Volkel Air Base
Encyclopedia
Volkel Air Base is a military
airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force
(RNLAF) - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), and is located near the town of Uden
, Noord-Brabant
, in the Netherlands
. It is home to three F-16 Fighting Falcon
squadrons, 311, 312 and 313. It also houses a maintenance, logistical, a base Squadron for the RNLAF, and also the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron, part of the 52d Fighter Wing
from the United States Air Force
. Besides military use, a traumahelicopter
operated by ANWB Medical Air Assistance on behalf of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre is based here. The Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
also makes use of Volkel Air Base.
Volkel Air Base is one of several military
airfields in the Netherlands, and one of the three major operational bases of the RNLAF, the other two being Leeuwarden Air Base
and Gilze-Rijen Air Base
. Together with these, it also hosts the public viewing days of the RNLAF, held annually at one of these three airfields, having both an airshow
and static display of various military
and civilian aircraft
.
The airport has two parallel runways, both in the 06/24 direction, and both being just over 3020 metre long. 06L/24R is 45 m (148 ft) wide, and is capable of handling larger aircraft. It is also equipped with an instrument landing system
(ILS). 06R/24L is narrower at only 23 m (75 ft) wide.
After the occupation of the Netherlands by Germany
in 1940, the Luftwaffe
constructed a diversion airfield for fighter aircraft called Nachtlandeplatz Volkel. Later during the war, in 1943, the airfield was turned into an operational Luftwaffe base, and renamed Fliegerhorst Volkel. It was home to the "5e Zerstörer Gruppe" operating the Junkers Ju 88
, and the "3e Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 7" operating the Messerschmitt Me 262
jet fighter aircraft. A second jet engine
d aircraft, the Arado Ar 234
Bomber, landed in the morning of August 30, 1944, and flew bombing missions out of Volkel for about a week. V-1 flying bomb
s were also fired from Volkel. To defend the base against aerial attacks, the Germans had installed flak
guns, but it was still bombed extensively. Attacks in 1944 in relation to Operation Market Garden
caused such extensive damage to the airport that it could no longer be used by the Luftwaffe.
When later that year the south of the Netherlands was liberated, the Royal Air Force
took control of the airfield. Though the Germans had destroyed most of the remaining airport facilities, the RAF continued to use the airport for the remainder of the war, operating Hawker Typhoon
and Hawker Tempest
aircraft from Volkel in support of the allied advance into Germany. French
ace Pierre Clostermann
, at the time a flight commander in No 122 Wing, provides a detailed description of operations from Volkel in early 1945 in his book The Big Show.
The Dutch Naval Aviation Service started flying from Volkel in 1949 for training purposes. In 1950, the Royal Netherlands Air Force took control of the airfield, restoring it to an operational fighter base. Gloster Meteor
aircraft were the first jet aircraft
to be based at Volkel for the RNLAF. Later came the Republic F-84 Thunderjet
and Thunderstreak
, which were eventually replaced by the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the first supersonic
aircraft of the RNLAF. In the 1970s
, airport facilities were improved, and 32 protective Hardened Aircraft Shelter
s (HAS) were constructed for the aircraft. Between 1982 and 1984, the Starfighters were slowly replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcons that are currently based at Volkel, which were manufactured under license by Fokker
. The current F-16 aircraft are expected to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II
.
It is believed that since the early 1960s, USAF nuclear weapon
s are stored at Volkel Air Base, to be used by the host nations aircraft. Formerly, storage took place in a weapon storage area
on the north side of the base, and in a heavily defended quick reaction alert (QRA) area - but since 1991, eleven WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System vaults are operational in the floors of the aircraft shelters. The USAF 703rd Munitions Support Squadron (703rd MUNSS) is in charge of maintaining and securing the weapons. As of 2008, 22 B61 nuclear bomb
s are believed to be in storage at Volkel, to be used by the Dutch 311 and 312 F-16 squadron
s at the base. The F-16s based at Volkel can at times be seen with BDU-38 dummy bombs, which are used to simulate the B61. Despite the evidence for this, the Dutch Ministry of Defence
never officially acknowledges or denies the presence of nuclear weapons at Volkel. In a book published by former air force pilot Steve Netto it is revealed that some fifty B28 nuclear bomb
s were in storage there around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis
, which if needed were to be deployed by aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In a document leaked as a part of the United States diplomatic cables leak
the presence of nuclear weapons in the Netherlands is confirmed, though no specific location is given.
Spotting Group Volkel
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
(RNLAF) - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), and is located near the town of Uden
Uden
Uden is a municipality and a town in the province of Noord-Brabant, Netherlands.- History :Uden was first recorded around 1190 as “Uthen”. However, earlier settlements have been found in the areas of the modern day Moleneind, Vorstenburg and Bitswijk and evidence of ice-age settlements has been...
, Noord-Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is home to three F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
squadrons, 311, 312 and 313. It also houses a maintenance, logistical, a base Squadron for the RNLAF, and also the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron, part of the 52d Fighter Wing
52d Fighter Wing
The 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Mission:The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives...
from 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...
. Besides military use, a traumahelicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
operated by ANWB Medical Air Assistance on behalf of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre is based here. The Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
thumb|right|250px|[[MBB Bo 105]] helicopter from the Dienst Luchtvaart Politie on displayThe Dienst Luchtvaartpolitie is the aviation branch of the Dutch Korps landelijke politiediensten . They operate a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for various law enforcement purposes and...
also makes use of Volkel Air Base.
