Poznań-Krzesiny military airfield
| 31. Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego | |||
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | EPKS | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 81 m (266 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 10 km southeast of Poznan | ||
| Street |
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| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1941 | ||
| operator | Polish Air Force | ||
| Start-and runway | |||
| 11/29 | 2500 m × 60 m concrete | ||
The 31st Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (31st Tactical Air Base) is a military airfield of the Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ). The base is in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Krzesiny about 10 kilometers southeast of the center of Poznan . It is the main operational base of the F-16 combat aircraft.
history
During the German occupation of Poland in World War II , the airfield was created in 1941 as the "Kreising Air Base". It served the adjacent and at the same time built aircraft factory by Focke-Wulf as a works airfield. The square and factory were the target of an air raid by the United States Army Air Forces' Eighth Air Force (USAAF) on May 29, 1944 . The area was occupied by the Red Army on January 22, 1945 .
The Soviet Air Force used the airfield from 1945 to 1954 when the area was handed over to the Polish Air Force. The base became home to the 11th Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego (11th combat aircraft regiment) and in the same year through a reorganization of the 62nd Pułk Szkolno-Treningowy Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego (62nd combat training regiment ). The unit was renamed in 1957 in the 62nd Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego (62nd Fighter Regiment). The longest flown model during the Warsaw Pact was the MiG-21 .
At the beginning of 1994 the regiment was renumbered 3. Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego and in 1999 there was an increase in personnel and aircraft due to the decommissioning of the 17th squadron in Poznań-Ławica .
In the run-up to Poland's entry into NATO , the armed forces were reorganized and the 3rd Regiment was disbanded in 2000. In Poznań-Krzesiny the 31st Baza Lotnicza (31st Air Base ), from 2008 the 31st Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (31st BLT), was founded and the 3rd Tactical Squadron, 3rd Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego (3rd elt) was subordinated to it. In addition to the flying group with the 3rd squadron, the base is responsible for the groups that support flight operations. The last MiG-21s were withdrawn in January 2004 and two years later the first F-16s arrived. In the following year, a second F-16 unit was added with the 6th squadron.
Todays use
The base currently houses (2019):
- 3 and 6 Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego (3 and 6 ELT), tactical squadrons, equipped with F-16C / D Block 52 fighter aircraft since 2006 and 2007 respectively . There are also non-flying formations.