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Al Udeid Air Base
Military facility southwest of Doha, Qatar, used by US Air Force / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Udeid Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة العديد الجوية) is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport (مطار أبو نخلة).
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2009) |
Al-Udeid Air Base | |||||||||
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قاعدة العديد الجوية | |||||||||
Near Doha, Al Rayyan in Qatar | |||||||||
![]() A Qatar Emiri Air Force AW139 and a US Air Force B-1B Lancer on the flight-line at Al Udeid Air Base during 2016. | |||||||||
![]() Emblem of the Qatar Emiri Air Force | |||||||||
Coordinates | 25°07′07″N 051°19′07″E | ||||||||
Type | Qatar Emiri Air Force base | ||||||||
Site information | |||||||||
Owner | Qatar Armed Forces | ||||||||
Operator | Qatar Emiri Air Force United States Air Force Royal Air Force | ||||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||||
Site history | |||||||||
Built | 1996 (1996) | ||||||||
In use | 1996 – present | ||||||||
Garrison information | |||||||||
Garrison |
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Airfield information | |||||||||
Identifiers | IATA: XJD, ICAO: OTBH | ||||||||
Elevation | 40 metres (131 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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Source: World Aero Data[1][2] and Google Maps[3] |
It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and other foreign forces. It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command, headquarters of the United States Air Forces Central Command, No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF.
In 1999, the then Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad,[4] told U.S. officials that he would like to see as many as 10,000 U.S. servicemen permanently stationed at Al Udeid.[citation needed] According to media reports in June 2017, the base hosted over 11,000 U.S. and U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition forces and over 100 operational aircraft.[5]
It is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.[6]