Batista Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
San Antonio de los Baños Air Base is a military air base located near San Antonio de los Baños
, a municipality in the province of Havana (La Habana)
in Cuba
. It is located approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) southwest of the city of San Antonio de los Baños
, about 30 mi (48.3 km) southwest of Havana
.
aircraft arrived at the airfield on 16 October. It was used for antisubmarine patrols and also as a training airfield for B-29 Superfortress
aircrews who flew training missions from airfields in Nebraska
and Kansas
to the field.
September 9, 1942, Cuba and United States sign a new naval and Military Agreement of Cooperation for a second airfield that would later be known as San Julian Air Base
. The Pinar del Rio area was considered ideally situated for further development and the Army began construction by expanding an existing Pan American emergency landing airfield on 1 November 1942. When construction was completed on 1 July 1943 the new facility was re-designated Naval Air Facility (NAF) San Julian.
November 1, 1942 the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) set up postal operations for San Antonio de los Baños using Army Post Office, Miami with the address: 632 APO MIA.
After the war, it was handed over to the Cuban government and used by the Cuban Air Force. It was known as the Batista AAF (1953–1959). In a 1962 briefing paper on the Cuban Missile Crisis
prepared by officials at the United States Department of Defense
, the base was identified as "the headquarters for the Cuban revolutionary Air Force and the assembly point for all MIGs, except the MIG-21, which [had] previously been received in Cuba."
During the Cuban Missile Crisis
, Soviet Armed Forces
elements deployed as part of Operation Anadyr
were based at the airfield. the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Soviet Air Forces, flying MiG-21F-13s, had elements here. Initially the regiment sent its 2nd Squadron from Santa Clara air base to San Antonio de los Banos, and then later the whole regiment was concentrated at San Antonio de los Banos. In 1963 the regiment transferred its aircraft to the Cuban Air Force and returned home. In Cuba the regiment served under the title 213th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
of 50 m (164 ft) above mean sea level. It has three concrete
paved runway
s: runway 05/23 is 3596 by 56 m (11,797.9 by 183.7 ), runway 12/30 is 2482 by 46 m (8,143 by 150.9 ), and runway 01/19 is 2400 metre.
San Antonio de los Baños
San Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba.It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. The city was founded in 1802....
, a municipality in the province of Havana (La Habana)
La Habana Province
Havana Province was one of the provinces of Cuba, prior to being divided into two new provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque on January 1, 2011. It had 711,066 people in the 2002 census. The largest city was Artemisa .-Geography:...
in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It is located approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) southwest of the city of San Antonio de los Baños
San Antonio de los Baños
San Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba.It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. The city was founded in 1802....
, about 30 mi (48.3 km) southwest of Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
.
1942
The station was built in 1942 and was first used by American forces on 29 August 1942. The U.S. forces called it "Cayuga" (named after the construction company hired by the U.S. to build it - the Cayuga construction company is named after the upstate New York Native American tribe by the same name). The first United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
aircraft arrived at the airfield on 16 October. It was used for antisubmarine patrols and also as a training airfield 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...
aircrews who flew training missions from airfields in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to the field.
September 9, 1942, Cuba and United States sign a new naval and Military Agreement of Cooperation for a second airfield that would later be known as San Julian Air Base
San Julián Air Base
San Julián Air Base or Base Aérea San Julián is a military air base located approximately southwest of the city of Guane a municipality in the province of Pinar del Río in Cuba...
. The Pinar del Rio area was considered ideally situated for further development and the Army began construction by expanding an existing Pan American emergency landing airfield on 1 November 1942. When construction was completed on 1 July 1943 the new facility was re-designated Naval Air Facility (NAF) San Julian.
November 1, 1942 the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) set up postal operations for San Antonio de los Baños using Army Post Office, Miami with the address: 632 APO MIA.
1943-1946
Major units assigned were:- 15th Antisubmarine Squadron (26th Antisubmarine Wing26th Antisubmarine WingThe 26th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at Miami Airport, Florida. It was deactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
), 25 July-1 October 1943 (B-34 Ventura) - 23d Antisubmarine Squadron (26th Antisubmarine Wing26th Antisubmarine WingThe 26th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at Miami Airport, Florida. It was deactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
), 28 February-24 April 1943 (A-29 Hudson) - 417th Bombardment Squadron417th Bombardment SquadronThe 417th Bombardment Squadron a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 25th Bombardment Group, based at Alamogordo Army Airfield, Alamogordo, New Mexico...
(25th Bombardment Group25th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France.-History:...
), 13 April 1943-August 1943 (B-18 Bolo) - Detachment: 89th Combat Crew Training Wing, 1943–1945
- Numerous B-17, B-24 and B-29 group air echelons deployed for training at Batista from 1943 through 1945
Post-World War II
With the end of the war, the United States withdrew its military forces from the airfield and it was turned over to the Cuban government on 30 April 1946.After the war, it was handed over to the Cuban government and used by the Cuban Air Force. It was known as the Batista AAF (1953–1959). In a 1962 briefing paper on 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...
prepared by officials at the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, the base was identified as "the headquarters for the Cuban revolutionary Air Force and the assembly point for all MIGs, except the MIG-21, which [had] previously been received in Cuba."
During 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...
, Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
elements deployed as part of Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr was the code name used by the Soviet Union for their Cold War secret operation of deploying ballistic missiles, medium-range bombers, and a division of mechanized infantry in Cuba to create the army group that would be able to prevent an invasion of the island by U.S. forces...
were based at the airfield. the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Soviet Air Forces, flying MiG-21F-13s, had elements here. Initially the regiment sent its 2nd Squadron from Santa Clara air base to San Antonio de los Banos, and then later the whole regiment was concentrated at San Antonio de los Banos. In 1963 the regiment transferred its aircraft to the Cuban Air Force and returned home. In Cuba the regiment served under the title 213th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Facilities
The air base 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 50 m (164 ft) above mean sea level. It has three concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
paved 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...
s: runway 05/23 is 3596 by 56 m (11,797.9 by 183.7 ), runway 12/30 is 2482 by 46 m (8,143 by 150.9 ), and runway 01/19 is 2400 metre.
San Antonio de los Banos Air Base
The airport is an inactive Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces airbase:- 21st Regiment - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
fighter - 1724th Regiment
- 1779th Regiment - Mikoyan MiG-29Mikoyan MiG-29The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
A and UB, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...
ML and UB fighters - 4768 Intercept Squadron - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
1B bombers and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
UM fighters