King Abdulaziz Air Base
King Abdulaziz Air Base | |||||||||
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قاعدة الملك عبد العزيز الجوية مطار الظهران الدولي | |||||||||
| Dhahran, Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia | |||||||||
  King Abdulaziz Air Base Shown within Saudi Arabia | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°15′55″N 50°09′07″E / 26.26528°N 50.15194°ECoordinates: 26°15′55″N 50°09′07″E / 26.26528°N 50.15194°E | ||||||||
| Type | Airfield | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Saudi Air Force | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1961 | ||||||||
| In use |
1961-1999 1991-present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison | RSAF Wings 3 & 11 | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: DHA, ICAO: OEDR | ||||||||
| Elevation | 26 metres (85 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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King Abdulaziz Air Base (IATA: DHA, ICAO: OEDR) is a Royal Saudi Air Force Air Base located near to Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
History
In 1945, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia agreed signed the Dhahran Air Field Agreement. This agreement permitted the U.S. to build a small air field near the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) town. The use of the term “air field”, as opposed to “air base” was a direct result of U.S. sensitivity of Saudi Arabia’s concerns regarding imperialism. Further, full ownership of the airfield was scheduled to revert to Saudi Arabia at the conclusion of the war, after an agreed-upon three-year period during which the U.S. would have the rights to operate the field.
Despite the end of World War II in the European theater, in 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed the Agreement, which owing to the lack of any military justification, and again a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s concerns regarding imperialism and the symbolism of foreign bases on their soil, was promptly rejected by the King. The War Department, likewise, dropped their support of the project. However, the U.S. State Department, recognizing the economic benefits of this location, and the diplomatic benefits afforded by the agreement, continued to pursue development of the Dhahran Air Field. After Congress approved substantial economic development assistance, the U.S. State Department and the Saudi Government agreed, in August 1945, to develop the air field. Ironically, the War Department was forced to foot the cost of the construction.
In 1948, when the originally agreed-upon three-year post-war period of U.S. operations came to a close, the agreement was renegotiated. While the airfield had not been completed until 1946, too late to be of any benefit for World War II logistics (its original justification) it did provide benefits in the late 1940s, specifically in the context of the increasing tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union. In 1949 Dhahran airfield was the only airfield in the area which could support the United States Air Force’s B-29s. Thus, the airfield took on increasing importance in the U.S.’s eyes as one location in the U.S. strategy of the containment of communism. For Saudi Arabia, the base provided an element of security from the U.S. forces posted there, among Saudi Arabia’s growing concerns regarding their neighbors, particularly Yemen, and the Hashemites of Iraq and Transjordan. The 1948 agreement reverted ownership of the air base to Saudi Arabia, and on-going year-to-year leases, for which the U.S. would pay rent. As part of the U.S. concession for this on-going access to the air base, the U.S. agreed to send a military team to Saudi Arabia to consult on the Saudi defenses.
Civilian
The airport terminal building is one of the architectural works of Minoru Yamasaki, and was completed in 1961. The architecture is a blending of traditional Islamic forms with modern technology. For example the flight control tower has the appearance of a minaret. Images of the terminal have been used on Saudi banknotes and is viewed as having influenced the design of a number of important buildings throughout the Middle East.
In 1999, after the opening of the King Fahd International Airport, all scheduled flights were shifted out of Dhahran International Airport.
Military
Between 1963 and 1999 the base was called Dhahran Air Base.
Between 17 September 1963 and 20 November 1963 the United States Air Force's 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron was deployed here with North American F-100 Super Sabre's.
The Gulf War
During Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1991, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division had their base setup at the airport.
A detachment of Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR1's from No. 31 Squadron RAF were based here during January 1991.[1]
1990s
During October 1994 the 23d Wing's (Flying Tigers) 75th Fighter Squadron (Tigersharks) and its full complement of Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs initially deployed from Pope AFB, North Carolina to Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia, followed by the first forward deployment to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait.
The contingent of 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt IIs (more affectionately called Warthogs) was composed of members of the 75th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) Sharks and the 76th TFS Vanguard. The units were NOT from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina but from England Air Force Base, Alexandria, Louisiana. The 23rd Fighter Wing moved to Pope Air Force Base in 1993 or 1994 after England Air Force Base was closed by the Base Relocation and Closure (BRAC). I know this to be true because I was a Vanguard (from the 76th TFS) stationed at England AFB when we deployed to Desert Shield.
During 1999 the base was renamed to King Abdulaziz Air Base.
Current use
Dhahran International Airport has been transformed into a military airbase. It has been renamed King Abdulaziz Air Base and serves the purposes of the Royal Saudi Air Force. There are also a couple of VIP airlines that operate out of DHA. Aviation link company operates one A319 and B777-200. There is also nexus flight operations that operates one A319.
- RSAF 3 Wing:[2]
- No. 13 Squadron RSAF with the McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle and the F-15D
- No. 92 Squadron RSAF with the McDonnell Douglas F-15S Strike Eagle
- No. 44 Squadron RSAF with the Bell 412EP
- RSAF 11 Wing:[2]
- No. 7 Squadron RSAF with the Panavia Tornado IDS
- No. 35 Squadron RSAF with the British Aerospace Jetstream 31
- No. 75 Squadron RSAF with the Tornado IDS
- No. 83 Squadron RSAF with the Tornado IDS
References
- ↑ "19 Years Over Iraq". The Official RAF Annual Review 2010 (Stamford: Key Publishing): p. 12. December 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Royal Saudi Air Force - Dhahran (King Abdullah Aziz Air Base) (OEDR)". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
External links
- Dhahran International Airport (in Arabic)
- Airport information for OEDR at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
- usace.army.mil
