Kirkuk Air Base
Encyclopedia
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...
airbase located near Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
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General information
Kirkuk Regional Air Base is home to the 506th Air Expeditionary Group506th Air Expeditionary Group
The 506th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq....
. The group maintains base security, conducts safe flying operations and actively supports base agencies in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and other U.S. Air Forces Central and U.S. Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
contingency plans.
Approximately 1,000 active-duty, Reserve and Guard Airmen
Airman
An airman is a member of the air component of a nation's armed service. In the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force , it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank...
are assigned to the 506th AEG during any given Air Expeditionary Force rotation. Additionally, approximately 5,000 soldiers are assigned to the installation, commonly known as Forward Operating Base Warrior
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
. As of July 2011, the majority of these soldiers are assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, U.S. 1st Infantry Division, and the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.
Among the base agencies the 506th AEG actively supports is the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, or PRT.
Units
The six squadrons that comprise the 506th AEG are the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, 506th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron and 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.The Coalition Air Force Training Team’s 52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron
52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron
The 52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron is part of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force and is based at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq. It operates T-6A aircraft conducting flight training for members of the Iraqi Air Force...
and 521st Air Expeditionary Advisor Squadron are also based at Kirkuk Regional Air Base. The 52 EFTS trains, educates and advises professional Iraqi Airmen in order to build the institutional capacity to conduct credible fixed
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
and rotary
Rotorcraft
A rotorcraft or rotary wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine that uses lift generated by wings, called rotor blades, that revolve around a mast. Several rotor blades mounted to a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines a rotorcraft...
wing flight training for the Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
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Organization
The 506th AEG is a subordinate unit of the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing332d Air Expeditionary Wing
The United States Air Force's 332d Air Expeditionary Wing is an Air Expeditionary unit located at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.-Mission:...
at Joint Base Balad. The 332nd AEW is considered the most forward deployed Air Force Wing in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The heritage of the 332d AEW is tied to the famous 332d Fighter Group led by the Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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Location
Kirkuk RAB lies in northeastern region of Iraq in the outskirts of the city of Kirkuk, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Kirkuk is approximately 180 mi (289.7 km) north of BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
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