Sidi Slimane Air Base Fifth Royal Air Force Base | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Moroccan Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Sidi Slimane,Morocco | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 179 ft / 55 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°13′50″N006°03′01″W / 34.23056°N 6.05028°W /34.23056; -6.05028 | ||||||||||
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  Sidi Location of air base in Morocco | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source:DAFIF[1][2] | |||||||||||
Sidi Slimane Air Base (ICAO:GMSL) is a militaryair base inSidi Slimane,[1] a city in theRabat-Salé-Kénitraregion inMorocco. It is also known as theFifth Royal Air Force Base,[1] operated by theRoyal Moroccan Air Force.
Built in 1951 by Atlas Construction, Sidi Slimane AB was initially used byStrategic Air Command (SAC) of theUnited States Air Force as a forward deployment base forB-50 Superfortress and laterB-47 Stratojet units deployed from the United States.[3]: 57–8 The base was one of three SAC bases (Boulhaut, Sidi Slimane,Nouasseur) constructed in Morocco in response to the heightenedCold War fears byNATO after theKorean War.
On 13 July 1951, sixF84E jet fighters of the36th Fighter-Bomber Wing fromFürstenfeldbruck Air Base,West Germany, landed at Sidi Slimane marking the first USAF use of the base. The next day, as part of theBastille Day festivities, this USAF aerial demonstration team known as theSkyblazers [ja] performed precision aerobatics over Casablanca and then Nouasseur.[3]: 61
Host unit was the3906th Air Base Group Later:3906th Combat Support Group. Facilities expanded in the early 1950s to accommodate jet aircraft and was used by the SAC5th Air Division as a forward deployment base forB-47 Stratojet andB-36 Peacemaker bombers and support units during theCold War.
Sidi Slimane was also used by theSeventeenth Air Force (17 AF) ofUnited States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), which assigned the324th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron equipped withF-86D Sabres to provide air defense of the USAF bases in Morocco during the 1950s.
Sidi Slimane Air Base was the location of aBroken Arrow nuclear incident on 31 January 1958. A USAFB-47 carrying an armed nuclear weapon experienced a wheel casting failure during simulated takeoff. The bomber's tail hit the runway, rupturing a fuel tank and igniting a fire. While the weapon did not detonate, the area was evacuated and the abandoned fire burned for seven hours. Some radioactive contamination was detected immediately following the accident.[4][5][6]
Sidi Slimane AB was closed on 30 September 1963 and turned over to the Moroccan government.[7]
Today two squadrons equipped with theMirage F1, Escadron de Chasse Atlas (Mirage F1EH-200) and Escadron de Chasse Assad (Mirage F1CH) use the base.[8] The scale of activity has been reduced to a degree from its height under the USAF.[citation needed]
The airport resides at anelevation of 179 feet (55 m) abovemean sea level. It has onerunway designated 08/26 with anasphalt surface measuring 3,445 by 43 metres (11,302 ft × 141 ft).[1]
The base has supported occasional deployments of SACBoeing B-52 Stratofortress andKC-135 Stratotankers over the years. A large number of tab-vees on dispersals have been built and at least one helicopter is visible parked. Condition of main runway and taxiways appear to be well-maintained. Some old USAF barracks visible and still appear to be in use to the northwest of flightline area, although most of the buildings have been torn down; the streets remaining.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency and Ravenstein, Charles A.Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977.Maxwell Air Force Base,Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984.ISBN 0-912799-12-9. United States Air Force Mediterranean Bases | |||||
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