Nakasongola Airport

Last updated
Nakasongola Airport
Summary
Airport type Military
Owner Uganda People's Defence Force
Operator UPDF
ServesNakasongola, Uganda
Location Nakasongola, Uganda
Elevation  AMSL 3,710 ft / 1,130 m
Coordinates 01°25′12″N32°28′12″E / 1.42000°N 32.47000°E / 1.42000; 32.47000 (Nakasongola Airport)
Map
Uganda location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
Nakasongola
Location of Nakasongola Airport in Uganda
Placement on map is approximate
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
02/209,8003,000 Asphalt

Nakasongola Airport( IATA : n/a, ICAO : n/a) is an airport in Uganda. As of 2013, it was one of the 47 airports in the country. [1] It is the intended headquarters of the Air Wing of the Uganda People's Defense Force and, along with Entebbe Airport, Gulu Airport, Jinja Airport and Soroti Airport, is one of the five national military airports. [2]

Contents

Location

Nakasongola Airport is located in the neighborhood known as Wabisi, approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi), north of the town of Nakasongola, Nakasongola District, in the Central Region of Uganda. [3] It is located on the campus of Nakasongola Air Force Base, approximately 144 kilometres (89 mi), by air, directly north of Entebbe International Airport, the country's largest civilian and military airport. [4] The geographic coordinates of Nakasongola Airport are: 01°25′12″N32°28′12″E / 1.42000°N 32.47000°E / 1.42000; 32.47000 . [5]

Overview

Nakasongola Airport is a medium-sized military airport that serves the town of Nakasongola. It is the largest stand-alone military airport in Uganda. Nakasongola Airport is approximately 1,130 metres (3,710 ft) above sea level. [6] The airport has a single asphalt runway and taxiway that measure approximately 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in length. [7]

The airport and the air base on which it is located were constructed by an Israeli company in the 1970s. In 2014, after several years of disuse, the Ugandan government began a renovation of the airport projected to last six months and cost US$11 million (UGX:28 billion), following which the headquarters of the UPDF Air Force were to be relocated to Nakasongola to decongest Entebbe Air Force Base. [7] [8] [9] However, in 2016 the construction of a radar system on the site was still incomplete and threatened by a land-use dispute. [10] As of 2019 the relocation of the Air Force had reportedly still not occurred. [11]

Helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul unit

In January 2022, the UPDF Air Force unveiled a helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit at the Nakasongola Air Force Base. The installation is a joint venture between National Enterprise Corporation and a Russian company called Pro Heli International Services Limited. The maintenance and repair facility is intended to repair and service Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-17, Mil Mi-24 and related equipment in the UPDF and regional air forces at a fraction of the cost it takes to ferry the hardware back to Russia for maintenance and repairs. [12] [13] [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uganda People's Defence Force</span> Armed forces of Uganda

The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–45,000 and consisted of land forces and an air wing. Recruitment to the forces is done annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulu Airport</span> Airport in Uganda

Gulu Airport is a civilian and military airport in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is a designated entry and exit point in and out of the country.

Soroti Airport is an airport serving Soroti, a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda, approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi), by road, north-east of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The main runway and apron are asphalt and can support aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737, without damage to the surface. The airport is at an altitude of 3,697 feet (1,127 m), above sea level.

Nakasongola is a town in Nakasongola District in the Central Region of Uganda. The town is the site of the district headquarters.

Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kajjansi Airfield</span> Airfield in Uganda

Kajjansi Airfield is an airfield serving Kajjansi, a town in the Central Region of Uganda.

The East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA), also known as the Soroti Flying School, is a Ugandan school that trains aircraft pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Muhoozi</span> Ugandan Military Officer and Lawyer (born 1965)

General David Rubakuba Muhoozi is a Ugandan Military Officer and Lawyer. He currently serves as the Minister of State for Internal Affairs. He was appointed to that position on 6 June 2021, replacing Obiga Kania.

Wazalendo Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (WSACCO), also referred to as Wazalendo Sacco, is a savings and credit co-operative society in Uganda. It is an institutional Sacco composed of Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) personnel and their families, UPDF Reserve Forces, and staff of Uganda's Ministry of Defence. WSACCO is affiliated with the Uganda Co-operative Savings and Credit Union Limited and with the Uganda Co-operative Alliance.

