Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base

The 57th Air Base "Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino", also known as Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, is a Romanian Air Force base located near Constanța, at the Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport. It is home to the 572nd Helicopter Squadron. The air base also hosts a US military presence, including the US Army Garrison Black Sea and Area Support Group Black Sea, with over 1,400 US troops stationed there as of March 2025. It serves as a permanent Forward Operating Site for the United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) V Corps, with a Light Division, Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Sustainment Brigade deployed on a rotational basis. Rotary-wing elements are also deployed at the base.

The base was first formed as Regimentul 14 Aviație Vânătoare Reactivă on April 15, 1951, at Pipera Aerodrome, equipped with Po-2, Yak-11, Yak-23, and Yak-17 aircraft. It moved to Mihail Kogălniceanu Aerodrome in 1955 and was renamed Regimentul 57 Aviație Vânătoare in 1959. Throughout the Cold War, it operated MiG-17, MiG-21, MiG-23, and MiG-29 fighters. In July 1995, the 57th Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded and replaced by the 57th Air Base, which included MiG-29 and MiG-23 squadrons. In 2002, the 59th Helicopter Regiment was integrated into the 57th Fighter Aviation Group.

Starting in 1999, parts of the U.S. Department of Defense began using the base. In 2003, it became a staging area for the invasion of Iraq, transiting 1,300 cargo and personnel transports. The base was temporarily disbanded in April 2004 following the retirement of MiG-29s, becoming an annex to the 86th Air Base, but was re-established in July 2018. It hosts NATO Enhanced Air Policing missions, with various member nations deploying Eurofighter Typhoons, CF-18 Hornets, and F/A-18 Hornets since 2017.

In 2021, a multi-billion euro project was launched to modernize and expand the base, including the construction of two new runways and a military city to house up to 50,000 NATO troops and civilians. Construction began in 2024, with the first new runway expected to be completed in 2027. This expansion is in response to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. The base's infrastructure includes barracks, DFAC and MWR facilities, an Aid Station, Fire & MP Station, Troop Medical Center, gym, post exchange, and a rail connection. The airfield can accommodate aircraft up to C-5 size. Training facilities include company-size maneuver training capabilities and live-fire shooting ranges.

The base has hosted various foreign deployments, including US Marine Corps Black Sea Rotational Force (2010-2018), F-22 Raptors, CF-188 Hornets, ARTEMIS special mission aircraft, and elements of the French-led Multinational Battlegroup. It has also received B-1B Lancers and B-52 Stratofortress bombers for refueling and operations. The base was also alleged to be one of the CIA's black sites involved in extraordinary renditions.