RAF Geilenkirchen

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RAF Geilenkirchen
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany
Site information
Type Royal Air Force station
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator Royal Air Force
Controlled by RAF Second Tactical Air Force
Royal Air Force Germany
Location
Germany adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Geilenkirchen
Shown within Germany
Coordinates 50°57′36.7″N6°2′32.6″E / 50.960194°N 6.042389°E / 50.960194; 6.042389
Site history
Built1952 (1952)/3
In useMay 1953 – 28 January 1968 (1968)
Airfield information
Identifiers IATA: GKE, ICAO: ETNG
Elevation90 metres (295 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
09/2710,010 metres (32,841 ft) Concrete
MottoCeler Respondere

Royal Air Force Geilenkirchen more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen is a former Royal Air Force station in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21 January 1968.

Contents

History

Geilenkirchen squadrons

Post RAF history

The RAF handed over the station to the West German Luftwaffe in March 1968. The Germans used the airfield as home for a surface-to-surface missile wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the United States Army.

Current use

In 1980, the station became NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, the main operating base for NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control force, operating 14 Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft.

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography