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| Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
قاعدة أحمد الجابر الجوية | |||||||||
| Ahmadi Governorate in Kuwait | |||||||||
 AKuwait Air ForceKAF-18C Hornet of the type based at Ahmad al-Jaber AB. | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Kuwait Air Force base | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | Kuwait Air Force | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  Ahmad al-Jaber AB Location in Kuwait | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°56′05.7″N47°47′31.1″E / 28.934917°N 47.791972°E /28.934917; 47.791972 | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison |
| ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: XIJ,ICAO: OKAJ | ||||||||
| Elevation | 124 metres (407 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base (IATA:XIJ,ICAO:OKAJ) is aKuwait Air Force base that is home to 3 Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 C/D squadrons: 9 Squadron, 25 Squadron, and 61 Squadron. The base also has an area designated for operations by theU.S. Air Force and its allies.
When Iraq launched the1990 invasion of Kuwait,Iraqi Air Force jets dropped air-scattered mines, preventing operations on the runways. This led to theKuwaiti Air ForceMirage F1s andA-4 Skyhawks having to land on a road nearby.[1]
After the invasion, the US, which was preparing for Operation Desert Storm, feared that al-Jaber housedIraqi chemical weapons mainly because the Iraqi army had deployed 30howitzers and used the Kuwaitihardened concrete hangars at al-Jaber for munitions storage. These howitzers, known asGHN-45, were notable for being preferred for chemical munition delivery by the Iraqis.[2]
During the1991 Gulf War, coalition aircraft attacked Ahmad al-Jaber Airbase several times due to the chemical munitions storage rumors. They also droppedanti-personnel mines to impede base operations.[2] On the first night of the war at around 4:00 AM, threeA-6E TRAM Intruders fromVA-115 Eagles (Carrier Air Wing 5) based on theUSS Midway attacked the airbase withsix Mk.83 bombs each.[3][4] Later that morning at 8:50 AM, 12French Air ForceSEPECAT Jaguars fromEC 2/11Vosges attacked Al-Jaber with no less than four aircraft sustaining damage (three were hit by IR-SAMs and one by small arms fire) although all returned safely.[5]
As of 2022, satellite images show aircraftHardened aircraft shelters (HAS) still unrepaired throughout the air base[6]
On 1 December 1998, the 4406th Operations Group (Provisional) at Al-Jaber Air Base was inactivated and the332nd Air Expeditionary Group activated.[7] Sitting 75 miles south of theIraqi border, the base has supported active duty United StatesAir National Guard andAir Force ReserveFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II andGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter units, along with support individuals, rotated in and out. At Al-Jaber AB, the 332 ELS Commander and 10 personnel were on one-year tours; all others (1190 personnel) rotated every 90 to 120 days.
According toUSA Today, on 22 October 2003, the US Ambassador to Kuwait, Richard Jones, announced that the United States was reducing its presence at Al-Jaber to fully reduce its forces at that location. USAF assets remaining in Kuwait are primarily stationed atAli Al Salem Air Base.
The U.S. side of the base was re-opened around July 2010 in support of Operation New Dawn.
The U.S. side of the base was re-opened in 2014 sometime before October.[citation needed]
From 22 November 2014 fourPanavia Tornados from6º Stormo of theItalian Air Force deployed there for an unknown amount of time[8] along with aBoeing KC-767A from14º Stormo.[9]
Between 15 October 2014 and 30 September 2015, theRoyal Danish Air Force deployed sevenF-16AM Fighting Falcons with four being operational and three others in a reserve capacity.[10]
The base is home to the Kuwait Air Force's entire fighter/attack aircraft fleet. Two front-line (9 Squadron and 25 Squadron) and one training unit (61 Squadron) operate a fleet ofMcDonnell Douglas KAF-18C/D Hornets.[11] The aircraft is atwin-engine,supersonic, all-weather,multirole combat jet, designed as both afighter andattack aircraft.
Ahmad al-Jaber hosts theUnited States Air Force's332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW), which moved to the base in May 2016.[12][13] The 332 ARW provides a wide range combat capabilities includingaerial-refueling,Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), space,combat search and rescue (CSAR), and precision strike, all in support of themilitary intervention against ISIL/ISIS (known by the US military asOperation Inherent Resolve) and wider military operations in the Middle East. A wide range of US Air Force aircraft have been deployed at Ahmad al-Jaber, includingF-15E Strike Eagle,MQ-9A Reaper, andKC-135R Stratotanker as well asHH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters.[13]The United States Marines has also operated from the base, flying theMV-22B Osprey,EA-6B Prowler,AV-8B Harrier II andKC-130J Hercules.[14]
Notable units based at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base.[11][12]
28°56′06″N47°47′31″E / 28.934917°N 47.791972°E /28.934917; 47.791972