Spangdahlem Air Base

Spangdahlem Air Base is a NATO air base located near Bitburg in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Constructed between 1951 and 1953 by French and German contractors under French government supervision, the facility was established to position United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) units west of the Rhine River. The initial military presence began on September 1, 1952, with the arrival of the 7352d Air Base Squadron. Historical host units include the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, and the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing.

The 52nd Fighter Wing was activated at Spangdahlem on December 31, 1971, and currently operates the installation. The wing hosts the 480th Fighter Squadron, which operates Lockheed Martin Block 50 F-16CM/DM aircraft. The 726th Air Mobility Squadron provides command and control, maintenance, and aerial port capabilities for Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft transiting the base. Spangdahlem manages approximately 30% of the transport capacity formerly held at Rhein-Main Air Base. The wing also oversees geographically separate munitions support squadrons at Kleine Brogel Air Base, Büchel Air Base, Volkel Air Base, and Ghedi Air Base.

The base encompasses 519 hectares and includes hardened NATO "Tab-V" aircraft shelters. Infrastructure includes an FM radio transmitter and a non-directional beacon (NDB) transmitter.

In 2010, the 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons were inactivated and consolidated into the 480th Fighter Squadron. The 81st Fighter Squadron was inactivated in 2013. A 2020 plan to relocate the 480th Fighter Squadron and other elements of the 52nd Fighter Wing to Italy was cancelled in December 2021 following a Global Posture Review. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the base hosted F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 34th Fighter Squadron, KC-135 Stratotankers from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft from the U.S. Navy’s VAQ-134. In June 2023, the base participated in Air Defender 23, a multilateral exercise led by the German Air Force.