Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base

Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base (IATA: XIJ, ICAO: OKAJ) is a Kuwait Air Force base located in Ahmadi Governorate, Kuwait. The base is owned by the Ministry of Defense and operated by the Kuwait Air Force. It serves as the home for the Kuwait Air Force's entire fighter/attack aircraft fleet, including the 9th, 25th, and 61st Fighter & Attack Squadrons, which operate McDonnell Douglas KAF-18C/D Hornets. The base also features an area designated for operations by the U.S. Air Force and its allies.

The air base played a role during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, when Iraqi forces dropped air-scattered mines, forcing Kuwaiti Air Force aircraft to land on a nearby road. During the 1991 Gulf War, coalition aircraft attacked Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base multiple times due to suspicions of Iraqi chemical weapons storage. Notable attacks included those by US Navy A-6E TRAM Intruders and French Air Force SEPECAT Jaguars. Satellite images from 2022 indicate that some hardened aircraft shelters remain unrepaired since the conflict.

Post-war, the base continued to support operations. On December 1, 1998, the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group was activated at the base. While the US presence was reduced in 2003, the U.S. side of the base was re-opened around July 2010 for Operation New Dawn and again in 2014. Since May 2016, Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base has hosted the United States Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which provides combat capabilities such as aerial refueling, ISR, space, combat search and rescue, and precision strike in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and wider military operations in the Middle East. Various US Air Force aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, MQ-9A Reapers, KC-135R Stratotankers, and HH-60G Pave Hawks, have been deployed there. The United States Marines have also operated MV-22B Ospreys, EA-6B Prowlers, AV-8B Harrier IIs, and KC-130J Hercules aircraft from the base. The base has two runways, 15L/33R and 15R/33L, both measuring 3,000 meters.