Zweibrücken Air Base Zweibrücken Air Base was a NATO air base in West Germany . It was located 35 miles SSW of Kaiserslautern and 2 miles mi SE of Zweibrücken . It was assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) and the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) during its operational lifetime . The military facility was closed in 1991 after the Cold War ended , the site now serving as the civilian Zweibrücken Airport . Construction . Construction of the base was initiated by French Army engineers and German contractors in 1950 on a section of the former Siegfried Line . The crumpled remains of many of the bunkers of the old line are still in evidence . It was designed by French engineers and completed by German contractors in late 1952 . Construction was funded from USAF sources ; however , the RCAF assumed control of the Zweibrücken base on January 6 , 1953 . RCAF Station Zweibrücken . RCAF Station Zweibrücken , also known as 3 Wing or 3 ( F ) Wing was one of four RCAF wings , consisting of three fighter squadrons each , established in Europe at the beginning of the Cold War . These four wings were part of the RCAF ' s No . 1 Air Division , which was formed as part of Canada ' s air defence commitment to NATO during the Cold War . Other bases were located in Marville , France ; Grostenquin , France ; and Baden - Soellingen , West Germany . Three squadrons flying F - 86 Sabre s were located at Zweibrücken : 413 , 427 , and 434 . The three squadrons arrived at Zweibrücken in March 1953 . No . 413 Squadron was replaced in 1957 by 440 Squadron flying the new CF - 100 all - weather interceptor . In 1959 Canada adopted a new and controversial nuclear strike role in accordance with NATO ' s doctrine of " limited nuclear warfare " and began re - equipping with the new CF - 104 Starfighter that could handle the delivery of nuclear weapons . This aircraft also had a reconnaissance role . In the fall of 1962 the Sabre squadrons of the Air Division , including those at 3 Wing , began flying Starfighters . No . 440 Squadron was disbanded in December 1962 . No . 430 Squadron moved to Zweibrücken from Grostenquin when 2 Wing closed down in 1964 . The RCAF left Zweibrücken August 27 , 1969 as an austerity measure following unification of the Canadian Armed Forces . Its units consolidated at CFB Lahr and CFB Baden - Soellingen . Before leaving , they erected a west coast Indian totem pole as a token of their friendship with the local German citizens . At the top of the pole was the Thunderbird , the god who watches over all creation . Below it was a double headed sea monster , the warrior ' s symbol ; the third figure was of a little man who had grown from boyhood to become a warrior , and the fourth figure was that of the same warrior , grown to maturity as a tribal chief . Upon the departure of the RCAF , control of the station was transferred to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force , USAFE . Upon taking control of Zweibrücken Air Base , the United States Air Force either renovated or enlarged all base facilities , and procured off - base housing for most base personnel . The base was assigned to USAFE as an off - base installation of Ramstein AB on August 29 , 1969 , and the facility assumed primary installation status on May 1 , 1970 . 86th Tactical Fighter Wing . The 86th Tactical Fighter Wing was reactivated at Zweibrücken on November 1 , 1969 . It received its first flying unit , the 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron , on January 12 , 1970 . The 17th TRS and its McDonnell Douglas RF - 4C Phantom IIs came to Zweibrücken from the inactivating 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Upper Heyford , England . Squadron tail code for the 17th TRS was initially " ZS " , then was recoded to " ZR " in 1971 . For 18 months the 17th was the only operational squadron on the base . On June 12 , 1971 , the 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron with its Electronics Counter - Measures ( ECM ) equipped McDonnell EF - 4C Phantom II " Wild Weasel " fighters was transferred to Zweibrücken from the 50th TFW at Hahn AB when the 50th switched to a strike - attack role , with air defense as a secondary mission . ( Note : The EF - 4C designation was not official . The aircraft were officially F - 4C models ) . The 81st TFS , however remained a part of the 50th TFW but was detached from the wing ' s operational control and attached to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing for support . Squadron tail code for the 81st TFS was " ZS " . In 1972 , tail codes for all 86th TFW aircraft at Zweibrücken were standardized as " ZR " , per AFM 66 - 1 , when squadron tail codes were eliminated . On January 15 , 1973 , the 81st TFS was reassigned to Spangdahlem Air Base under operation " Battle Creek " . The last of this variant of the Phantom returned to the USA in 1979 / 1980 and was replaced by the F - 4G Wild Weasel at Spangdahlem . On the northern side of Zweibrücken was Kreuzberg Kaserne , home to the U . S . Army Materiel Command , Europe ( MATCOM ) . Matcom was replaced by the USA Material Management Agency , Europe in 1973 . 