Air base


An airbase or air base, sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a military base by a military force for operating military aircraft.

Airbase facilities

An airbase typically has some facilities similar to a civilian airport; for example, air traffic control and firefighting. Some military aerodromes have passenger facilities; for example, RAF Brize Norton in England has a terminal used by passengers for the Royal Air Force's passenger transport flights. A number of military airbases may also have a civil enclave for commercial passenger flights, e.g. Beijing Nanyuan Airport, Chandigarh Airport, Ibaraki Airport, Burlington International Airport,
Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport Srinagar, Taipei Songshan Airport, and Eindhoven airport. Likewise, the opposite also occurs; large civilian airports may contain a smaller military airbase within their environs, such as Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba.
Some airbases have dispersed aircraft parking, revetments, hardened aircraft shelters, or even underground hangars, to protect aircraft from enemy attack. Combat aircraft require secure protected storage of aircraft ordnance and munitions. Other facilities may also include technical buildings for servicing and support of survival equipment, flight simulator for synthetic training, servicing facilities for all aircraft systems and associated ground support systems. All military airbases will have buildings for military administration, and larger bases will also include medical and dental facilities for military personnel, along with dining, accommodation, recreational facilities, shopping facilities, and sports facilities. An airbase may be defended by anti-aircraft weapons and force protection troops.
File:Gripen taking off from road runway.jpg|thumb|A JAS 39 Gripen of the Swedish Air Force taking off from a road runway, as part of a dispersal airbase.|alt=

Dispersal airbase

A dispersal airbase is an airfield that is used for the purpose of dispersing air units in the event of conflict, so as to minimise the vulnerability of aircraft and its supporting units whilst on the ground. Dispersal airbases are not necessarily ordinarily operational in peace time, and may only be activated when needed. Airfields used as dispersal bases can either be auxiliary military airfields, civilian airports, or highway strips. Examples of uses of dispersal bases are the Swedish Bas 60 and Bas 90 systems, the British V-Bomber dispersal bases, and NATO's Dispersed Operating Bases in France.
File:Autobahn Notlandeplatz A29 Ahlhorn DoD DF-ST-85-05075.jpg|thumb|Highway strip on the Autobahn A29 near Ahlhorn|alt=

Road airbase

Road airbases are highways constructed to double as auxiliary airbases in the event of war. Countries known to utilise this strategy are India, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea, Turkey, Poland, Pakistan, and the Czech Republic. In the case of Finnish road airbases, the space needed for landing aircraft is reduced by means of an arrestor wire, similar to that used on some aircraft carriers.

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a type of naval ship which serves as a seaborne airbase, the development of which has greatly enhanced the range and capabilities of modern air forces and naval aviation. In many countries, they are now a key part of the military, allowing for their military aircraft to be staged much nearer the area of conflict. Aircraft carriers were vital to the United States during World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War, and to the United Kingdom in the 1982 Falklands War. They retain modern roles as well as "several acres of sovereign territory a nation can move about at will", which allows greater flexibility in diplomacy as well as military affairs. Aircraft carriers may also used in disaster relief.