Editing Air base

{{Short description|Aerodrome used by a military force for the operation of military aircraft}}
{{For|the Swedish DJ and musician known as 'Airbase'|Airbase (DJ)}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2015}}
[[File:F-4G 81st TFS serviced at Spangdahlem 1990.JPEG|thumb|250px| [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4G Phantom II]] and [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] at [[Spangdahlem Air Base]], Germany in 1990.|alt=]]
[[File:Hawk airforce.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Finnish Air Force|Finnish Airforce]] [[BAE Systems Hawk|BAe Hawk Mk51A]] fighter (HW-355) at [[Kauhava Airport]] in [[Kauhava]], [[Finland]] in 2008.|alt=]]
[[File:Osan Air Base 51 FW F-16 A-10 Flyby.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Osan Air Base]], an airbase shared by [[United States Air Force]] and [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] in South Korea.|alt=]]
An '''airbase'''<ref name=CambsDict>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/airbase|title=airbase|website=Dictionary.Cambridge.org|location=[[Cambridge]], England|publisher=[[Cambridge Dictionary]]|date=n.d.|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/airbase|title=airbase|website=CollinsDictionary.com|publisher=[[Collins Dictionary]]|date=n.d.|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> (stylised '''air base''' in American English), sometimes referred to as a '''military airbase''', '''military airfield''', '''military airport''', '''air station''', '''naval air station''', '''air force station''', or '''air force base''', is an [[aerodrome]] or airport used as a [[military base]] by a [[military]] force for the operation of [[military aircraft]].

==Airbase facilities==
An airbase typically has some facilities similar to a [[Civil aviation|civilian]] [[airport]]; for example, [[air traffic control]] and [[Aircraft rescue and firefighting|firefighting]].  Some military aerodromes have passenger facilities; for example, [[RAF Brize Norton]] in [[England]] has a terminal used by passengers for the [[Royal Air Force]]'s passenger transport flights.  A number of military airbases may also have a [[civil enclave]] for commercial passenger flights, e.g. [[Beijing Nanyuan Airport]] (China), [[Chandigarh Airport]] (India), [[Ibaraki Airport]] (Japan), [[Burlington International Airport]] (USA),
[[Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport Srinagar]] (India), [[Taipei Songshan Airport]] (Taiwan), [[Eindhoven airport]] (The Netherlands).  Likewise, the opposite also occurs; large civilian airports may contain a smaller military airbase within their environs, such as [[Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba]] (located within [[Brunei International Airport]]).

Some airbases have dispersed aircraft parking, [[Revetment (aircraft)|revetment]]s, [[hardened aircraft shelter]]s, or even [[underground hangar]]s, to protect aircraft from enemy attack.  [[Combat aircraft]] require secure protected storage of [[aircraft ordnance]] and munitions.  Other facilities may also include technical buildings for servicing and support of survival equipment (including [[flying helmet]]s and personal liquid oxygen), flight simulator for synthetic training, servicing facilities for all aircraft systems (airframes, propulsion, avionics, weapons systems)<ref>{{Cite web|author=Ronald V.|date=20 December 2010|url=https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-breuggen-442.html|title=Brüggen|website=ForgottenAirfields.com|location=Netherlands|publisher=Abandoned forgotten & little known airfields in Europe|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> and associated ground support systems (including mechanical transport).  All military airbases will have buildings for [[military administration]] (station headquarters, squadron briefing and operations), and larger bases will also include medical and dental facilities for military personnel (and sometimes their dependents), along with dining ([[mess]], informally known as the 'cook house'), accommodation (single living accommodation for [[junior ranks]], Sergeants' and Officers' Mess for senior non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers), recreational facilities (club house for socialising), shopping facilities ([[NAAFI]] shops, base exchange, commissary), and sports facilities (gymnasium, swimming pool, sports pitches).  An airbase may be defended by [[anti-aircraft weapon]]s and [[force protection]] troops.
[[File:Gripen taking off from road runway.jpg|thumb|A  [[Saab JAS 39 Gripen|JAS 39 Gripen]] of the [[Swedish Air Force]] taking off from a road runway, as part of a dispersal airbase.|alt=]]

