Shindand Air Base
Shindand Air Base شينډنډ هوايي ډګر | |||||||||||
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AMSL 3,780 ft / 1,152 m | | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°23′32″N 062°15′40″E / 33.39222°N 62.26111°E | ||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||
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Source: AIP Afghanistan[1] |
Shindand Air Base (
It was one of the largest Afghan Air Force bases.
History
The
In 2010, the runway of the base was refurbished so that it is able to support all military aircraft, including the
In mid-2011, an expansion of the base was completed which tripled its size. Construction was scheduled to begin on a new 1.3-mile (2.1 km) NATO training runway in early 2012.[7] This was canceled or suspended.
The USACE added an additional 56,000 square meters (600,000 sq ft) of apron and taxiways capable of handling large strategic lift aircraft such as C-17s in 2012. A 1,200-square-meter (13,000 sq ft) cargo terminal, a 790-square-meter (8,500 sq ft) passenger terminal, and a fire suppression system with nearly 600,000 liters (130,000 imp gal; 160,000 U.S. gal) of water were also added to the air base.[8][9]
Supplying U.S. Army soldiers in Regional Command West, in March 2011, the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion was replaced by the 298th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.[10][11] In January 2012, the 298th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion was replaced by the 365th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (Mississippi Army Reserve).[12][13]
Base security prior to summer 2011 is ill recorded but believed to consist primarily of base taxing. An Air Force Security Forces ESFS was not officially stood up, but nevertheless manned by a HQ unit of the 820th BDG and airmen sourced from several bases around summer 2011. In December 2011, members of Bravo Battery, 1/134 Field Artillery, were sourced to take the base defense mission mixed with a reduced contingent of
During the late 2000s through the end of 2014, the Mongolian national army played a role in base security through the use of U.S. MRAPs, fortified guard posts and foot patrols. The Mongolian army worked closely alongside ISAF and NATO forces during their occupation of the base.
In the fall of 2011, Bravo Battery from the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery Regiment, 37th IBCT, deployed to Shindand as Task Force Griffin (Task Force Roc). They provided base security, carried out patrol and assessment missions, checkpoint control and flight line security for the base.[14] A squad consisting of 14 personnel from the Task Force, known as Rogue Squad, provided the tactical security element for the USAF Office of Special Investigations Expeditionary Detachment 2416, Task Force Grey, during outside-the-wire counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations.
On 27 February 2012, advisers renamed the 'base-in-a-box' portion of the base to Camp Estelle, in dedication to Air Force Major Raymond Estelle II, who lost his life 27 April 2011, during a shooting incident at the Afghan Command and Control Center in the Afghanistan air force headquarters at the Kabul International Airport.[15]
In the summer of 2012, the 3rd Battalion, C & D Company 144th Infantry regiment from the 56th BCT, 36 Infantry Division deployed to Afghanistan (RC West) as Task Force Bowie. TF Bowie provided Battalion Command Base Security, including but not limited to presences/combat patrols, assessment missions, checkpoint control and flight line security for Shindand Airbase and surrounding areas.
In 2013, the 1st Battalion,
Between 2012 and 2014 Shindand air base was used for U.S. led undergraduate pilot training of the Afghan Air Force.
The U.S. military Crash, Fire, and Rescue which had officially started up in 2009, closed in November 2014, switching to contractors.[16] Shindand was home to the 3rd Wing of the Afghan Air Force until August 2021.[17]
For several years, the
"Construction of a perimeter fence at Shindand Air Base tripled the size of the base and included 52 guard towers. Force protection was a major component of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) military construction program in Afghanistan."[19] Shindand also hosted the 3rd Wing of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) until August 2021.[20][21]
In August 2021, Shindand Air Base fell to the
On 6 December the Taliban Government reformed the Afghan Air Force.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ AIP Afghanistan - Important Information Archived 2016-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Shindand Air Base Herat Province, Afghanistan | MilitaryBases.com". Military Bases. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
- ^ a b "Sprawling air base in western Afghanistan reflects hopes, perils of massive buildup".
- ^ https://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/shap/217apib.htm
- ^ Western Afghanistan Air Base Ready for Partners to Take Flight, NATO
- ^ 219th Red Horse Squadron Returns from Deployment
- ^ Lt. Col. Joe DelCampo, Shindand Air Base triples in size, 12 July 2011; alt link [1]
- ^ South District turns over Shindand strategic airlift apron, cargo and passenger terminals Archived 2013-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, 14 Jan 2012
- ^ Shindand AB ushers in new strategic taxiway
- ^ Petty Officer 1st Class John Pearl, 298th CSSB Takes Command in Afghanistan
- ^ 298th CSSB Takes Command in Afghanistan
- ^ Task Force Choctaw assumes sustainment mission in West
- ^ 298th RIP/TOA Ceremony
- ^ "Ohio Army National Guard's Task Force Roc takes over security duties in Afghanistan".
- ^ Shindand AB dedicates area to fallen air advisor, US Air Force
- user-generated source]
- ^ Resolute Support Mission, Shindand Undergraduate Pilot Training Class, NATO, 2013, accessed 2015.
- ^ John Walcott, "Iran Shows Downed Spy Drone as U.S. Assesses Technology Loss Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine," Bloomberg Businessweek (December 9, 2011).
- Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- ^ "Factsheets : 438th Air Expeditionary Wing". www.438aew.afcent.af.mil. Archived from the original on 2013-02-21.
- ^ "U.S. Air Forces Central Command > Units > 438th Air Expeditionary Wing > Newcomers > Shindand Air Base Newcomers Information". U.S. Air Forces Central Command. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
- ^ Joly, Josephine (2021-08-13). "Taliban capture fourth-largest city, closing in on the capital Kabul". Euronews. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
External links
- Shindand Air Base Celebrates 90 Years of AAF on YouTube, August 25, 2015, TOLOnews.
- Afghan Air Force takes off on YouTube, October 3, 2013, NATO.