Sidi Slimane Air Base
Encyclopedia
Sidi Slimane Air Base is a military air base in Sidi Slimane
, a city in the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
region
in Morocco
. It is also known as the Fifth Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force
.
Built in 1951 by Atlas Construction, Sidi Slimane AB was initially used by the Strategic Air Command
(SAC) or the United States Air Force
as a forward deployment base for B-29 Superfortress
units deployed from the United States. The base was one of three SAC bases (Boulhaut
, Sidi Slimane, Nouasseur
) constructed in Morocco in response to the heightened Cold War
fears by NATO after the Korean War
.
Host unit was the 3906th Air Base Group Later: 3906th Combat Support Group. Facilities expanded in the early 1950s to accommodate jet aircraft and was used by the SAC 5th Air Division as a forward deployment base for B-47 Stratojet
and B-36 Peacemaker bombers and support units during the Cold War
.
Sidi Slimane was also used by the Seventeenth Air Force
(17 AF) of United States Air Forces in Europe
(USAFE), which assigned the 45th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron equipped with F-86D Sabres to provide air defense of the USAF bases in Morocco during the 1950s.
Sidi Slimane AB was closed on 30 September 1963 and turned over to the Moroccan government.
Today two squadrons equipped with the Mirage F1, Escadron de Chasse Atlas (Mirage F1EH-200) and Escadron de Chasse Assad (Mirage F1CH) use the base, according to Scramble.nl. (www.scramble.nl/ma.htm, accessed October 2010) The scale of activity has been reduced to a degree from its height under the USAF.
of 179 feet (55 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 08/26 with an asphalt
surface measuring 3445 by 43 m (11,302.5 by 141.1 ).
The base has supported occasional deployments of SAC B-52 Stratofortress
and KC-135 Stratotankers over the years. A large number of tab-vees on dispersals have been built and at least one helicopter is visible parked. Condition of main runway and taxiways appear to be well-maintained. Some old USAF barracks visible and still appear to be in use to the northwest of flightline area, although most of the buildings have been torn down; the streets remaining.
Sidi Slimane
Sidi Slimane is a newly formed province and is a small city in the western centre of Morocco. It is located between two major cities: Kenitra and Meknes....
, a city in the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-western Morocco. It covers an area of 8805 km² and has a population of 1,859,540 . The capital is Kenitra....
region
Regions of Morocco
Regions of Morocco As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature 16 new regions were created. It is the current highest administrative division of Morocco. The regions are subdivided into a total of 61 second-order administrative divisions, which are prefectures...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It is also known as the Fifth Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force
Royal Moroccan Air Force
The Royal Moroccan Air Force is the air force branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces.-History:...
.
History
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) or the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
as a forward deployment base for B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
units deployed from the United States. The base was one of three SAC bases (Boulhaut
Boulhaut Air Base
Boulhaut Air Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Morocco.Built in 1954 by French contractors, the base was opened on 15 April 1955. The base was one of three Strategic Air Command bases , that were constructed in Morocco in response to the heightened Cold War fears by NATO...
, Sidi Slimane, Nouasseur
Nouasseur Air Base
Nouasseur Air Base near Casablanca, French Morocco is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers.Today, Nouasseur AB is known as Mohammed V International Airport.-Origins:...
) constructed in Morocco in response to the heightened Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
fears by NATO after the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Host unit was the 3906th Air Base Group Later: 3906th Combat Support Group. Facilities expanded in the early 1950s to accommodate jet aircraft and was used by the SAC 5th Air Division as a forward deployment base for B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
and B-36 Peacemaker bombers and support units during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Sidi Slimane was also used by the Seventeenth Air Force
Seventeenth Air Force
Seventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
(17 AF) of United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
(USAFE), which assigned the 45th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron equipped with F-86D Sabres to provide air defense of the USAF bases in Morocco during the 1950s.
Sidi Slimane AB was closed on 30 September 1963 and turned over to the Moroccan government.
Today two squadrons equipped with the Mirage F1, Escadron de Chasse Atlas (Mirage F1EH-200) and Escadron de Chasse Assad (Mirage F1CH) use the base, according to Scramble.nl. (www.scramble.nl/ma.htm, accessed October 2010) The scale of activity has been reduced to a degree from its height under the USAF.
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 179 feet (55 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 08/26 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 3445 by 43 m (11,302.5 by 141.1 ).
The base has supported occasional deployments of SAC B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
and KC-135 Stratotankers over the years. A large number of tab-vees on dispersals have been built and at least one helicopter is visible parked. Condition of main runway and taxiways appear to be well-maintained. Some old USAF barracks visible and still appear to be in use to the northwest of flightline area, although most of the buildings have been torn down; the streets remaining.