Al-Safran Air Base
23°39′7″N 53°49′14″E / 23.65194°N 53.82056°E
The Al-Safran Air Base (ICAO: OMSM,[1] alternatively called Liwa[2]) is a military air base operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force, located approximately 80 miles southwest of Abu Dhabi, near Madinat Zayed.[3][4]
History
Construction of the base cost an estimated $1 billion.[3] Some of the construction was carried out by Capriole Construction Co. LLC.[5] A Mirage 2000 squadron was moved to the base in 2007, and it was completed in approximately 2008.[3][6] The base underwent an expansion of its airport apron in 2017, the same year it added six new aircraft shelters.[7]
Description
The base has two runways, hardened aircraft shelters, and a subterranean ammunition dump.[3] The bases houses two ground control stations.[7] The base is defended by the Super aEgis II sentry gun.[8]
References
- ^ "United Arab Emirates". Defense Internet NOTAM Service, Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018.
LIWA AB (MIL) OMSM
- ^ Olson, Richard Gustave (February 9, 2010). "US embassy cables: UAE prince fears 'logic of war'". The Guardian.
The UAE recently hosted an AFCENT survey team to consider U.S. access to Liwa (Safran) Air Base in support of contingency operations.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d Tim Ripley (1 January 2010). Middle East Air Power in the 21st Century. Casemate Publishers. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-84884-099-7.
- ^ Sweetman, Bill; Osborne, Tony. "It's Open Season For Defense Sales To UAE". Aviation Week.
Al-Dhafra AB, a major hub for USAF operations in the region, is the main UAE fighter base, while a new facility called Al-Safran, built in the desert near Madinat Zayed, is home to Mirage 2000 units.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "List of projects". Abo Raia Technical Work LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
Construction of Different facilities at Safran Airbase Safran Airbase, Liwa [...] Capriole Construction Co.LLc
- ^ Osborne, Tony. "UAE's Mysterious Airbase". Aviation Week.
This led to the construction of a new fighter air base called Al-Safran AB near the town of Al-Gharbia, housing at least one Mirage 2000 unit. Al-Safran is believed to have opened between around 2008.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Bellingcat Investigation Team (October 2, 2018). "UAV Infrastructure Noted at the UAE's al-Safran Airbase". bellingcat.
- ^ Parkin, Simon (July 16, 2015). "Killer robots: The soldiers that never sleep". BBC News.
The Super aEgis II, first revealed in 2010, is one of a new breed of automated weapon, able to identify, track and destroy a moving target from a great distance, theoretically without human intervention [...] The turret is currently in active use in numerous locations in the Middle East, including three airbases in the United Arab Emirates (Al Dhafra, Al Safran and Al Minad)[...]