Büchel Air Base Fliegerhorst Büchel | |||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | German Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Büchel,Rhineland-Palatinate | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,568 ft / 478 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°10′35″N007°03′28″E / 50.17639°N 7.05778°E /50.17639; 7.05778 | ||||||||||
| Website | Luftgeschwader 33 | ||||||||||
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Büchel Air Base is a military air base of theLuftwaffe inBüchel (Germany), near the city ofCochem and at about 70 km fromSpangdahlem Air Base. It is home to theTaktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 (Tactical Air Force Wing 33; abbreviated as: TaktLwG 33) (formerly Jagdbombergeschwader 33 or Fighter Bomber Wing 33) of theGerman Air Force (Luftwaffe) and the 702Munitions Support Squadron(702 MUNSS) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF). Since 1985, tactical Air Force Wing 33 has been operating GermanPanavia Tornado airplanes, which can deliver twentyB61 nuclear bombs, the only remaining nuclear weapons in Germany.As of 2023,[update] Büchel was one of six active air bases in five European countries with B61 nuclear bombs in undergroundWS3 Weapon Storage and Security System inside aircraft shelters, pernuclear sharing.[1]Since 1996 there have been annual protests and over one hundred activists have been sentenced for nonviolent protest.
Büchel Air Base formerly was the home of the 7501 MUNSS.[2]
Since 1985,Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 tactical Air Force Wing 33 has been operating GermanPanavia Tornado airplanes, which are capable of delivering the twentyB61 nuclear bombs, which are stored and maintained by the 702Munitions Support Squadron (702 MUNSS) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF). Under theNATO nuclear sharing arrangement, these twenty B61 bombs are secured and maintained by USAF personnel.
In 1995, five German airbases had nuclear weapons: Büchel, Memmingen, Norvenich, Ramstein and Spangdahlem;[3]: 6 Since nuclear weapons were removed from Ramstein in 2007, Büchel air base has been the only location in Germany with nuclear weapons.[4]Up until 1996, many local politicians did not know about the nuclear weapons.[5]
In 2009, a coalition agreement betweenCDU andFDP at the initiative of foreign ministerGuido Westerwelle, contained the withdrawal of nuclear weapons as a goal, reaffirmed by theBundestag in 2010.[5]
According tothe Guardian in 2013, Eastern European member states of NATO have resisted the withdrawal of the shared nuclear bombs from Europe, fearing it would show a weakening of the U.S. commitment to defend Europe againstRussia.[6]
In 2020,Rolf Mützenich, SPD opposed nuclear sharing and the then imminent replacement[7] of theB61-3 and B61-4 nuclear warheads, which have been stationed in Büchel, with the latest B61-12 models.[8] In 2022, with the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine a majority of Germans in a poll were in favor of keeping nuclear weapons in Germany.[9]As of 2023,[update] theFederal Ministry of Defence (Germany) said it planned to have converted the airfield by 2026 to accommodate the newF-35, at a cost of €10 billion.[10] In the interim theBundeswehr is training atNörvenich Air Base.[11]
As of 2022,[update] the air base consisted of 2,000 military and civilian members, specialized inclose air support working with 46Panavia Tornado airplanes.[12]
In June 1996 annual peace protests began. As of 2021,[update] 96 activists had since been sentenced forcivil disobedience and trespassing.[13] One peace activist named Rüdiger Lancelle, a former teacher,[13] has been protesting every week since 2002 "that the weapons lying in Büchel get removed and be scrapped".[9] There are traditional annual peace protests at Easter by numerous groups, including theInternational Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.[5]
In June 2024, three nonviolent protesters were sentenced for trespassing and went to prison for nonpayment of financial penalties, among them the first ever female U.S. citizen.[14]
Air bases with US nuclear weapon vaults in Europe pernuclear sharing:
Air bases with US nuclear weapon vaults in Turkey pernuclear sharing:
Media related toFliegerhorst Büchel at Wikimedia Commons
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