Rochefort military airfield
| Base aérienne 721 Rochefort Aéroport de Rochefort - Charente-Maritime |
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | LFDN | ||
| IATA code | RCO | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 18 m (59 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 7 km south of Rochefort (Charente-Maritime) , 3 km northwest of Saint-Agnant (Charente-Maritime) |
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| Street | D 733 | ||
| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1931 | ||
| operator | Department de Charente Maritime | ||
| Start-and runway | |||
| 12/30 | 2280 m × 45 m | ||
The Base aérienne 721 Rochefort (BA 721) is a military airport of the French Air Force ( Armée de l'air ) . The base is located in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the department of Charente-Maritime on the territory of several municipalities, u. a. Saint Agnant, about four kilometers south of Rochefort . The airfield is used civilly as Aéroport de Rochefort - Charente-Maritime .
The location of the military airfield was closer to the city center immediately north of the Charente until the 1970s . Rochefort-Soubise Airport (ICAO: LFXR) still serves general aviation today . In addition to the air force, it was also used by the Navy as a Base Aéronavale (BAN) for training purposes until the summer of 1996 .
history
Between July 1932 and June 1940 the airfield, which at that time was north of the Charente , about five kilometers north of the current location, served as a training center for pilots and aircraft mechanics.
During the German occupation during the Second World War , the German Air Force also used the space for training; the 32nd Aviation Training Regiment was located here between October 1941 and 1944.
After the end of the war, training was resumed in 1945, initially by engine mechanics. In the following years, more and more training areas were added and the institution changed its name several times. Between 1964 and 1973 there was also a training relay for air refueling here .
The relocation of the base to its present location south of the river near Saint Agnant took place between 1977 and 1981, the new location was opened on June 9, 1978. In the decades that followed, there were repeated renaming and changes in the scope of the training company.