| Woensdrecht Air Base Vliegbasis Woensdrecht |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: WOE – ICAO: EHWO | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | Royal Dutch Air Force | ||
| Serves | Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands | ||
| Location | Woensdrecht | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 63 ft / 19 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 2,440 | 8,005 | Concrete/Asphalt |
Woensdrecht Air Base (Dutch: Vliegbasis Woensdrecht) (IATA: WOE[1], ICAO: EHWO) is a military airport near the town of Woensdrecht, about 10 km south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. It is located near highway A58 and the border with Belgium.
The airport was founded in 1934 as a glider and training airfield for the Royal Dutch Air Force. During German occupation in the Second World War, the airfield was expanded. After the war, it was used once again by the Royal Dutch Air Force for training purposes. In 1983 it was decided that Woensdrecht would house 48 Ground Launched Cruise Missiles fitted with nuclear warheads for the 486th Tactical Missile Wing of the U.S. Seventeenth Air Force. The missile wing would have had a maximum complement of 1100 personnel.[2] However, just after completion of the required facilities, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty put a halt to these plans.
The airport currently has one runway, 07/25, which is 2,440 meters (8,005 feet) long. It is now mainly used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force as a training and logistical base and normally does not house any combat units. It currently also has one civilian user, Fokker Services, a company providing maintenance for primarily but not exclusively Fokker aircraft, the Fokker 50 and Fokker 70 were in use by the Royal Netherlands Air Force and government. Because of the presence of Fokker Services, a large number of Fokker aircraft is usually present at the airfield. The Royal Netherlands Air Force mainly operates the Pilatus PC-7 for initial training from this Air Base.
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