Tallil Air Base (Imam Ali Air Base)
Summary
| Operating Country | 🇮🇶 Iraq • 🇺🇸 United States |
| Location | 🇮🇶 Iraq |
| Status | ◉ Active |
| Usage | Dual |
| Operating Organization | Iraqi Air Force |
| Units |
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Description
Located 23 km southwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq, the installation operates as a public and military airport. It was historically designated as Tallil Air Base until 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until 2017. During U.S. operations, the U.S. Army referred to the site as Camp Adder, while the U.S. Air Force used the name Ali Air Base.
The site was established as an Iraqi Air Force base and served as a station for Soviet-built MiG fighters and Mi-24D helicopter gunships. Prior to 1985, Yugoslavian contractors installed 36 fortified concrete aircraft shelters at the facility. During the Iran-Iraq War, the base was targeted during Operation Kaman 99. In the 1991 Gulf War, the base and its shelters sustained damage from Coalition bombing before being captured by the U.S. Army 24th Infantry Division and later transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division.
From 2003 to 2011, the base hosted the U.S. 332d Air Expeditionary Wing and the 407th Air Expeditionary Group. The 407th AEG operated C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and conducted training for the Iraqi Air Force 23rd Squadron. Coalition partners also occupied specific sectors, including Australian forces at Camp Terendak and Romanian troops at Camp Dracula. U.S. forces vacated the installation in December 2011.
The base occupies 30 square kilometers and is enclosed by a 22-kilometer security perimeter. Infrastructure includes 36 hardened aircraft shelters designed for the maintenance and storage of fighter and rotary-wing aircraft. Technical facilities include an air traffic control tower completed in 2010 and an instrument landing system providing CAT 1 service.