The airport sits at an elevation of 77 ft (23 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways, 13L/31R and 13R/31L, each with an asphalt surface measuring 3,661 m × 46 m (12,011 ft × 151 ft).[1]
Role and operations
United Arab Emirates Air Force
The air base is the headquarters of the Western Air Command of the United Arab Emirates Air Force. It hosts the UAE Air Force Fighter Wing, comprising the 1st Shaheen Squadron, 2nd Shaheen Squadron, and 3rd Shaheen Squadron which is equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Desert Falcon). The base is also home to the 71st and 76th Fighter Squadrons which operate the Dassault Mirage 2000-9EAD/DAD.
While the US military presence at the base dates back to the early 1990s, it was only officially acknowledged by the US Air Force in August 2017.[6]
As of 2020, contractor activity at Al Dhafra on behalf of the US military includes work done by Abacus Technology Corp. information technology,[7] Centurum information technology,[8] in addition to various construction projects.[9]
There is a residential area where Emiratis working at the base live, along with their dependents. There is a grocery store, laundromat, barbershop, and restaurant. Due to the construction of a railway, many houses were demolished, causing a forced displacement.
References
^ a bAirport information for OMAM[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
^ a b c d"380th Air Expeditionary Wing". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^"Armed Forces Overviews – United Arab Emirates Air Force". Scramble. Scramble / Dutch Aviation Society. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^"Chiffres clés de l'Armée de l'air - L'Armée de l'air en chiffres : 2019-2020 (FR)". French Air and Space Force. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
^380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs (19 June 2019). "Al Dhafra welcomes new Air Warfare Center commander". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 4 January 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Thornbury, Staff Sgt. Chris (27 October 2019). "Refueling the refuelers". U.S. Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^Ford, Tech. Sgt. Jocelyn A. (18 July 2019). "380 AEW AWACS provide the big picture to combatant commanders". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^Cannady, Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. (29 December 2018). "REDHORSE and Prime BEEF building up ADAB". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
^Cannady, Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. (13 February 2019). "1-43 ADA defends ADAB's skies". US Air Forces Central Command. US Air Force. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^Alexander Cornwell; Alaa Swilam; Phil Stewart (25 January 2022). "Yemen's Houthis fail in second missile attack on UAE". Reuters.
^Dış Haberler (24 January 2022). "Yemen kuvvetleri BAE'nin başkentindeki askeri üsse füze attı" (in Turkish). soL Haber Portalı.
^"The UAE Is Bolstering Its Formidable Air Defenses". Forbes. 30 January 2022.