Air Base Balad is the Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle 40 miles (64 km) north of Baghdad, Iraq.
Built in the early 1980s it was originally called Al-Bakr Air Base . In 2003 the base was occupied by the United States Armed Forces as part of the Iraq War and was called both Balad Air Base by the United States Air Force and Anaconda Logistics Support Area (LSA) by The United States Army before being named Balad Basis Basis on June 15, 2008. The base was handed back to the Iraqi Air Force in December 2011 again to be called Balad Air Base .
During the Iraq War, it was the second largest US base in Iraq and today is home to the Iraqi Air Force General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons.
Video Balad Air Base
History
Iraqi Use
Balad was formerly known as Al-Bakr Air Base, named in honor of Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the Iraqi president from 1968 to 1979. It is considered by many in the Iraqi army as the most important airfield of the Iraqi Air Force.. During much of the 1980s, it operated with at least a brigade-level power, with two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 squadrons. Al-Bakr Air Base is especially well-known for the large number of hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) built by Yugoslav contractors during the Iran-Iraq War in the mid-1980s. It has four hardened areas - one each at both ends of the main runway - with about 30 private aircraft shelters.
Coalition use
The base was captured during April 2003 as part of the Iraq War
The 310th Sustainment Command (Expedition) Army and 332d Air Expeditionary Wing Air Force which is headquartered in JBB. It was decided that the facility had one name, although for many reasons and for many of its inhabitants, it had a different name. Until the middle of 2008, the US Army had been responsible for Balad but, when it was re-designated as a combined base, the US Air Force assumed overall control. Balad is a central logistics center for troops in Iraq. Camp Anaconda is also more commonly called "Anaconda Life Support Area" or "Big Snake".
It houses 28,000 military personnel and 8,000 civilian contractors. Like most major bases in Iraq, the LSA Anaconda offers its facilities, around 2006 and later, including the basic cinema (Sustainer Theater), two Basic/Post Exchanges (BX/PX), fast food courts including Subway, Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell (2007), Burger King, Green Beans Coffee, Turkish Cafe, Iraqi Bazaar, several gyms, dancing courses, Olympic-size swimming pool and indoor pool. The base is a common goal for celebrities and politicians visiting US troops serving in Iraq at USO Tours including Charlie Daniels band (2005), Vince Vaughn (2005), Carrie Underwood (2006), Wayne Newton, Gary Sinise, Chris Isaak, Neal McCoy , Oliver North, and WWE.
Unit
- 129th CSSB (101st Sust. Bde.)
- Trans 372. Co. (129th CSSB)
Ground forces
- 557 Maintenance Co. Oct 2007 - Dec 2008
- 602nd Maintenance Co. Apr 2008 - Jun 2009
- The A/51 Signal Battalion (Airborne) (along with unknown MP platoon and unknown water purification platoon) took over in mid-April 2003 from an unknown infantry unit until V corps arrived around 01 May 2003
- Expeditionary Security Forces 532 squad
- 411th Engineer Brigade between 2006 and 2007
- NMCB 28 and NMCB 4 - 2007
- Headquarters and Support Company, 463d Combat Battalion Engineer (Heavy) between 2004 and 2005
- The 63th Ordnance Company (PLS/MOADS) (United States) between 2004 and 2005
- Brazade 77th Sustainability 2011
- 103d Maintenance Command (Expedition) between 2009 and 2011
- 100th Infantry Battalion
- Task Force 34
- Engineer 864 BN (Combat Weight)
- The 29th Brigade Combat Team (Hawaii National Guard) January 2005 - February 2006
- 323 Military Police Company (Toledo, Ohio) April 2003 - July 2003
- Bravo Company (Home for Duvet Double) Signal Battalion 279, Alabama National Guard, 2004-2005
Flight troop
- 332d Air Expeditionary Wing
- 332d The Expeditionary Operations Group
- Expeditionary Combatron 22d - F-16CM Block 50 Fighting Falcons.
- 34th Expeditionary Combatron from May to October 2008
- 332d Expeditionary Combat Squadron - F-16 Block 30 Fighting Falcons
- 107th Expeditionary Combatron (Michigan ANG)
- The 111th Expedition Combatron (Texas ANG)
- Expeditionary Combatron 119 (New Jersey ANG)
- 120th Expeditionary Combatron (Colorado ANG)
- Expeditionary Combatron 121 (DC ANG)
- 124th Expeditionary Combatron (Iowa ANG)
- 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (Oklaholma ANG)
- The 170th Expeditionary Combatron (Illinois ANG)
- 176th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (Wisconsin ANG)
- 179th Expeditionary Combatron (Minnesota ANG)
- Expeditionary Combatron 186 (Montana ANG)
- 188th Expeditionary Combatron (Arkansas ANG)
- 332d The Expeditionary Operations Group
- 777th Air Force Hatching Squadron - C-130 Hercules
- 64th Rescue Rescue Squadron - HH-60 Pave Hawk
- The 46th Expediting Surveillance Squadron - Predator MQ-1B
- 332d Operation Support Squadron Expedition - airfield management
- Surveillance Squadron 362d - MC-12W Liberty
- 727 Air Expedition Control Squadron - body of command and tactical control
- Battalion 1, Flight Regiment 131th from September 2006.
- The 11th Flight Regiment Task Force (United States European Army) from April 2003 to February 2004
Terms
Beginning in 2003, several mortar and rocket fire were fired daily by the rebels, usually about empty spaces between runways, despite wounds and isolated casualties. In mid-2006, this figure fell by about 40%. Because of this attack, soldiers and aviators refer to the base as "Mortaritaville", although this name is shared with other bases in Iraq.
The Combined Base Balad has a fireplace operation until the end of summer 2010. Holes, visible from several miles, continue to be used to produce 147 tons of garbage burned daily, some of which are considered toxic. Respiratory difficulties and headaches are caused by smoke being inhaled from burning wastes; However, according to a study conducted on behalf of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, there is insufficient evidence to link these symptoms by burning a hole. Nevertheless, VA allows service members to file claims for symptoms they believe are associated with exposure to the burning pits.
Hospital
Balad's shared base is also home to the Air Force Theater Hospital, a Level I trauma center that offers 98% survival rates for injured Americans and Iraqis.
Back to Iraqi control
When American troops leave Iraq, the Balad Base Base is returned to the Iraqi Air Force in December 2011.
Maps Balad Air Base
Current use
The base is the headquarters of the Iraqi Armed Forces General F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Combat Squadron 9 (21 aircraft delivered November 2017)
The base was attacked by ISIS militants in late June 2014, when militants launched mortar attacks and reportedly surrounded the base on three sides.
See also
- 2007 Balad plane crash
References
External links
- Balad from GlobalSecurity.org Site
- 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command '
- Iraq, Contingency Contingencies and Defense Fundamentals
- Expedition Time
- Anaconda Times
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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