VirtualGlobetrotting: US Air Force installations in foreign countries

VirtualGlobetrotting Live View

Al Dhafra Air Base
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
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The U2 that crashed after a mission over Afghanistan on June 21, 2005 was flying out of here.

Al Udeid Air Base
cmike77 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: cmike77.
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Ali Al Salem Air Base
archcorsair (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: archcorsair.
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Bagram Air Base
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Bagram Air Base - known and referred to by US military as Bagram Airfield - is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan.

Hamid Karzai International Airport (KBL)
fin (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: fin.

Kandahar Air Base
KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
New, slightly blurry imagery shows extensive camp, ammo and fuel storage areas. Coalition Base. Several fixed wing and helicopter types visible.

Sheik Isa Airbase
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Isa Air Base, formerly Shaikh Isa Air Base (ICAO: OBBS), is located on the 665 km² island nation of Bahrain which is situated off Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast. Isa Air Base is located on the shore of the Persian Gulf in southern Bahrain.
It hosts the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) Fighter Wing and the two squadrons that comprise it.
During the first Gulf War, some of the Coalition forces, having trouble with the Arab pronunciation, knew the base under the name "Shakey's Pizza".
Fighter aircraft are stored in 10 buildings located at either end of the runway.
In March 2009, the United States Air Force established a camp on Isa Air Base to support aerial port operations. The unit was designated a detachment of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. This detachment's purpose was to accelerate the delivery of mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Shindand airfield
giove (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: giove.
IATA: OAH, ICAO: OASD

Thumrait Air Base
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Manas International Airport
skyeye (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: skyeye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manas_Air_Base
http://eyeball-series.org/manas/manas-base.htm

Aviano Airbase
IATA: AVB, ICAO: LIPA

Fliegerhorst Büchel
fin (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: fin.

Chièvres Air Base
fin (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: fin.
The Chièvres Air Base is a US Air Force operated airfield in Belgium.

Ghedi airport
giove (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: giove.
Home of the 6° stormo of Aeronautica Militare Italiana, it is one of the most important air base in the north of country

Incirlik Air Base (UAB)

Airport Kleine Brogel
doitsurt (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: doitsurt.

Lajes Obscured
KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
Large International Airport totally obscured. Also a smaller area to the southeast. No clouds in the area this shape or size. Numerous pictures of aircraft movements on Airliners.net.

Morón Air Base

Censored Airfield Geilenkirchen
gamma (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: gamma.

Pápa Air Base

RAF Alconbury
Land for an airfield at Alconbury was first acquired in 1938 as a satellite landing ground for RAF Upwood, and, when war broke out, it was used by Blenheims from RAF Wyton. In the beginning facilities were rudimentary comprising a briefing room and bomb stores; in 1941 three runways were laid, and it was subsequently used by Stirlings and Wellingtons to mount raids against Germany. In August 1942 Alconbury became an American base for Liberators flying bombing missions. In December 1942 the Liberators were replaced by B-17s and Alconbury became known as Station 102. As part of the US 8th Air Force it fulfilled a variety of roles until being handed back to the RAF in November 1945.
On 1 June 1953 the airfield was reactivated as one of the bases for the US 3rd Air Force, and by 1954 major reconstruction work was underway to lay a new extended runway and construct other infrastructure, including hangars and bomb stores. The first aircraft arrived in September 1955; B-45s of the 85th Bomb Squadron, this squadron remaining until August 1959 by which time it had been re-equipped with B-66Bs. Following this departure Alconbury assumed what was to be its principal Cold War role as the home to various reconnaissance squadrons. The first to arrive were the 1st and 10th Squadrons of the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, flying at first RB-66s until they were replaced by RF-4C Phantom IIs in 1965. In 1976, the airfield acquired an additional role as the home of a tactical fighter training squadron flying Northrop F-5E Tigers. Soon after the airfield was substantially remodelled with the construction of twenty-eight hardened aircraft shelters. ‘Hush Houses’ were also built in the early 1980s to minimise engine noise during static test runs.
In 1983, TR-1s (reconnaissance ‘spy’ planes) were permanently based at Alconbury. This led to a large remodelling of the northern section of the airfield to accommodate these aircraft and their specialised mission. Work included the construction of five prefabricated ‘Ready Sheds’, thirteen extra-wide Hardened Aircraft Shelters, a Squadron Headquarters, a massive Avionics and Photography Interpretation Centre, and new concrete aprons and taxi-ways. In the late 1980s the Phantoms were replaced by thirty-eight A-10A Warthogs, ground attack aircraft. Their deployment, however, had little effect on the physical fabric of the base, although the squadron did produce some distinctive wall art. Flying ceased on 31 March 1995 and the base was subsequently released for disposal.
The Airfield site is now administered by Alconbury Developments Limited, most of the domestic site is retained by the USAFE and is used for domestic facilities and accommodation for it and its sister base of RAF Molesworth.

RAF Croughton (USAF)
dr1141 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: dr1141.

RAF Fairford

US Air Force's 5th Space Surveillance Squadron (closed)
The 5 SPSS (initially designated "Detachment 1, 73rd Space Surveillance Group", or "Det 1 SSURGP") was part of the USAF's Passive Space Surveillance Network which tracked the physical location of emitting satellites in orbit. This data along with that from other systems was used to de-conflict the orbits of various satellites and manned vessels (for instance the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station) to reduce the risk of on-orbit collisions.
However other USAF systems and capabilities ultimately superseded DSTS and it were removed in 2002 and the unit was de-actived shortly thereafter.

