Morón Air Base

Morón Air Base(IATA:OZP,ICAO:LEMO) is located at37°10′N5°36′W﻿ / ﻿37.167°N 5.600°W﻿ /37.167; -5.600in southernSpain, approximately 35 miles (56 km) southeast of the city ofSeville. The base gets its name from the nearby town ofMorón de la Frontera, while it is located inside the municipality ofArahal.
Currently the base is home toAla 11, a  fighter wing ofEurofighter Typhoonsof theSpanish Air and Space Force.
Construction on the Vázquez Sagastizábal Military Aerodrome, as Morón Air Base was initially known, began in 1940. The following year it began to function as a military airfield and was utilised to train fighter pilots for theSpanish Army Air Force.
In 1953, the Spanish and American governments finalized agreements to establish a number of Spanish-American air bases, including Morón Air Base.  Morón was one of three majorUnited States Air Force(USAF)Cold Warairbases in Spain, the others beingZaragoza Air BasenearZaragozaandTorrejón Air BasenearMadrid.  Construction efforts began in 1953 under the direction of theUnited States Navy, taking over 3 years to complete.
On May 13, 1958, the first flight ofBoeing B-47 Stratojetswere assigned to Morón Air Base to conduct Reflex operations and thenBoeing KC-97 Stratofreightersarrived to conduct strip alert tanker missions, and six weeks later the first rotational fighter squadron, the1st Fighter-Day Squadron, flyingNorth American F-100 Super Sabresand commanded by Lt. Col.Chuck Yeager, arrived fromGeorge Air Force Base, CA, for temporary duty to conduct air defence alert.
Morón continued to operate primarily as a Reflex base until 1962, when the firstBoeing KC-135 Stratotankeraircraft arrived. In 1966, the base was transferred fromStrategic Air Command(SAC) toUnited States Air Forces Europe(USAFE). The mission changed to communications support,temporary duty(TDY) "fair weather" flying operations forMcDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom IIsfromRAF Alconbury, andMcDonnell RF-101 VoodoofromRAF Upper Heyford,United Kingdomand the support of air rescue operations provided by the67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.
In 1971, Morón Air Base was designated to a "modified caretaker status", andTorrejón Air Basewas designated as the Primary Support Base (PSB) for theSpanish Air Force. A smallSpanish Air Forcecontingent ofF-5 Freedom Fightersused the air base during the 1980s. Most of its buildings were empty and on-base services were severely limited.
In November 1983, during the joint Spanish-American military exercise CRISEX 83,U.S. Air ForceB-52 strategic bomberswere allowed to enter Spanishair spaceand use Morón Air Base for the first time since being banned after the1966 Palomares B-52 crashon January 17, 1966, nearPalomares.
In 1984, Morón became aNASASpace ShuttleTransoceanic Abort Landing (TAL)site. Special navigation and landing aids were installed, and Spanish personnel were trained to recover theSpace Shuttle orbiterafter an emergency landing—one that never came. In addition during the 1980 and 1990s, U.S. Air Force airmen deployed to Morón during Shuttle launching periods to help provide onsite weather reporting as well as crash/rescue capability.
In 1990,Strategic Air Commanddeployed 22 KC-135 andMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extendertankers to provide aerial refueling forOperation Desert Shieldand changed Morón Air Base's U.S. function from refueling to bomber operations. The801st Bomb Wing (Provisional)at Morón Air Base consisted of 24Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 3 KC-135s and over 2,800 personnel. This was the largest deployed bomber wing during the war.
In 1991, the basing plan for Spain called for retaining Morón AB, along withTorrejón Air Base, andNaval Station Rota, but on a drastically reduced scale. In 1995, the496th Air Base Squadron(496th ABS) was activated to replace the 712th Air Base Flight, and USAFE redesignated Morón as a limited-use base, defined as austerely staffed with no permanently assigned operational tactical forces, although it was used as a staging base to support deployments.
