Al Udeid Air Base
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| Also known as | Abu Nakhlah Airport; قاعدة العديد الجوية; OTBH (ICAO); AUAB |
|---|---|
| Location | Al Rayyan municipality, southwest of Doha, Qatar |
| Type | Qatar Emiri Air Force base hosting U.S. and coalition air headquarters and expeditionary wings |
| Category | Theater staging and support |
| Opened | Built 1996 by Qatar; first U.S. use late September 2001 |
| Closed or transferred | Not closed; still a major U.S. and coalition air base |
| Coordinates | 25.11861, 51.31861 (25°07′07.0″N 51°19′07.0″E) |
Overview
Al Udeid Air Base, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport, lies southwest of Doha, Qatar, in the municipality of Al Rayyan. Qatar built it in 1996 at a cost of more than $1 billion, at a time when it did not yet have a large air force of its own. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded more than $100 million in contracts for U.S. storage, housing, service, command and communication facilities. The base has two parallel runways about 3,750 meters long.
The United States first used the then-secret base in late September 2001 to position aircraft for operations in Afghanistan. Vice President Dick Cheney's stop there in March 2002 was the first official acknowledgement of the base. The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing was reactivated at Al Udeid in 2002 and went on to serve in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
In April 2003, shortly after the invasion of Iraq began, the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East moved to Al Udeid from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Al Udeid became the command, logistics and basing hub for U.S. air operations over Iraq and Afghanistan, and it later hosted a forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command and the headquarters of U.S. Air Forces Central.
Coalition air forces flew from the base during the 2003 invasion. An RAF wing at Al Udeid flew 268 sorties between March 20 and April 15, 2003. The Royal Australian Air Force based 14 F/A-18 Hornets of No. 75 Squadron there, along with P-3 Orion and C-130 Hercules aircraft. The Hornets flew more than 670 sorties during the war, 350 of them combat sorties over Iraq. U.S. Navy reserve transport squadrons and Air National Guard fighter squadrons also operated from the base.
From 2004 to 2009 the RAF kept Tornado GR4 strike aircraft and VC10 tankers of No. 101 Squadron at Al Udeid in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; they left in summer 2009. Congress kept investing in the base through the later war years, authorizing $81.7 million in FY2008, $69.6 million in FY2009 and $117 million in FY2010 for new Air Force and special operations facilities.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Qatar built Al Udeid Air Base at a cost of more than $1 billion. |
| Sep 2001 | U.S. forces first used the then-secret base for operations in Afghanistan. |
| Mar 2002 | Vice President Dick Cheney's visit gave the base its first official acknowledgement. |
| 2002 | The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing was reactivated at Al Udeid. |
| Mar-Apr 2003 | Coalition aircraft, including the RAF's Al Udeid wing and RAAF No. 75 Squadron Hornets, flew strike and escort missions over Iraq. |
| Apr 2003 | The U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East moved to Al Udeid from Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. |
| 2004 | Alabama Air National Guard F-16s of the 160th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew from Al Udeid during Operation Iraqi Freedom. |
| 2004-09 | RAF Tornado GR4 and VC10 aircraft were based at Al Udeid for Operations Telic and Herrick. |
| 2008-10 | Congress authorized new Air Force and special operations facilities in successive defense authorization acts. |
| Summer 2009 | RAF Tornados and VC10s withdrew, and RAF activity at the base was reduced. |
Units stationed at Al Udeid Air Base
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Al Udeid Air Base. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 379th Air Expeditionary Wing (USAF) | 2002 onward | Host U.S. Air Force wing; fought in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. | link |
| 2 | U.S. Combat Air Operations Center (Combined Air Operations Center) | April 2003 onward | Command and control center for U.S. and coalition air operations in the Middle East, moved from Prince Sultan Air Base. | link |
| 3 | RAF Al Udeid Wing (Tornado GR4) | March – April 2003 | Flew 268 sorties against the Iraqi government at the start of the Iraq War. | link |
| 4 | No. 75 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (with RAAF P-3 Orion and C-130 Hercules detachments) | 2003 | 14 F/A-18 Hornets escorted AWACS and tankers, then moved to ground attack; Orions flew maritime patrol and Hercules flew supplies into Iraq. | link |
| 5 | Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 61 (VR-61) 'Islanders', U.S. Navy Reserve | May 2003 | Mobilized DC-9 transport squadron supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. | link |
| 6 | 160th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (Alabama Air National Guard) | 2004 | F-16C squadron flying from Al Udeid during Operation Iraqi Freedom. | link |
| 7 | No. 101 Squadron, Royal Air Force | 2004 – 2009 | VC10 tankers supporting Operations Telic and Herrick. | link |
| 8 | Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 detachment (6–8 aircraft drawn from several squadrons) | 2004 – summer 2009 | Strike and reconnaissance aircraft supporting Operations Telic and Herrick. | link |
Notable events and facts
- The base remained secret until Vice President Dick Cheney stopped there with reporters in March 2002.
- The move of the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center from Saudi Arabia to Al Udeid in April 2003 came shortly after the invasion of Iraq began.
- Over the course of the war the 14 RAAF Hornets based at Al Udeid flew more than 670 sorties, 350 of them combat sorties over Iraq.
- Wikipedia describes Al Udeid as the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.
- Congress authorized $117 million in FY2010 for new recreational, dormitory and other Air Force facilities at Al Udeid.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Al Udeid Air Base
No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.
Message board: Al Udeid Air Base
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Sources
- Al Udeid Air Base - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Udeid_Air_Base
- 379th Air Expeditionary Wing - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/379th_Air_Expeditionary_Wing
- United States Army Central - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Central
- Wikimedia Commons: Al Udeid Air Base (Ops Town, 2004). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al_Udeid_Air_Base.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: 160th EFS F-16C at Al Udeid. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:160th_Expeditionary_Fighter_Squadron_General_Dynam
- Wikimedia Commons: VR-61 at Al Udeid, 2003. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_030514-N-5972N-002_Aviation_Storekeeper_1s
- Wikimedia Commons: Tornado GR.4 Forward Cockpit. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tornado_GR.4_Forward_Cockpit.jpg