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| Morón Air Base | |||||||
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Base Aérea de Morón | |||||||
| NearMorón de la Frontera,Arahal,Seville in Spain | |||||||
_20090216_1341_(2)_Mor%25C3%25B3n.JPG) Aerial view of Morón Air Base during 2009. | |||||||
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| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Military airfield | ||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | |||||||
| Controlled by |
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| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  Morón AB Shown within Spain | |||||||
| Coordinates | 37°10′29″N05°36′57″W / 37.17472°N 5.61583°W /37.17472; -5.61583 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1940 (1940) | ||||||
| In use | 1941 – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Garrison | 11th Wing | ||||||
| Occupants |
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| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: OZP,ICAO: LEMO,WMO: 083970 | ||||||
| Elevation | 87 metres (285 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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Morón Air Base (IATA:OZP,ICAO:LEMO) is located at37°10′N5°36′W / 37.167°N 5.600°W /37.167; -5.600 in southernSpain, approximately 35 miles (56 km) southeast of the city ofSeville. The base gets its name from the nearby town ofMorón de la Frontera, while it is located inside the municipality ofArahal. The base is shared by United States and Spanish forces, but the base is under Spanish command and only the Spanish flag and command insignia are flown.[1]
Currently the base is home toAla 11, a fighter wing ofEurofighter Typhoons of theSpanish Air and Space Force.
Construction on the Vázquez Sagastizábal Military Aerodrome, as Morón Air Base was initially known, began in 1940. The following year it began to function as a military airfield and was utilised to train fighter pilots for theSpanish Army Air Force.
In 1953, the Spanish and American governments finalized agreements to establish a number of Spanish-American air bases, including Morón Air Base. Morón was one of three majorUnited States Air Force (USAF)Cold War airbases in Spain, the others beingZaragoza Air Base nearZaragoza andTorrejón Air Base nearMadrid. Construction efforts began in 1953 under the direction of theUnited States Navy, taking over 3 years to complete.
On May 13, 1958, the first flight ofBoeing B-47 Stratojets were assigned to Morón Air Base to conductReflex operations and thenBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters arrived to conduct strip alert tanker missions, and six weeks later the first rotational fighter squadron, the1st Fighter-Day Squadron, flyingNorth American F-100 Super Sabres and commanded by Lt. Col.Chuck Yeager, arrived fromGeorge Air Force Base, CA, for temporary duty to conduct air defence alert.
Morón continued to operate primarily as a Reflex base until 1962, when the firstBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft arrived. In 1966, the base was transferred fromStrategic Air Command (SAC) toUnited States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). The mission changed to communications support,temporary duty (TDY) "fair weather" flying operations forMcDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom IIs fromRAF Alconbury, andMcDonnell RF-101 Voodoo fromRAF Upper Heyford,United Kingdom and the support of air rescue operations provided by the67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.
In 1971, Morón Air Base was designated to a "modified caretaker status", andTorrejón Air Base was designated as the Primary Support Base (PSB) for theSpanish Air Force. A smallSpanish Air Force contingent ofF-5 Freedom Fighters used the air base during the 1980s. Most of its buildings were empty and on-base services were severely limited.
In November 1983, during the joint Spanish-American military exercise CRISEX 83,U.S. Air ForceB-52 strategic bombers were allowed to enter Spanishair space and use Morón Air Base for the first time since being banned after the1966 Palomares B-52 crash on January 17, 1966, nearPalomares.[2]
In 1984, Morón became aNASASpace ShuttleTransoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) site. Special navigation and landing aids were installed, and Spanish personnel were trained to recover theSpace Shuttle orbiter after an emergency landing—one that never came. In addition during the 1980 and 1990s, U.S. Air Force airmen deployed to Morón during Shuttle launching periods to help provide onsite weather reporting as well as crash/rescue capability.
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In 1990,Strategic Air Command deployed 22 KC-135 andMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender tankers to provide aerial refueling forOperation Desert Shield and changed Morón Air Base's U.S. function from refueling to bomber operations. The801st Bomb Wing (Provisional) at Morón Air Base consisted of 24Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 3 KC-135s and over 2,800 personnel. This was the largest deployed bomber wing during the war.
In 1991, the basing plan for Spain called for retaining Morón AB, along withTorrejón Air Base, andNaval Station Rota, but on a drastically reduced scale. In 1995, the496th Air Base Squadron (496th ABS) was activated to replace the 712th Air Base Flight, and USAFE redesignated Morón as a limited-use base, defined as austerely staffed with no permanently assigned operational tactical forces, although it was used as a staging base to support deployments.
