Kirkuk Air Base (Al-Hurriah)

Kirkuk Air Base, also known as Al-Hurriah, is situated in northeastern Iraq on the outskirts of Kirkuk, approximately 290 kilometers north of Baghdad. Established in 1951, the facility achieved international status in 1957. Early military infrastructure included a steel hangar, administrative offices, and personnel accommodations. By 1973, the base hosted units of Sukhoi Su-17, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, and MiG-17 aircraft, as well as Westland Wessex helicopters.

The installation underwent modernization in 1983 as part of a national program to expand Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) capabilities. This project included the construction of a second runway and the addition of eight high-speed approaches. The base infrastructure was further developed to include two dispersal facilities with 13 hardened aircraft bunkers. During the Iran-Iraq War, the base served as an operations center for Iraqi Mirage F1 aircraft.

Between 2003 and 2011, the United States Air Force operated the site as Kirkuk Regional Air Base. It hosted the 506th Air Expeditionary Group, which supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The installation also functioned as Forward Operating Base Warrior, housing elements of the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division. Control of the facility was transferred to the Iraqi Army in November 2011. While the site began hosting civilian flight operations in October 2022, the Iraqi government designated the relocation of military components to separate areas of the facility to facilitate its transition to an international airport.