Al Minhad Air Base

Al Minhad Air Base
قاعدة المنهاد الجوية
IATA: NHD – ICAO: OMDM
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator United Arab Emirates Air Force
Royal Air Force
Australian Defence Force
Location Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Time zone UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00)
Elevation AMSL 165 ft / 50 m
Coordinates 25°01′37″N 055°21′58″E / 25.02694°N 55.36611°E / 25.02694; 55.36611Coordinates: 25°01′37″N 055°21′58″E / 25.02694°N 55.36611°E / 25.02694; 55.36611
Map
OMDM

Location in the United Arab Emirates

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 3,953 12,969 Asphalt
Sources:[1]

Al Minhad Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة المنهاد الجوية‎‎) (IATA: NHD, ICAO: OMDM) is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Dubai and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force. It is currently the headquarters of Joint Task Force 633 and supports Australian operations in the Middle East.

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 174 ft (53 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway, 09/27 which has an asphalt surface measuring 3,953 m × 45 m (12,969 ft × 148 ft).[1] and a parallel taxiway with a width of 38 m (125 ft).

Foreign users

Several foreign countries allied to the United Arab Emirates are believed to have made use of Al Minhad Air Base since the early 2000s to support the logistics supply chain for their army operations in Afghanistan. Use of the Al Minhad Air Base is a sensitive matter for the Government of the United Arab Emirates, which imposes a diplomatic agreement stating that the militaries of foreign governments not advertise the host nation nor location of their operations in the United Arab Emirates due to "local sensitivities" about allowing a foreign military presence within its borders.[2]

The British Armed Forces have operations at the base.[2][3][4] No. 906 Expeditionary Air Wing RAF was stood up at the base on 15 January 2013.[5] 906 Wing was an expansion of the RAF's presence; previously, prior to Christmas 2012, No. 6 Squadron RAF had exercised their Eurofighter Typhoons from the UAE.

The Canadian Forces operated a forward logistics support facility in the Middle East which they had codenamed Camp Mirage. It is widely believed that Camp Mirage was located at Al Minhad Air Base from its founding in fall 2001 until its closure in fall 2010 due to an unrelated disagreement over securing additional landing rights for UAE's civilian airlines at Canadian airports. The United States military relied on the UAE bases for assistance during the Gulf War and the recent conflict in Iraq.

The ADF have used Al Minhad as their main transport and logistics hub in the Middle East since the withdrawal of Australian combat forces from Iraq in 2008. The RAAF had operated AP-3C Orions from the base from 2003 to support operations in the region, however it was not until 2008 when an agreement was signed which allowed Australia to command its regional headquarters there.[6] The Australian Defence Force maintains a facility at Al Minhad,[7] and as part of the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has deployed Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets, Boeing E-7A Wedgetails and Airbus KC-30As.[8] During early 2015 the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets were replaced by McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornets.[9]

The New Zealand Defence Force and the Armed forces of the Netherlands also have deployed assets here.[2][4]

References

  1. 1 2 Airport information for OMDM from DAFIF (effective October 2010)
  2. 1 2 3 $87.5m for new Mid-East army base
  3. ↑ Frank Gardner (29 April 2013). "'East of Suez': Are UK forces returning?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 10ABUDHABI69, 'UAE - Scenesetter for visit of CJCS,' 9 February 2010, Wikileaks, via United States diplomatic cables leak
  5. ↑ British Government, 906 Expeditionary Air Wing Stands Up in the United Arab Emirates, January 2013
  6. ↑ Brissenden, Michael (15 September 2014). "Al Minhad Air Base: A closer look at Australia's base for operations in the Middle East". ABC News. ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Al Minhad Air Base - Global Collaborative". Australian Bases Abroad. Nautilus Institute. 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  8. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2014. p. 4.
  9. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. August 2015. p. 31.

External links

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