahran International Airport, Dhahran Airport and Dhahran Airfield, is a Royal Saudi Air Force base located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Located west of Thuqbah and 7 km (4 mi) southeast of the Saudi Aramco Dhahran Camp, the airbase was the first Saudi Arabian airport to be constructed, in 1961, and is under the command of Air vice-marshal Prince Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Al Udeid Air Base is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport.
Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003. Suggest Verification against <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_order_of_battle_of_the_Gulf_War#Units_in_Operation_Southern_Watch_(1991-2003)>, which states 1991. USS Stein participated in exercises off the coast of Oman during this time to repel Iraqi Gunboat Threats.
Gastonia Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles south of the central business district of Gastonia, a city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
The 484th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time. It was activated and attached to United States Air Forces Central for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It was headquartered at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
The 125th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC).
The 363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit. The wing is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Forces Central Command unit assigned to Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time.
The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force (USAF) unit. It is assigned to the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. It has supported combat operations in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), Iraq, and Syria from its previous location of Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The squadron has a varied background, having been formed by a series of consolidations of no fewer than five distinct units.
The 4404th Wing (Provisional) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last was assigned to the Air Combat Command (ACC), stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
No. 24 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Airbus A330-203 MRTT and A330-243 MRTT from Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
The 968th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force, flying the Boeing E-3G Sentry. Since March 2022, the squadron is stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. It has been activated twice since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
No. 18 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Boeing E-3A Sentry at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
No. 19 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Beech 350ER-ISR, Boeing RE-3A and the Boeing RE-3B at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
No. 23 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Boeing KE-3A at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
No. 32 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Lockheed KC-130H Hercules and the KC-130J Hercules at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
No. 60 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates the Saab 2000AEW&C at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
No. 17 Squadron RSAF is a squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force that operates various aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia within RSAF 6 Wing.
Right now, the large white tents that flap in the stiff winds give a temporary feel to the mission. But according to Air Force Col. Jason King, vice commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing here, there is "prudent planning" underway that could lead to the tents being replaced with trailers and other more permanent structures.