Nakasongola Military Hospital is a military hospital in Uganda. It is the only accredited hospital in Nakasongola District.

Lieutenant General Charles Lwanga Lutaaya, is a senior Ugandan military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). He a presidential advisor on matters of Airforce. Before that, he was the Commander of the UPDF Air Force after having served as Deputy Commander of the UPDF Air Force.

Entebbe Military Hospital, also Katabi Military Hospital or Katabi UPDAF Hospital, but whose official name is Ronald Bata Memorial Hospital, is a military hospital in Uganda.

Major General Gavas Mugyenyi, also Garvas Mugyenyi is a senior military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). He serves as Uganda's military attache to India, effective January 2020.

The Wabigalo–Nakasongola–Sasira Road is a road in the Central Region of Uganda, connecting the town of Nakasongola with the towns of Wabigalo and Sasira on the Kampala–Gulu Highway. An extension from Nakasongola links to Nakasongola Air Force Base.

Brigadier Rebecca Mpagi, is a Ugandan military officer and Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, who serves as the Director of Personnel and Administration in the UPDF Air Force. She is credited as the first female in Uganda to qualify as a military aircraft maintenance engineer.

Pangea Aviation Academy (PAA), is an aviation training school in Uganda, which provides training for prospective pilots, destined for service in the UPDF Air Force, the Uganda Police Air Wing, Uganda National Airlines Company and in General Aviation, in the country and the region.

Major General Charles Okidi, is a senior Ugandan military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). He is the Chief of Staff of the UPDF Air Force, effective 11 December 2019. Before that, he was the Director Operations at the UPDF Air Force Headquarters at Entebbe.

Naomi Karungi was a Ugandan helicopter pilot who, at the time of her death, served as the Squadron Commander of Augusta Bell Squadron in the UPDF Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uganda Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Ugandas military

Ugandan People's Defence Force Air Force, more commonly known as Ugandan Air Force, is the branch of the Uganda People's Defence Force that deals with the air warfare. It headquarters is located at Entebbe, Uganda. The current air force commander is Charles Lutaaya, while Emmanuel Kwihangana serves as chief of air staff.

References

  1. ↑ CIA (2018). "Uganda: Transportation: Airports". Washington, DC: CIA Factbook . Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Defenceweb (1 March 2014). "Uganda moving combat aircraft out of Entebbe". Johannesburg: Defenceweb.co.za. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Google (24 January 2022). "Distance between Downtown Nakasongola, Uganda And Nakasongola Airforce Base, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Distancesfrom (24 January 2022). "Air Distance between Entebbe International Airport, Entebbe, Uganda and Nakasongola Airforce Base, Uganda". Distancesfrom.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Google (11 June 2018). "Location of Nakasongola Airport" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Floodmap (11 June 2018). "Elevation of Nakasongola, Uganda". Floodmap.net. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 Binnie, Jeremy (25 February 2014). "UPDF Air Wing to move main base". London: Jane's Defence Weekly . Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Kasasira, Risdel (5 April 2014). "Works on Nakasongola UPDF Air Base Begin". Daily Monitor . Kampala. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Candia, Steven (23 February 2014). "UPDF's Air Force To Move To Nakasongola". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Luwaga, Brian (12 August 2016). "Bickering Threatens Radar Project in Nakasongola". Uganda Radio Network . pp. Nakasongola, Uganda. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  11. ↑ "Museveni rejects CAA proposal to use Nakasongala airport as Entebbe's alternative". The Independent . Kampala, Uganda. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Kenneth Kazibwe (23 January 2022). "Museveni commissions modern helicopter maintenance facility in Uganda". Nile Post Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  13. ↑ Nicholas Agaba (24 January 2022). "Museveni Commissions Futuristic Helicopter Maintenance and Overhaul Facility". The Kampala Post. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  14. ↑ Jeremy Binnie (24 January 2022). "Uganda opens helicopter MRO facility". Janes Information Services . Coulsdon, Surrey, United Kingdom. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.