Moron was used heavily during theGulf War by B-52s and tankers, and also duringOperation Restore Hope andOperation Allied Force. From 1995 to 1997, Morón was a popular staging area to hostCoronet East movements to and fromTurkey andSouthwest Asia with over 95 fighter and tanker missions. In 1996, the 496th was placed under the31st Support Group ofAviano Air Base,Italy.
In 1999, Morón became the home of the92nd Air Expeditionary Wing – tasked with providing fuel toOperation Allied Force of theKosovo War. In addition to serving as the HQ 92 AEW (serving units in France, Crete, Sicily and Spain), Morón hosted 37 tankers (KC-135 and KC-10) and 800 personnel. The 92 AEW became the largest Tanker Wing since theVietnam War and held the distinction of being the largest tanker base during theKosovo war.
In 2001, the base provided record numbers of airlift and fighter rotations forOperation Enduring Freedom inAfghanistan. In 2003, these operations increased as Morón became key for airlift and fighter deployments in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, the 496th ABS started reporting to the712th Air Base Group and was realigned under the38th Combat Support Wing ofRamstein Air Base,Germany later that year. In 2007, the 712th ABG inactivated and the 496th ABS was realigned again under the86th Operations Group of Ramstein Air Base. In April 2019 the 496th ABS was realigned again under the 65th Air Base Group creating the Atlantic Air Bridge.[3]
In 2011, the base once again proved its strategic importance as it served as the main tanker base for tanker aircraft supportingOperation Unified Protector in operations overLibya. The313th Air Expeditionary Wing ("Calico Wing") and406th Air Expeditionary Wing were activated to manage these operations. In 2013, Marine Corps temporarily based 550 Marines as part of arapid reaction force in Morón, Spain in support of U.S. Africa Command. This unit was outfitted withBell Boeing MV-22B Ospreys andLockheed Martin KC-130J aerial refueling / cargo aircraft. An advance element from this unit moved toNaval Air Station Sigonella in May.[4][5]
Morón's massive flight line, in-ground aircraft refueling system, long runway and prime location on theIberian Peninsula, close to theMediterranean and theMiddle East, means the base is an important link in any operation moving east from theUnited States.[6]
In May 2015 the Spanish government approved an agreement granting the U.S. military a permanent presence on the base. Under the agreement, up to 3,000 American troops and civilians of theSpecial Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Africa can be stationed there, while the number of aircraft can be increased to 40, up from the previous limit of 14.[7]
At present the base hosts:
A detachment of the18th Space Surveillance Squadron (USAF) was also previously located at the base.
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The base is run under the Turkey Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC). Specific services include the fueling of US Air Force planes, Fire Fighting, Dining Facility (Food Services), Occupational Health, Ambulance Services, Communications, Postal Services, Safety, Civil Engineering, Lodging, Library, Fitness Center Equipment Maintenance, & Life Guard/Pool Services), Logistics Support Services, Contingency/Exercise Support, and limited support of the Zaragoza Air Base controlled by the Spanish Air Force. The contract does not cover local base security, MWR, and pastoral care.
The contract has historically been awarded for a period of four year intervals; however, the current contract, held by Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) —known as Turkey-Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC)-and combines USAFE operations in Turkey and Spain.
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Flying and notable non-flying units based at Morón Air Base.[9][10][3]
US Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA)
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The Base's climate is characterized by the annual alternation between a dry period, which lasts more than four months and which has high temperatures, and another one humid (autumn-winter) with mild temperatures.
The monthly distribution of rain corresponds to one typical of the Mediterranean climate; the rain season takes place during the autumn and the winter; during the summer the absence of rain is the prevailing rule, except for very occasional summer storms. 41% of the rain happens during the autumn.The average annual temperature is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F). The average absolute maximum temperature is 41.9 °C (107.4 °F). The coldest month is January and the average absolute minimum temperature is 0.8 °C (33.4 °F).Summing up, the climate is excellent, although slightly harsh in the summer. The sun and a cloudless sky are predominant most of the time.
On 9 June 2014, at around 14:00 CEST (12:00 GMT), a pilot died after hisEurofighter Typhoon crashed whilst landing on the runway at the base.[12] ARoyal Saudi Air Force pilot was also killed in a Typhoon crash in August 2010.[13]
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 United States Air Force Mediterranean Bases | |||||
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