Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
| Naval Air Station Whidbey Island | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | KNUW |
| IATA code | NUW |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 14 m (46 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 2 km north of Oak Harbor, Washington |
| Street | WA 20 |
| Basic data | |
| opening | September 21, 1942 |
| operator | United States Navy |
| Runways | |
| 7/25 | 2438 m × 61 m concrete |
| 14/32 | 2438 m × 61 m concrete |
The Naval Air Station Whidbey Iceland (abbreviated NASWI , IATA : NUW , ICAO : KNUW ) is a military airport of the United States Navy on Whidbey Iceland in Puget Sound , about 50 kilometers north of Seattle in the State of Washington .
The base is divided into two parts: The part called Ault Field is located on the northwest coast of the island north of Oak Harbor and named after Commander William B. Ault , who has been missing since the battle in the Coral Sea . The other is called the Seaplane Base and is on the east coast of the island just east of Oak Harbor. There is also an additional airfield called Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Coupeville in the center of the island, which is rarely used and is only manned by Ault Field personnel when necessary.
The base was put into operation on September 21, 1942, the establishment of a base had been planned from early 1941, before the USA entered the war . After the Second World War , more and more squadrons moved from Whidbey Island or were disbanded, also because the runway did not meet the requirements for operation with modern jet aircraft (e.g. over 6000 feet / 1830 meters in length). With the beginning of the Korean War in the early 1950s, activities at the military airfield increased again and new squadrons were stationed; in turn accompanied by a reduction in aircraft numbers after the end of the war.
The number of maritime patrols also fell in the early 1960s, rising again with the influx of the Lockheed P-3, which is still in use today, from 1969 onwards. After the end of the Cold War, more P-3 squadrons were released from their bases in California and Hawaii moved to Whidbey Island. In its P-3C version, Orion was stationed at the station until 2019.
In addition, various versions of the Grumman A-6 were stationed here from the early 1970s . The bomber version A-6E Intruder was in service in Whidbey Island until 1997 and the electronic version EA-6B Prowler was flown until 2015. Whidbey Island was the EA-6B type base in the USA.
The first Boeing EA-18 as EA-6B replacement arrived on the base in 2009.
The Boeing P-8 A replacing the P-3C was delivered from 2017 to (planned for 2020).
Todays use
There are currently 20 US Navy squadrons stationed at the airfield , some of which are deployed on aircraft carriers, Boeing EA-18 combat aircraft (since 2009), which return to the airfield for refreshment / overhaul (as soon as the aircraft carrier is relocated to its home port for overhaul, for example) , as well as several squadrons equipped with P-8A (since 2017) for long-range reconnaissance and combat against sea targets and the EP-3 version for signal reconnaissance ( SIGINT ) (since 1994). A Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter squadron is also stationed at the airfield for rescue operations , which is operational around the clock and ready to take off in 15 minutes.
Web links
- Airport data on World Aero Data ( 2006 )
Individual evidence
Everett | King County | Pullman / Moscow | Renton | Seattle-Tacoma | Spokane (Felts) | Spokane (International) | Wenatchee
Military: Fairchild | Whidbey Island