Volkel Air Base is one of several military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
airfields in the Netherlands, and one of the three major operational bases of the RNLAF, the other two being Leeuwarden Air Base
Leeuwarden Air Base
Leeuwarden Air Base is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force - Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtmacht , . The airbase is one of the two F-16 Fighting Falcon bases of the RNLAF...
and Gilze-Rijen Air Base
Gilze-Rijen Air Base
Gilze-Rijen Air Base is a military airbase in the Netherlands located between the cities of Breda and Tilburg, in the Noord-Brabant province. It is mainly, but not exclusively used as a base for attack helicopters. The airfield has two runways, the longest, complete with instrument landing...
. Together with these, it also hosts the public viewing days of the RNLAF, held annually at one of these three airfields, having both an airshow
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
and static display of various military
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
and civilian aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
The airport has two parallel runways, both in the 06/24 direction, and both being just over 3020 metre long. 06L/24R is 45 m (148 ft) wide, and is capable of handling larger aircraft. It is also equipped with an instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS). 06R/24L is narrower at only 23 m (75 ft) wide.
History
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1940, the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
constructed a diversion airfield for fighter aircraft called Nachtlandeplatz Volkel. Later during the war, in 1943, the airfield was turned into an operational Luftwaffe base, and renamed Fliegerhorst Volkel. It was home to the "5e Zerstörer Gruppe" operating the Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
, and the "3e Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 7" operating the Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
jet fighter aircraft. A second jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
d aircraft, the Arado Ar 234
Arado Ar 234
The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first operational jet-powered bomber, built by the German Arado company in the closing stages of World War II. Produced in very limited numbers, it was used almost entirely in the reconnaissance role, but in its few uses as a bomber it proved to be nearly impossible...
Bomber, landed in the morning of August 30, 1944, and flew bombing missions out of Volkel for about a week. V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
s were also fired from Volkel. To defend the base against aerial attacks, the Germans had installed flak
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns, but it was still bombed extensively. Attacks in 1944 in relation to Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
caused such extensive damage to the airport that it could no longer be used by the Luftwaffe.
When later that year the south of the Netherlands was liberated, the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
took control of the airfield. Though the Germans had destroyed most of the remaining airport facilities, the RAF continued to use the airport for the remainder of the war, operating Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
and Hawker Tempest
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
aircraft from Volkel in support of the allied advance into Germany. French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ace Pierre Clostermann
Pierre Clostermann
Pierre Clostermann was a French flying ace, author, engineer, politician and sporting fisherman. Over his flying career he was awarded the Grand-Croix of the French Légion d'Honneur, French Croix de Guerre, British DFC and bar, Distinguished Service Cross , Silver Star , and the Air Medal .-Early...
, at the time a flight commander in No 122 Wing, provides a detailed description of operations from Volkel in early 1945 in his book The Big Show.
The Dutch Naval Aviation Service started flying from Volkel in 1949 for training purposes. In 1950, the Royal Netherlands Air Force took control of the airfield, restoring it to an operational fighter base. Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
aircraft were the first jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
to be based at Volkel for the RNLAF. Later came the Republic F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
and Thunderstreak
F-84F Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American-built swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version....
, which were eventually replaced by the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the first supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
aircraft of the RNLAF. In the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, airport facilities were improved, and 32 protective Hardened Aircraft Shelter
Hardened Aircraft Shelter
Hardened Aircraft Shelters , or Protective Aircraft Shelter , are a reinforced structure to house and protect military aircraft from enemy attack...
s (HAS) were constructed for the aircraft. Between 1982 and 1984, the Starfighters were slowly replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcons that are currently based at Volkel, which were manufactured under license by Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
. The current F-16 aircraft are expected to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
.
Nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s are stored at Volkel Air Base, to be used by the host nations aircraft. Formerly, storage took place in a weapon storage area
Weapon storage area
Weapon storage areas , also known as special ammunition storage , were extremely well guarded and well defended locations where United States and NATO nuclear weapons were stored during the Cold War era....
on the north side of the base, and in a heavily defended quick reaction alert (QRA) area - but since 1991, eleven WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System vaults are operational in the floors of the aircraft shelters. The USAF 703rd Munitions Support Squadron (703rd MUNSS) is in charge of maintaining and securing the weapons. As of 2008, 22 B61 nuclear bomb
B61 nuclear bomb
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
s are believed to be in storage at Volkel, to be used by the Dutch 311 and 312 F-16 squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
s at the base. The F-16s based at Volkel can at times be seen with BDU-38 dummy bombs, which are used to simulate the B61. Despite the evidence for this, the Dutch Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
never officially acknowledges or denies the presence of nuclear weapons at Volkel. In a book published by former air force pilot Steve Netto it is revealed that some fifty B28 nuclear bomb
B28 nuclear bomb
The B28, originally Mark 28, was a thermonuclear bomb carried by U.S. tactical fighter bombers and bomber aircraft. From 1962 to 1972 under the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, American B28s also equipped six Europe-based Canadian CF-104 squadrons known as the RCAF Nuclear Strike Force...
s were in storage there around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, which if needed were to be deployed by aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In a document leaked as a part of the United States diplomatic cables leak
United States diplomatic cables leak
The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began in February 2010 when WikiLeaks—a non-profit organization that publishes submissions from anonymous whistleblowers—began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates,...
the presence of nuclear weapons in the Netherlands is confirmed, though no specific location is given.
Units
- 311th Squadron F-16
- 312th Squadron F-16
- 313th Squadron F-16
- 640th Squadron
- 601st Reserve Squadron
- 703rd USAF Munition Support Squadron
- 900th Maintenance Squadron
- 901st Logistics Squadron
External links
- Volkel Air Base official website (DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
only)
Spotting Group Volkel