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing . As part of operation " Creek Action " , a command - wide effort to realign functions and streamline operations , HQ USAFE transferred the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing from Ramstein Air Base to Zweibrücken , and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing from Zweibrücken to Ramstein on January 31 , 1973 . Operational squadrons of the 26th TRW were : Note : 7th SOS reported directly to HQ USAFE . 17th & 38th RF - 4Cs carried tail code " ZR " . For nearly five years the wing remained stable at Zweibrücken . Then on October 1 , 1978 , the 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated with a single F - 4D aircraft and assigned to the 26 TRW . USAFE planned on equipping the squadron with F - 4Es , however , inadequate munitions storage compelled the command to reverse its decision and consequently reassigned the 417th TFS without personnel or equipment to the 86th TFW at Ramstein AB on November 1 , 1978 , being placed in not operational status . Later that month , on November 20 , the 17 TRS was inactivated due to budgetary cutbacks leaving the 38 TRS as the wing ' s only in - place operational squadron . High - hour RF - 4C aircraft were sent to AMARC , others were reassigned to the 38th TRS or to existing Bergstrom , Shaw , RAF Alconbury or Air National Guard squadrons . The mission of the 38 TRS was to collect tactical aerial imagery using an array of sensors mounted aboard the RF - 4C aircraft and to then report the findings from the imagery to commanders in the field during exercises that simulated real world operations . A variety of cameras and other sensors were exploited by Air Photo Interpreters ( later Imagery Interpreters and Imagery Analysts ) , including low and high panoramic , nose vertical and Infra red cameras . The RF - 4C was also utilized as the test bed for the then cutting edge prototype radar system know as Side - Looking Airborne Radar , or SLAR . During exercises , the planes would be tasked to collect imagery and return to base where the film would be quickly downloaded from the aircraft , processed , then interpreted , with the results sent up the chain of command , under strict time lines . Included in this process were photo processors , computer maintenance personnel , facility maintenance personnel and coordinating personnel . In the beginning , intelligence reports were hand written and sent to the communications center for dissmination to the higher headquarters ; the process evolved when report writers manned a variety of computer based work stations to disseminate the reports themselves . Systems developed by both Texas Instruments and Goodyear Aerospace were used as prototypes to hone the process . Deployments from the United States included EB - 57E aircraft from 17 DSES , based at Malmstrom AFB , Montana in April / May 1976 and September 1977 . RF - 4C Phantom aircraft from 67 TRW ( Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ) in July 1981 and RF - 4C from 123 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron , Kentucky Air National Guard arriving on Saturday June 28 , 1986 for a two week deployment . In 1976 / 1977 a US Army unit , the 2d Military Intelligence Battalion ( Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance ) ( MIBARS ) flew the U - 21A Ute twin turbo - prop airplane ( around 6 airplanes ) for a short period . The Combat Intelligence Company ( Imagery Interpretation ) ( CBTI Co ( II ) ) was the parent unit of the U - 21 ' s . The CBTI Co ( II ) was a component of the 2d MI Bn . From April 5 to July 7 , 1979 the base also hosted the 86th TFW while Ramstein AB ' s runways were closed for extensive repairs . On August 10 , 1987 , the 26 TRW became the only tactical reconnaissance wing in USAFE , when the 10 TRW at RAF Alconbury was redesignated the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing and assigned to fly A - 10 attack aircraft . This left NATO and US Forces in Europe the services of just one US tactical reconnaissance unit and one squadron of RF - 4Cs . The wing continued