29.3467°N, 47.5206°E · 144 m elevation
| Operating Country | 🇰🇼 Kuwait • 🇺🇸 United States |
| Location | 🇰🇼 Kuwait |
| Status | Active |
| Usage | Military only |
| Year built | 1980 |
| Operating Organization | Kuwait Air Force |
| Units |
Flight Training SchoolHelicopter Squadrons386th Air Expeditionary Wing
|
| Elevation | 144 m (472 ft) |
| ICAO code | OKAS |
| Runways |
12L/30R · 2,989 m (9,806 ft) · Asphalt/Concrete12R/30L · 2,989 m (9,806 ft) · Asphalt/Concrete
|
386th Air Expeditionary Wing
Ali Al Salem Air Base (ICAO: OKAS) is a military air base located in Jahra Governorate, Kuwait, approximately 37 km (23 mi) from the Iraqi border and 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Al Jahra. The airfield is owned and operated by the Kuwait Air Force. It is an operational facility situated at an elevation of 144 meters (472 ft) above mean sea level. The base features two runways: 12L/30R, measuring 2,989 meters (9,806 ft) with a concrete/asphalt surface, and 12R/30L, also 2,989 meters (9,806 ft) with a concrete/asphalt surface. A new asphalt/concrete runway was part of an expansion completed in 2020.
Historically, Ali Al Salem Air Base was the last Kuwaiti air base to be overrun during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. It sustained bomb damage during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991. The base has hosted personnel and aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF), United States Air Force (USAF), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) during operations such as Operation Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Telic. Following these operations, control of the base reverted to the Kuwaiti Government, though the USAF maintains a presence. The principal USAF unit stationed there is the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing.
The Kuwait Air Force's Flight Training School, along with its attack and support helicopter squadrons, are based at Ali Al Salem. Specific Kuwait Air Force units include the 12th and 19th Training Squadrons, 17th and 20th Attack Squadrons, 32nd, 33rd, and 62nd Helicopter Squadrons, 88th Training Squadron, and the Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit. The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, along with its subordinate groups (Maintenance, Medical, Mission Support), and the 387th and 407th Air Expeditionary Groups, represent the US Air Force presence. Expansion work in 2018 included new hangar facilities to support the delivery of Eurofighters.
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