US Air Force Acknowledges Clandestine Base in UAE

[hassamun]

Military.com recently visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE. The base's location is being disclosed for the first time in more than a decade. Seen here: RQ-4 Global Hawk on the flightline with KC-10s and an AWACS; and an F-22 stealth jet. (Photos: Oriana Pawlyk/Military.com)

For the first time in over a decade, the U.S. Air Force is publicly acknowledging it runs an air war out of Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.

The U.S. embassy in country recently worked with Emirati counterparts to make the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing — an Air Combat Command-run unit at the base — known, officials told Military.com.

Military.com first spoke with members of the 380th on a trip to the Middle East earlier this summer on condition the name and location of the base not be disclosed, and that full names of personnel not be used due to safety concerns amid ongoing air operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

While the 380th was established at the base on Jan. 25, 2002, the U.S. military has had a presence on the base for approximately 25 years. The base is home to a variety of combat operations.

In addition to housing one of the largest fuel farms in the world, the wing houses such aircraft as the KC-10 tanker; the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude drone; the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, aircraft; the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane; and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet.

Together, these aircraft carry out missions such as air refueling, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, ground attack, air support and others.

The 380th also runs its own intel analysis and air battle-management command and control center known as “The Kingpin.”

Like moving chess pieces, “Kingpin has the [air tasking order] — they’re talking to people on the ground, they’re making sure these airplanes are provisionally controlled, getting them back and forth to tankers … they’re talking to the [Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar], they minimize the fog and friction for the entire [area of responsibility]” in U.S. Central Command, according to Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles Corcoran, commander of the 380th AEW and an F-22 pilot.

Meanwhile, the general was candid about what the U.S. mission could be after ISIS is defeated in Iraq and Syria.

Corcoran said, “We’re fighting an enemy — ISIS — in another country — Syria — where there’s also an insurgency going on, but we’re not really invited to be” a part of that, he said. “But we can’t leave it to the Syrians to get rid of ISIS, because that wasn’t working, right? So it’s really an odd place to be.”

He added, “We know … we’re going to defeat ISIS. Their days are numbered. What next?”

https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/08/28/air-force-acknowledges-clandestine-base-in-uae/

 

[Vassnti]

clandestine/

ROFL

When your secret air base is listed on Wikipedia its hardly clandestine. Seems those sneaky French also have a hidden base there

Al Dhafra Air Base

Hosted Units
The air base is the headquarters of the Western Air Command of the UAE Air Force. It hosts the UAE Air Force Fighter Wing, comprising the 1st Shaheen Squadron, 2nd Shaheen Squadron, and 3rd Shaheen Squadron (all equipped with F-16E/F Desert Falcon), and the 71st and 76th Fighter Squadrons (both with Mirage 2000-9EAD/DAD).

Current use
Further information: Military intervention against ISIL order of battle
The United States Air Force's 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (380 AEW) has a number of aircraft based here, including: Lockheed U-2S's,[2] McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extenders, Boeing E-3 Sentrys (AWACS) and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks;[3] due to the military intervention against ISIL/ISIS, various other aircraft have been deployed there.[4]

On 1 September 2008 the French Air Force opened their own military settlement within the northwest corner of the base operating Dassault Rafales and Boeing C-135FR Stratolifters.[citation needed]