Al Fathah Air Base Al Fathah Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Kirkuk Governorate of Iraq . It was seized by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 . Overview . Al Fathah Air Base was a primary air base for the Iraqi Air Force prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OEF ) . It 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 thick steel plates . There was only one entrance and this was covered by sliding doors , made of thick steel armored 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 - refueling 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 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 . Operation Iraqi Freedom . The base was heavily attacked by Coalition airpower during OEF ; aerial imagery shows numerous bomb craters scattered throughout the airfield area , including at least three large craters on the main runway . A large , bombed - out compound of buildings remain . It was demilitarized by the coalition after the surrender of Saddam Hussein ' s forces . An estimated two - million net pounds of explosives were abandoned by the Saddam regime , making Al Fathah the largest single weapons cache uncovered by the coalition . In 2004 , Army Engineers and Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( EOD ) personnel destroyed a daily average of 130 , 000 pounds of confiscated munitions by first burying the munitions and then detonating them in an attempt to reduce the risk of fragmentation fallout on nearby villages . Operational structures around the airfield appear to have been demolished and removed . Today the concrete runway and series of taxiways remain exposed and deteriorating to the elements .