Al Asad Air Base (Qadisiyah Airbase)

Al Asad Air Base, originally designated Qadisiyah Airbase, is located in the Anbar governorate of Iraq within the Haditha and Hīt districts. Situated in the Al-Ḥammād sector of the Syrian Desert, the facility lies approximately 160 kilometers west of Baghdad near the 'Ayn al Asad spring. It was established between 1981 and 1987 by a consortium of Yugoslavian companies under the Iraqi "Super-Base" program. The construction project included infrastructure for 5,000 personnel and hardened aircraft shelters. Prior to 2003, the base housed Iraqi Air Force units operating MiG-25 and MiG-21 aircraft. Australian and United States forces secured the installation in 2003. It subsequently served as a station for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, the 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Infantry Division, and the United States Air Force until 2011.

The base was reoccupied by coalition forces in 2014 to support operations against ISIL. Tenants during this period included United States advisors, the Iraqi Army's 7th Division, and personnel from the United Kingdom and Denmark. In January 2020, the installation was targeted by an Iranian ballistic missile attack. Subsequent missile and drone strikes occurred between 2023 and 2025. A phased withdrawal of foreign forces, managed by the 194th Field Artillery Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, began in September 2025. The Iraqi armed forces assumed full control of the installation in January 2026.

Infrastructure at the site consists of Yugoslav-designed hardened aircraft shelters, original military barracks, and self-sufficient water purification and bottling plants. The facility has hosted squadrons of F/A-18, AV-8B, and KC-130J aircraft, alongside units operating MV-22B, CH-53E, and UH-60 airframes. Defensive infrastructure included the deployment of MIM-104 Patriot missile systems in 2020. The base currently operates under the command of the Iraqi armed forces.