RAF Geilenkirchen

Coordinates: 50°57′36.7″N 6°2′32.6″E / 50.960194°N 6.042389°E / 50.960194; 6.042389

RAF Geilenkirchen
Active May 1953 – 28 January 1968
Country Germany
Allegiance UK: British Armed Forces
Branch Royal Air Force
Type Flying station
Role Fighters (Strike/Attack)
Part of RAF Second Tactical Air Force,
then Royal Air Force Germany
Located near Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Nickname(s) "Geilenkirchen"
Motto(s) Celer Respondere
Royal Air Force Ensign
March Royal Air Force March Past
RAF Geilenkirchen
IATA: GKE – ICAO: ETNG
Summary
Airport type Military
Owner formerly: Ministry of Defence,
now: NATO
Operator formerly: Royal Air Force,
now: NATO
Location Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Elevation AMSL 296 ft / 90 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,009 3,051 Concrete

Royal Air Force Station Geilenkirchen, more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen, was a Royal Air Force station in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21 January 1968.

History

Geilenkirchen squadrons

Post RAF history

The RAF handed over the station to German Luftwaffe in March 1968. The Germans used the airfield as home for a Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the United States Army.

Current use

In 1980, the station became NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, to house the main operating base for NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (AWACS). This is a multinational organisation operating 17 NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft.

See also

References

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