Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Air Base Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Wasit Governorate of Iraq . It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 . Overview . Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Air Base was one of several Iraqi Air Force airfields in the mid - 1970s which were re - built under project " Super - Base " in response to the experiences from Arab - Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973 . Originally , 13 airfields were re - built by British contractors , and on all of them also a number of hardened aircraft shelters was built . Subsequently companies from Yugoslavia - previously engaged in building bridges in Iraq - became involved . Due to their specific construction of these airfields - which included taxi - ways leading right out of Hardened Aircraft Shelters ( HAS ) and laid diagonally to the runways - they became known as " Trapezoids " or " Yugos " . The facilities were divided into two categories : " surface " and " underground " . The " surface " facilities were actually the " softest " , and included maintenance hangars of metal construction , and HAS of concrete construction . In total , the Yugoslavs have built no less but 200 HAS on different airfields in Iraq during the 1980s . The protection of each HAS consisted of one meter thick concrete shells , reinforced by 30 cm thick steel plates . There was only one entrance and this was covered by sliding doors , made of 50 cm thick steel armoured plate and concrete . The HAS ' were usually built in small groups - seldom more than five , with each group sharing the same water and power supply , besides having own backup gasoline - powered electrical generator , and each HAS being equipped with a semi - automatic aircraft - refuelling system . In addition , underground facilities that could shelter between four and ten aircraft on average were constructed . In order to build these the Yugoslavs used equipment and construction techniques identical to that use in underground oil - storage depots , additionally concealing the extension and the true purpose of the whole project . The underground facilities were all hardened to withstand a direct hit by a tactical nuclear bomb , buried up to 50 meters below the ground and consisted of the main aircraft " hangar " ( consisting of two floors in several cases , connected by 40ts hydraulic lifts ) , connected with operations , maintenance , and logistical facilities via a net of underground corridors . Under Iraqi Air Force control , was a base for a full wing with three squadrons of Su - 20 / 22s and a squadron of MiG - 21s or MiG - 23s for air defence . It was heavily hit by the RAF in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm , but was repaired subsequently and it remained a Su - 22 base in the 1990s as well . It was relatively undamaged despite additional hits during the 1990s and during Operation Iraqi Freedom . The base was abandoned by Iraqi forces and was used by United States Army or Marine helicopter forces after its seizure . Current aerial photography shows many abandoned buildings on the former air base , however the runway and taxiways are intact with a standing hangar on one of the parking ares . Its current use is undetermined .