Moron was used heavily during theGulf Warby B-52s and tankers, and also duringOperation Restore HopeandOperation Allied Force. From 1995 to 1997, Morón was a popular staging area to hostCoronet Eastmovements to and fromTurkeyandSouthwest Asiawith over 95 fighter and tanker missions.  In 1996, the 496th was placed under the31st Support GroupofAviano Air Base,Italy.
In 1999, Morón became the home of the92nd Air Expeditionary Wing– tasked with providing fuel toOperation Allied Forceof theKosovo War. In addition to serving as the HQ 92 AEW (serving units in France, Crete, Sicily and Spain), Morón hosted 37 tankers (KC-135 and KC-10) and 800 personnel. The 92 AEW became the largest Tanker Wing since theVietnam Warand held the distinction of being the largest tanker base during theKosovo war.
In 2001, the base provided record numbers of airlift and fighter rotations forOperation Enduring FreedominAfghanistan. In 2003, these operations increased as Morón became key for airlift and fighter deployments in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, the 496th ABS started reporting to the712th Air Base Groupand was realigned under the38th Combat Support WingofRamstein Air Base,Germanylater that year. In 2007, the 712th ABG inactivated and the 496th ABS was realigned again under the86th Operations Groupof Ramstein Air Base. In April 2019 the 496th ABS was realigned again under the 65th Air Base Group creating the Atlantic Air Bridge.
In 2011, the base once again proved its strategic importance as it served as the main tanker base for tanker aircraft supportingOperation Unified Protectorin operations overLibya. The313th Air Expeditionary Wing("Calico Wing") and406th Air Expeditionary Wingwere activated to manage these operations. In 2013, Marine Corps temporarily based 550 Marines as part of arapid reaction forcein Morón, Spain in support of U.S. Africa Command. This unit was outfitted withBell Boeing MV-22B OspreysandLockheed Martin KC-130J aerial refueling / cargo aircraft. An advance element from this unit moved toNaval Air Station Sigonellain May.
Morón's massive flight line, in-ground aircraft refueling system, long runway and prime location on theIberian Peninsula, close to theMediterraneanand theMiddle East, means the base is an important link in any operation moving east from theUnited States.
In May 2015 the Spanish government approved an agreement granting the U.S. military a permanent presence on the base. Under the agreement, up to 3,000 American troops and civilians of theSpecial Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Africacan be stationed there, while the number of aircraft can be increased to 40, up from the previous limit of 14.
At present the base hosts:
A detachment of the18th Space Surveillance Squadron(USAF) was also previously located at the base.
The base is run under the Turkey Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC). Specific services include the fueling of US Air Force planes, Fire Fighting, Dining Facility (Food Services), Occupational Health,  Ambulance Services, Communications, Postal Services, Safety, Civil Engineering, Lodging, Library, Fitness Center Equipment Maintenance, & Life Guard/Pool Services), Logistics Support Services, Contingency/Exercise Support, and limited support of the Zaragoza Air Base controlled by the Spanish Air Force. The contract does not cover local base security, MWR, and pastoral care.
The contract has historically been awarded for a period of four year intervals; however, the current contract, held by Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) —known as Turkey-Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC)-and combines USAFE operations in Turkey and Spain.
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Morón Air Base.
Combat Air Command
US Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa(USAFE-AFAFRICA)
The Base's climate is characterized by the annual alternation between a dry period, which lasts more than four months and which has high temperatures, and another one humid (autumn-winter) with mild temperatures.
The monthly distribution of rain corresponds to one typical of the Mediterranean climate; the rain season takes place during the autumn and the winter; during the summer the absence of rain is the prevailing rule, except for very occasional summer storms. 41% of the rain happens during the autumn.
The average annual temperature is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F). The average absolute maximum temperature is 41.9 °C (107.4 °F). The coldest month is January and the average absolute minimum temperature is 0.8 °C (33.4 °F).
Summing up, the climate is excellent, although slightly harsh in the summer. The sun and a cloudless sky are predominant most of the time.
On 9 June 2014, at around 14:00 CEST (12:00 GMT), a pilot died after hisEurofighter Typhooncrashed whilst landing on the runway at the base.ARoyal Saudi Air Forcepilot was also killed in a Typhoon crash in August 2010.