San Antonio de los Baños Airfield | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | San Antonio de los Baños,Cuba | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 50 m / 164 ft | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 22°52′18″N082°30′34″W / 22.87167°N 82.50944°W /22.87167; -82.50944 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
.svg)  MUSA Location in Cuba | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Source:DAFIF[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||
San Antonio de los Baños Airfield (ICAO:MUSA) is a militaryair base located nearSan Antonio de los Baños,[1] a municipality in the province ofHavana (La Habana) inCuba. It is located approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) southwest of the city ofSan Antonio de los Baños, about 30 mi (48 km) southwest ofHavana.
The station was built in 1942 and was first used by American forces on 29 August 1942. The U.S. forces called it "Cayuga" (named after the construction company hired by the U.S. to build it - the Cayuga construction company is named after theupstate New York Native American tribe by the same name). The firstUnited States Army Air Forces aircraft arrived at the airfield on 16 October. It was used for antisubmarine patrols and as a training airfield forB-29 Superfortress aircrews who flew training missions from airfields inNebraska andKansas to the field.
On September 9, 1942, Cuba and United States signed a new naval and Military Agreement of Cooperation for a second airfield that would later be known asSan Julián Air Base. ThePinar del Río area was considered ideally situated for further development and the Army began construction by expanding an existingPan American World Airways emergency landing airfield on 1 November 1942. When construction was completed on 1 July 1943, the new facility was re-designated Naval Air Facility (NAF) San Julian.
On November 1, 1942, the United States Army Air Forces set up postal operations for San Antonio de los Baños, using Army Post Office, Miami with the address: 632 APO MIA.[3]
From 1943 to 1945, major units assigned were:
With the end of the war, the United States withdrew its forces from the airfield and it was turned over to the Cuban government on 30 April 1946.
After the handover, it was used by theCuban Air Force. It was known as the Batista AAF (1953–1959). In a 1962 briefing paper on theCuban Missile Crisis prepared by officials at theUnited States Department of Defense, the base was identified as "the headquarters for the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force and the assembly point for all MiGs, except theMIG-21, which [had] previously been received in Cuba."[4]
During theCuban Missile Crisis,Soviet Armed Forces elements deployed as part ofOperation Anadyr were based at the airfield. The 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of theSoviet Air Forces, flying MiG-21F-13s, had elements there. Initially, the regiment sent its 2nd Squadron fromSanta Clara Air Base to San Antonio de los Baños, and then later the whole regiment was concentrated at San Antonio de los Baños. In 1963, the regiment transferred its aircraft to the Cuban Air Force and returned home. In Cuba, the regiment served under the title 213th Fighter Aviation Regiment.[5]
The air base resides at anelevation of 50 m (160 ft) abovemean sea level. It has threeconcrete pavedrunways: runway 05/23 is 3,596 by 56 metres (11,798 ft × 184 ft), runway 12/30 is 2,482 by 46 metres (8,143 ft × 151 ft), and runway 01/19 is 2,400 m × 46 m (7,874 ft × 151 ft).[1]
The airport is an activeCuban Revolutionary Armed Forces airbase:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||||||||
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