Fylingdales BMEWS radar site
RAF Fylingdales is Site III, of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. The unit is a vital portion of BMEWS operations, which include the 12th Space Warning Squadron, Thule Air Base, Greenland, 13th Space Warning Squadron, and Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. RAF Fylingdales, United Kingdom, operates and maintains the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. This crew is responsible for missile warning and attack assessment against the United Kingdom and areas of Western Europe and North America. They also provide space surveillance and support the satellite warning service for the UK.

RAF Lakenheath
stu (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: stu.
This is RAF Lakenheath - the largest US operated Air Force Base in the UK. Most of the base in low res apart from this corner where you can zoom in and see the fighter planes.

Menwith Hill Listening Station
romulusnr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: romulusnr.
USA CIA eavesdropping station, located in England north of Leeds. The station is controversial with many Brits.

RAF Mildenhall
BaasG (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: BaasG.
RAF Mildenhall, home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing (KC-135R) and the 352nd Special Operations Group (MC-130H MC-130P and MH-53).
Google Earth shows the field in High-Res, displaying a lot of KC-135s, a C-5 and two C-141s.

RAF Molesworth cruise missile bunkers
(Note: the very large clear area to the east of the bunkers on the other side of the adjacent buildings is a large underground intelligence center where satellite imaging is/was processed)
In 1979, NATO ministers decided to deploy the USAF Gryphon BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) and the US Army's Pershing II missiles to counter the growing Soviet SS-20 intermediate range ballistic missile threat. American GLCMs were deployed in U.S. Air Force units on six missile operating bases in five Western European nations: the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, West Germany, and the Netherlands.
RAF Greenham Common and RAF Molesworth were selected as the beddown sites for the GLCM in the UK. Preparation began for the ground launched cruise missile mission, and new facility construction began in September 1985. The 303d Tactical Missile Wing was activated on 12 Dec 86 at RAF Molesworth.
The 303d Tactical Missile Wing's mission changed significantly after the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to limit Intermediate- range missiles in 1988 under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. When the INF Treaty was signed in December 1987, the US Air Force had just begun the deployment of INF GLCM missiles at Molesworth. Eighteen missiles and six launchers were listed in the treaty's Memorandum of Understanding and had been inspected during baseline. Following that period, the Molesworth GLCMs were withdrawn from the force, prepared for shipping, and transported to the United States for elimination at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. At the same time, the Air Force prepared the site at Molesworth to be closed out in accordance with the provisions of the treaty. The first removal of operation cruise missile treaty-limited items from Western Europe occurred Sept 8, 1988. Following the formal closeout declaration in December 1988, Soviet INF inspectors arrived at Molesworth on January 19, 1989, for the closeout inspection.
With the signing of the INF Treaty in December 1987, GLCMs deployed to RAF Molesworth were removed to the U.S. and the 303rd TMW inactivated Jan. 30, 1989. The last GLCMs at RAF Greenham Common were removed in March 1991, and the 501st TMW inactivated June 4, 1991.

RAF Welford Weapons Storage Site
stu (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: stu.
This is currently only low res. but shows the secret RAF Welford site where missiles and bombs are stored by the UK and US Armies.

Ramstein
romulusnr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: romulusnr.
I believe this is probably Ramstein AB, major NATO airbase in Germany.

Spangdahlem Air Base
KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
Large airbase - American operated. Numerous hard hangars - four F-16's visible. Large ramp being constructed on south side. Two large (round) fuel storage tanks being constucted.
Canadian Forces announced 04 Nov. 10; that this base will be used; after moving out of UAE.

Sola Air Station (SVG)
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Airbase Volkel (censored)
DonMartini (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: DonMartini.
Airbase Volkel is one of the three Main Operating Bases (MOB's) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Its military population has to be estimated at 1500 pers. The base is currently hosting: 311, 312, 313 multirole Sqn and 306 training Sqn all equipped with F-16. Supporting units are: 900 maintenance Sqn, 901 transport and storage Sqn, 902 support Sqn, 601 reserve Sqn, 640 base Sqn and 703 USAF munition support sqn.
On the base are still located both the hardened former nuclear QRA alert facility and the former igloo Weapon Storage Area, now transformed into a conventional weapon storage.
The base hosts 32 above-ground Protective Aircraft Shelters (PAS). 11 of these are equipped with underground nuclear weapon vaults with a capacity for a total of 44 B61 nuclear bombs (types 4 and 10; variable yield 0.3 − 170 kt). Though the Ministry of Defense denies this the fact is that at present still 22 B61's are fully operational at Volkel Airbase. These weapons are located among others in the shelters 532 534 and 540 according to USAF NSI reports. These standoff weapons are deployed by the USAF in the Netherlands under a nuclear sharing treaty, for delivery by Dutch F-16s. 703 MUNSS (USAF Munition Support Squadron) is with 135 personnel responsible for physical security, maintenance and logistics of these special weapons, for the Weapon Storage Security System W3S and for the handover to the Dutch if ordered by the U.S. National Command Authority.

Andersen Air Force Base

Kadena AFB
General_Rookie (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: General_Rookie.
US Air Force Base Kadena, located in Okinawa, Japan.

Kunsan Air Base

Misawa Air Base (MSJ)
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Osan Air Base
jbottero (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jbottero.
Osan is the most forward deployed air base to North Korea, only 48 miles away. Osan Air Base covers 1,565 acres. One of its most prominent features is it's 9,000-feet runway. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is only 30 miles north of Osan. The airfield is only 45 nautical miles south of the DMZ and was overrun twice by North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War. The base is located next to Songtan City.

Yokota Air Base