Andersen Air Force Base
| Andersen Air Force Base | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | PGUA |
| IATA code | UAM |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 191 m (627 ft ) |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1944 |
| operator | US Air Force |
| Runways | |
| 06R / 24L | 3409 m × 61 m |
| 06L / 24R | 3218 m × 61 m |
The Andersen Air Force Base (short Andersen AFB ) is a base of the US Air Force on the Pacific island of Guam . The base is on the northern tip of the island, approx. 25 km from the capital Hagåtña . Andersen AFB was the headquarters of the 13th Air Force for a long time until it was moved to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii in May 2005 . A few RQ-4B Global Hawks have been stationed on the base since 2010 .
It is the most important US base west of Hawaii, the main base for US long-range bombers in East Asia and one of two critical US bases in the Asia-Pacific region, together with Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
history
The history of Andersen Air Force Base goes back to the Pacific War . At that time, wooded areas were cleared and today's airfield was created. In June 1945 bombing raids on Japan were carried out from there . In 1947, the North Field was renamed North Guam Air Force Base , in 1949 it was renamed Andersen Air Force Base after Brigadier General James Roy Andersen (1904–1945).
During the Korean War , Guam became an important stopover for aircraft and supplies. In 1951, bombers were moved from numerous US bases to Guam, first B-29 , later also B-36 and B-47 . During the Vietnam War , Andersen AFB was a B-52 base. The operation Arc Light , the bombardment of the Vietcong and its bases or supply lines ran from 1965 to 1973. In 1972, was Operation Linebacker II of more than 150 bomber executed. In total there were 729 launches within eleven days in December of that year. When Operation New Life were after the fall of Saigon in 1975 Thousands evacuated in years.
In 1989 the base was transferred from the Strategic Air Command to the Pacific Air Forces . Andersen AFB was also a focal point in Operation Fiery Vigil in 1991, when people had to be evacuated from the Philippines after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo . While the space shuttle was in operation, Andersen Air Force Base was an “ Augmented Emergency Landing Site ” for unscheduled landings. On February 23, 2008, shortly after take-off from the US air force base, a Northrop B-2 stealth bomber crashed due to an error in the flight control system.
Today Andersen AFB serves as an advanced logistics and supply base. It is important for exercises in and troop transfers to the Southwest Pacific or Indian Ocean . The 634th Air Mobility Support Squadron, the 33rd Rescue Squadron and the 40th Exp. Maintenance Sq as well as the 36th Air Base Wing / Air Expeditionary Wing, which until the beginning of the 1990s as the Tactical Fighter Wing on the former Bitburg AB in the Eifel region , are stationed there was stationed.
Arc Light Memorial Park
The Arc Light Memorial Park ( Lage ) is a memorial for all SAC members who participated in Operation Arc Light. It consists u. a. from a B-52D and an old radar station.
See also
- Battle for Guam (1944) in World War II
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/andersen.htm
- ↑ Why Is North Korea So Fixated on Guam? . August 9, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ Justine Whitman: Space Shuttle Abort Modes. Aerospaceweb.org, June 25, 2006, accessed October 7, 2011 .