Prince Sultan Air Base
قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية
Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia
A US Air Force E-3 Sentry deployed to the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing takes off from Prince Sultan AB during 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A US Air Force E-3 Sentry deployed to the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing takes off from Prince Sultan AB during 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The emblem of Prince Sultan Air Base
Prince Sultan AB is located in Saudi Arabia
Prince Sultan AB
Prince Sultan AB
Location in Saudi Arabia
Coordinates24°03′19″N 047°33′49″E / 24.05528°N 47.56361°E / 24.05528; 47.56361
TypeRoyal Saudi Air Force base
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defense
OperatorRoyal Saudi Air Force
Site history
Built1951 (1951)
In use1951 – present
Garrison information
Garrison
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: AKH, ICAO: OEPS
Elevation503.2 metres (1,651 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
17L/35R 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Asphalt
17R/35L 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Asphalt
Sources: World Aero Data[1][2]

Prince Sultan Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية) (IATA: AKH[3], ICAO: OEPS) (PSAB) is a military air base located in the closed-city of Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.[1]

History

There was a large United States presence there during Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. presence was predominantly that of multiple United States Air Force (USAF) flying units, augmented by a United States Navy (USN) or United States Marine Corps (USMC) Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler squadron, a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter squadron with Panavia Tornado F.3s and a French Air Force fighter squadron with Dassault Mirage 2000s, Mirage F1 CR plus a Boeing C-135RF Stratotanker air refueling aircraft. Following the attack on USAF facilities at Khobar Towers in Dharan in 1996, all USAF activities at that location were relocated to PSAB.

An Air National Guard F-15C Eagle fighter taking off from Prince Sultan Air Base in 2000

Before the September 11 attacks, per agreement with the Saudi Arabian government, all U.S. and Allied aircraft stationed at PSAB were to be of a "defensive" versus "offensive" nature. This was due to Arab sensitivities that non-Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) aircraft in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be perceived as being there for the defense of the Kingdom.

During Operation Southern Watch, this required aircraft carrying offensive strike ordnance for use against ground targets in Iraq to be stationed in Kuwait or aboard aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Royal Air Force, and French Air Force aircraft that were based at PSAB primarily consisted of airborne early warning, reconnaissance, air refueling, electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and air-to-air fighter aircraft, along with transient airlift aircraft. U.S. squadrons came under the operational control of the, formerly 4404th Wing (Provisional), 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing (363 AEW) at PSAB, with associated squadrons or detachments prior to 11 Sep 2001 rotated in and out from their home bases in Europe, the United States or the Pacific on a 90-day to 6-month basis. During Operation Southern Watch, in addition to Active Component aircraft, the USAF made extensive use of Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and associated personnel on rotational assignments to PSAB. The United States Navy, Navy Reserve and United States Marine Corps also employed EA-6B aircraft from PSAB as well.

In August and early September 1998, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) and its associated Coalition Air Operations Center (CAOC) were in the process of relocating from the Eskan Village complex in Riyadh to PSAB concurrent with construction of a more modern and expanded CAOC at PSAB. The 1996 Khobar Towers bombing accelerated this movement, so that subsequent command and control of all Coalition air operations for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom were executed from PSAB, before 11 September 2001.

During the War in Afghanistan, the Saudi government refused to allow the United States to use its air bases in Saudi Arabia to launch offensive air operations against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, but did allow them to use Prince Sultan Air Base to coordinate offensive air operations of air combat operations launched from other countries.[4] In mid-2003, all U.S. operations at PSAB began migrating to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar.

Patriot missile batteries located at Prince Sultan Air Base in 2020.

Between 2003 and 2005 Vickers VC10s from No. 101 Squadron RAF were based here in support of Operation Telic before moving to RAF Al Udeid (a section of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar).[5]

In October 2019, 2,000 U.S. troops joined approximately 700 service members already stationed at the air base,[6] along with deploying B-1B bombers, F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Patriot missile batteries.[7] The new troop buildup followed several attacks on oil tankers by Iran in the Gulf of Oman.[8]

The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing was activated at Prince Sultan on 17 December 2019, with the Air Force stating the wing's mission is to 'provide strategic depth and increased defensive support while sustaining regional presence to promote peace through deterrence'.[9]

Current use

Facilities

The air base resides at an elevation of 1,651 feet (503 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways designated 17L/R/35L/R with an asphalt surface measuring 4,000 by 45 metres (13,123 ft × 148 ft).[1]

The base currently uses hundreds of tents as semi-temporary housing, though there are plans to have the tents replaced with trailers and more permanent structures.[11]

The US Air Force 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron is responsible for pest management on base.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Airport information for OEPS[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ↑ Airport information for AKH at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ↑ "Airline and Airport Code Search (AKH: Prince Sultan AB, Al Kharj)". International Air Transport Association (IATA). Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Blanchette, Nicholas (2021-12-16), Haun, Phil; Jackson, Colin; Schultz, Tim (eds.), "Operation Enduring Freedom: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Air Power over Afghanistan", Air Power in the Age of Primacy (1 ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 97–120, doi:10.1017/9781108985024.006, ISBN 978-1-108-98502-4, retrieved 2022-02-02
  5. ↑ "19 Years Over Iraq". The Official RAF Annual Review 2010. Stamford: Key Publishing: 11. December 2010.
  6. ↑ "Pentagon to Deploy Around 2,000 Additional Troops to Saudi Arabia". The Wall Street Journal. 11 October 2019.
  7. ↑ "Air Force Sends B-1B Bombers To Saudi Arabia Amid U.S. Military Buildup In The Kingdom". The Drive. 25 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Esper Tours Saudi Military Site as U.S. Readies Troop Buildup". The Wall Street Journal. 22 October 2019.
  9. ↑ Sims, Senior Airman Giovanni (17 December 2019). "378th AEW officially activates at PSAB". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "Royal Saudi Air Force - Al Kharj/Prince Sultan Air Base (OEPS)". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Baldor, Lolita C. (January 29, 2020). "US expands troop, fighter jet presence at Saudi base". Military Times. Right now, the large white tents that flap in the stiff winds give a temporary feel to the mission. But according to Air Force Col. Jason King, vice commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing here, there is "prudent planning" underway that could lead to the tents being replaced with trailers and other more permanent structures.
  12. ↑ "Keeping the peace from the shadows". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). Retrieved 2022-09-13.
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