Drachenbronn Air Base
Base Aérienne 901 Drachenbronn
Part of Nancy – Ochey Air Base
Drachenbronn-Birlenbach, Bas-Rhin in France
Drachenbronn Air Base is located in France
Drachenbronn Air Base
Drachenbronn Air Base
Coordinates48°59′04″N 07°50′01″E / 48.98444°N 7.83361°E / 48.98444; 7.83361
Site information
OwnerGovernment of France
OperatorArmée de l'air et de l'espace
Site history
Built1952 (1952)

Drachenbronn Air Base (Base Aérienne 901 Drachenbronn) of the French Air and Space Force is located in the community of Drachenbronn-Birlenbach in the Bas-Rhin département. It houses the Centre de détection et de contrôle 05/901.

The base uses the underground facilities of the former Ouvrage Hochwald of the Maginot Line. Its mission is the surveillance of aviation movements in eastern France. Under budget cuts announced in October 2014 it will become an outstation of Nancy – Ochey Air Base.[1]

History

In 1946 the Air Force began studies for the creation of a radar station on top of the ouvrage. Construction began in 1952, and in 1955 major construction was undertaken in the ouvrage for a radar control room and operations center, which was placed in operation in 1957, originally designated Station Maître Radar 50/921.[2] The facility was briefly called Ouvrage H and was connected by data links to Ouvrage G at the Fort du Salbert near Belfort and Ouvrage F at Fort François de Guis at Metz.[3] In 1960 the facility was renamed Base Aérienne 901. In 1991 the base was named for Commandant de Laubier, a hero of the defense of Sedan in 1940.

The operations center was again renovated in 1964 to accommodate the VISU/STRIDA II system, and again in 1984 for the VISU/STRIDA IV system.[2] It was yet again renovated in 2007 with a new operations room.[4]

A three-dimensional radar was installed on the nearby Hochwald hill, which dominates the Alsace plain and the Rhine valley.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Défense : Le Drian détaille les 7 500 postes supprimés dans l'armée". 15 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Historique de la base". Base Aérienne 901 (in French). French Ministrybof Defense. 2 February 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  3. ↑ Brolli, Antoine (1987–1988). "L'ouvrage "G" de la D.A.T.". Bulletin de la société belfortaine d'émulation (in French) (79). ISSN 0242-5106.
  4. ↑ "Centre de Détection et de Contrôle - Historique". Base Aérienne 901 (in French). French Ministry of Defense. 3 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
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