==Dispersal airbase==
A dispersal (or dispersed) airbase is an airfield that is used for the purpose of [[Force dispersal|dispersing]] air units in the event of conflict, so to minimise the vulnerability of aircraft and its supporting units whilst on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Halliday|first=John M.|date=February 1987|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/notes/2005/N2443.pdf|title=Tactical Dispersal of Fighter Aircraft|website=RAND Corporation}}</ref>  Dispersal airbases are not necessarily ordinarily operational in peace time, and may only be activated when needed.  Airfields used as dispersal bases can either be auxiliary military airfields, civilian airports, or [[highway strip]]s.  Examples of uses of dispersal bases are the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[Bas 60]] and [[Bas 90]] systems, the [[List of V Bomber dispersal bases|British V-Bomber dispersal bases]], and [[NATO Dispersed Operating Bases|NATO's Dispersed Operating Bases]] in [[France]].
[[File:Autobahn Notlandeplatz A29 Ahlhorn DoD DF-ST-85-05075.jpg|thumb|Highway strip on the [[Bundesautobahn 29|Autobahn A29]] near [[RAF Ahlhorn|Ahlhorn]]<ref name=Ahlhorn/>|alt=]]

==Road airbase==
{{Main|Highway strip}}
Road airbases are [[highway]]s constructed to double as auxiliary airbases in the event of war.  Countries known to utilise this strategy are [[Indian Air Force|India]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mirage-fighter-jet-test-lands-on-yamuna-expressway-near-delhi-764830|title=Mirage 2000 fighter jet test-lands on Yamuna Expressway near Delhi as part of trials|website=ndtv.com|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605135042/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mirage-fighter-jet-test-lands-on-yamuna-expressway-near-delhi-764830|archive-date=5 June 2016}}</ref> [[Swedish Air Force|Sweden]],<ref>[http://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Jakt/124JAS39.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202063924/http://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Jakt/124JAS39.htm|date=February 2, 2007}}</ref> [[Finnish Air Force|Finland]], [[German Air Force|Germany]] (formerly),<ref name=Ahlhorn>{{Cite web|author=Ronald V.|date=9 September 2011|url=https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-ahlhorn-highway-strip-356.html|title=Ahlhorn highway strip|website=ForgottenAirfields.com|location=Netherlands|publisher=Abandoned forgotten & little known airfields in Europe|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> [[Republic of Singapore Air Force|Singapore]], [[Motorways of Switzerland#Military significance|Switzerland]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lw.admin.ch/internet/luftwaffe/de/home/dokumentation/books/unozerozero.html|title=Uno Zero Zero – Ein Jahrhundert Schweizer Luftwaffe|website=lw.admin.ch|publisher=Aeropublications, 324 pages, [[Swiss Air Force]]|date=2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815125429/http://www.lw.admin.ch/internet/luftwaffe/de/home/dokumentation/books/unozerozero.html|archive-date=15 August 2016|isbn=978-3-9524239-0-5}}</ref> [[ROKAF|South Korea]], [[Turkish Air Force|Turkey]], [[Polish Air Force|Poland]], [[Pakistan Air Force|Pakistan]], and the [[Czech Air Force|Czech Republic]].  In the case of [[Finnish Air Force|Finnish]] road airbases, the space needed for landing aircraft is reduced by means of an [[Arrestor wires|arrestor wire]], similar to that used on some aircraft carriers ([[Finnish Air Force]] uses [[F/A-18]]s, which were originally designed to land on aircraft carriers).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=661|title=Puolustusvoimat – Försvarsmakten – The Finnish Defence Forces|publisher=Finnish Defence Forces|access-date=26 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625032837/http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=661|archive-date=25 June 2009}}</ref>

==Aircraft carrier==
{{See also|Unsinkable aircraft carrier}}
An [[aircraft carrier]] is a type of [[naval ship]] which serves as a seaborne airbase, the development of which has greatly enhanced the capabilities of modern [[air force]]s and [[naval aviation]].  In many countries, they are now a key part of the military, allowing for their military aircraft to be staged much nearer the area of conflict.  Aircraft carriers were vital to the [[United States of America|United States]] during [[World War II]], [[Korean War|Korea]] and the [[Vietnam War]], and to the [[United Kingdom]] in the 1982 [[Falklands War]].  They retain modern roles as well as "several acres of sovereign territory a nation can move about at will",{{cn|date=September 2024}} which allows greater flexibility in diplomacy as well as military affairs.  Aircraft carriers may also used in [[disaster relief]].

==See also==
*[[List of Royal Air Force stations]]
*[[List of Royal Australian Air Force installations]]
*[[List of Royal Canadian Air Force stations]]
*[[List of United States Air Force installations]]
*[[List of Soviet Air Force bases]]
*[[Naming of military air bases]]
*[[Satellite airfield]]
*[[Naval base]]
*[[Submarine base]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Wiktionary-inline|airbase}}
*{{Commons-inline}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Air base}}
[[Category:Military aviation|Base]]
[[Category:Military airbases| ]]
[[Category:Airports by type]]