AFB Swartkop (Air Force Station Zwartkop)

Air Force Base Swartkop, also designated Air Force Station Zwartkop, is located in Centurion, Gauteng Province, South Africa, between Pretoria and Midrand within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

The South African government acquired the site in 1920 and established Air Force Station Zwartkop in April 1921. The facility retained its original Dutch spelling until 1 April 1949, when it adopted the Afrikaans spelling, Swartkop. 26 Squadron SAAF was formed at the base on 24 August 1942. The installation was upgraded to an Air Force Base on 1 February 1968. In 1999, the facility reverted to station status to function as an extension of Air Force Base Waterkloof. The base returned to the name Zwartkop in 2012, and in May 2023, the South African Air Force redesignated the facility as a mobile deployment wing.

The base is operated by the South African Air Force and managed as part of AFB Waterkloof. 17 Squadron SAAF is stationed on the southern side of the installation.

The northern section of the facility houses a branch of the South African Air Force Museum, which relocated to Swartkop in 1993, and the SAAF Museum Historic Flight. Base facilities include an air traffic control tower and static museum displays featuring aircraft types such as the Dassault Mirage F1, Cheetah C, North American Mustang, and Blackburn Buccaneer. The installation also hosts the South African Air Force Memorial, which includes a roll of honour for SAAF personnel killed on duty and a memorial to personnel who died during the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.