Qayyarah Airfield West (Saddam Airbase)

Qayyarah Airfield West is an Iraqi Air Force base located in the Qayyarah subdistrict of Mosul District, northern Iraq. Situated 16 kilometers west of the Tigris River and 60 kilometers south of Mosul, the facility was constructed in the late 1970s under the "Super-Base" project. Formerly known as Saddam Airbase, it served as an operations hub during the Iran-Iraq War, hosting squadrons of Dassault Mirage F1EQ, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23ML, and MiG-25 aircraft. Until March 2003, the base housed the secondary Sector-Operations Center for the Iraqi Air Force Northern Command and two associated weapon storage areas containing munition storage igloos.

Coalition forces captured the base in March 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Under U.S. control, the facility was designated Q-West or Forward Operating Base Endurance. Units stationed there during this period included the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. ISIL occupied the facility from 2014 until July 2016, when it was recaptured by the Iraqi army. Following its recovery, the base functioned as the headquarters for the Battle of Mosul and hosted U.S. troops from the 101st Airborne Division. The United States military departed the site in May 2020, returning control to the Iraqi government.

The Iraqi Air Force currently operates the base. Infrastructure includes a control tower, a headquarters compound, and a repaired runway system capable of supporting heavy transport aircraft such as the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and C-130J Super Hercules. Units historically associated with the site since 2016 include Task Force Strike, the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and elements of the 25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The base has hosted multiple squadrons of aircraft, including MiG-21 and Mirage F1 platforms.