Prince Sultan Air Base Prince Sultan Air Base ( ) is a military air base located in Al Kharj , Saudi Arabia . There was formerly a large United States presence there during Operations Southern Watch , Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom . The U . S . presence was predominantly that of multiple U . S . Air Force ( USAF ) flying units , augmented by a U . S . Navy ( USN ) or U . S . Marine Corps ( USMC ) EA - 6B Prowler squadron , a Royal Air Force ( RAF ) fighter squadron with Tornado F . 3s and a French Air Force ( ALA ) fighter squadron with Mirage 2000 s plus a C - 135RF air refueling aircraft . Following the attack on U . S . Air Force facilities at Khobar Towers in Dharan in 1996 , all USAF activities at that location were relocated to PSAB . Before 11 September 2001 , per agreement with the Saudi Arabian government , all U . S . and Allied aircraft stationed at PSAB were to be of a " defensive " versus " offensive " nature . This was due to Arab sensitivities that non - Royal Saudi Air Force ( RSAF ) aircraft in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be perceived as being there for the defense of the Kingdom . During Operation Southern Watch , this required aircraft carrying offensive strike ordnance for use against ground targets in Iraq to be stationed in Kuwait or aboard aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf . USAF , USN , USMC , RAF and ALA aircraft that were based at PSAB primarily consisted of airborne early warning , reconnaissance , air refueling , electronic warfare , suppression of enemy air defenses ( SEAD ) and air - to - air fighter aircraft , along with transient airlift aircraft . U . S . squadrons came under the operational control of the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing ( 363 AEW ) at PSAB , with associated squadrons or detachments prior to 11 Sep 2001 rotated in and out from their home bases in Europe , the United States or the Pacific on a 90 - day to 6 - month basis . During Operation Southern Watch , in addition to Active Component aircraft , USAF made extensive use of Air National Guard ( ANG ) and Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC ) F - 15 , F - 16 and KC - 135 aircraft and associated personnel on rotational assignments to PSAB and the Navy Reserve occasionally employed EA - 6B aircraft at PSAB as well . In August and early September 2001 , Joint Task Force Southwest Asia and its associated Coalition Air Operations Center ( CAOC ) were in the process of relocating from the Eskan Village complex in Riyadh to PSAB concurrent with construction of a more modern and expanded CAOC at PSAB . Events of 11 Sep 2001 accelerated this movement , so that subsequent command and control of all Coalition air operations for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom were executed from PSAB . In mid - 2003 , all U . S . operations at PSAB began migrating to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha , Qatar . Today , PSAB is the main base for the Royal Saudi Air Force ' s five E - 3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System ( AWACS ) surveillance aircraft , seven air refueling tanker aircraft and one Tactical Air Support Squadron reconnaissance aircraft . Facilities . The air base resides at an elevation of above mean sea level . It has one runway designated 17 / 35 with an asphalt surface measuring .