to conduct reconnaissance operations in support of NATO , USAFE , and the US Army in Europe ( USAREUR ) . The wing also engaged in operational employment and development of advanced reconnaissance systems to further enhance the military posture of NATO in Europe . Military Airlift Command activities . On November 9 , 1983 , the Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) activated the 10th Military Airlift Squadron ( MAS ) . The 10 MAS flew the C - 23 " Sherpa " , a small cargo plane that needed only a little bit of runway and less fuel than larger cargo aircraft . A total of 18 C - 23A Sherpa aircraft were delivered to the 10 MAS . The 10 MAS though under the direction of the 322nd Air Division ( MAC ) at Rhein - Main AB , became an associated unit of the 26th drawing support from it . The 26 TRW provided the 10 MAS all of its facilities and logistical support required to operate the European Distribution System ( EDS ) . The EDS was organized to give the units in Europe a quicker way to receive small equipment items or supplies on a round - the - clock basis , without the expense of the larger cargo aircraft . 609th Contingency Hospital . In 1985 , another role was added to the wing ' s mission . On October 15 , 1984 , the 609th Contingency Hospital was activated by HQ USAFE . The mission of the 609th was to provide a turnkey hospital operation , where the equipment , and supplies were already in place and all the organization needed was the people to operate it , when called upon . This hospital , an old " krankenhaus " was activated in January 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm and was used at least through March 1991 . Some victims of the Scud missile attack in Saudi Arabia received interval medical care at the 609th en route back to the U . S . Note that the Hospital was in the nearby city of Zweibrücken , and not on the Air Base . 601st Tactical Control Squadron . In the fall of 1988 , HQ USAFE began planning to move two more units to Zweibrücken and increase the support mission of the 26th TRW . HQ USAFE planned to move the 601st Tactical Control Squadron ( TCS ) and the 612th Tactical Control Flight ( TCF ) from Prüm Air Station , Germany to Zweibrücken . The mission of the 601st and the 612th was to provide a line of radar detection systems wherever USAFE or NATO needed them . The two units arrived in June 1989 , increasing the number of associate units on the base and diversifying the mission even more . Military housing . Dormatories for single or unaccompanied service members were provided on base . Those service members who had families could get into family housing ( there was a very long waiting list for the limited number of apartments ) , and had a choice between two areas , Canadian housing and French housing . Both areas were located in the city of Zweibrücken , the Canadian being closer to the air base ( between the base and the " krankenhaus " ) and the French being closer to the US Army ' s Kreutzberg Kasern . Many service members chose to live on the German Economy their entire tour , because of both the limited number of apartments and the limited floor space in Canadian and French Housing . USAFE closure . With the end of the Cold War , the USAF presence at Zweibrücken was gradually phased out . In addition , the 1960s - era RF - 4C Phantoms were costing more and more to maintain . Tactical reconnaissance was being handled more and more by other means , and the need for the 26th TRW was becoming less and less critical to USAFE planners . As a result , the RF - 4Cs of the 38th TRS were sent to AMARC 1 April 1991 and the squadron was inactivated . The 26th TRW was inactivated on 31 July 1991 , and Zweibrücken Air Base was closed . The facility was turned over to the German government civil authorities . Current uses . Today , Zweibrücken Airport , or Flughafen Zweibrücken is used as a regional airport . Along with the civil airport , a private industrial park has been developed for commercial businesses . Most of the buildings such as the TabVees are still standing and are being used for purposes ranging from storage to industry . In the front of the air base , where the fuel depot was formerly located , now stand groups of factory outlet stores . At the time the base closed in 1991 , the only visible reminders of 3 Wing RCAF was the totem , the stained glass windows of the Protestant Chapel , and the Peter Cunningham Memorial Arena . As of 2007 the stained glass in the Protestant chapel has been removed and the totem relocated to the " Rose Garden " in the city of Zweibrücken . Only the Peter Cunningham Memorial Arena remains .