Sint - Truiden Air Base Sint - Truiden Air Base ( also known as Brustem Air Base ) ( ) ( ) is a Belgian Air Component base , located south of Sint - Truiden ( Limburg ) , approximately east of Brussels ( Bruxelles ) . The airfield was inactivated in 1996 , however the Belgian military remains in control of the base with non - flying units . History . Sint - Truiden Air Base was a pre - World War II Belgian Air Force military airfield . It was captured during the Battle of Belgium by the invading German Wehrmacht in May 1940 . German use during World War II . During the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany , the facility was called " St . Trond " and became a major Luftwaffe air base during the Battle of France . Within a few days of its capture by German forces , the Luftwaffe moved in Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 ( SKG 77 ) , a Junkers Ju 87 B Stuka dive bomber unit ; Zerstörergeschwader 26 ( ZG 26 ) , a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter ( Zerstörer - German for " Destroyer " ) unit , and two Messerschmitt Bf 109 E fighter units Jagdgeschwader 3 ( JG 3 ) and also JG 27 . All of these units took part in the Blitzkrieg against French forces and the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France in late May and June . All also moved forward to French bases by the end of June . With the combat on the Continent ended , St . Trond became a Luftwaffe bomber base , with Kampfgeschwader 3 ( KG 3 ) flying Dornier Do 17 light bombers from the airfield . KG 3 arrived at the end of June 1940 and took part in the Battle of Britain during the summer , then later , switching to night bombing of English targets , remaining until March 1941 . Increasing numbers of night bombing raids on Germany by the Royal Air Force in 1941 caused the Luftwaffe to start transitioning from a purely offensive force , to performing night air defense . Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 ( NJG 1 ) arrived at St . Trond in May 1941 , and until March 1944 flew first Messerschmitt Bf 110 s , then after March 1942 , Radar - equipped Dornier Do 217 night interceptors against the RAF bombers . In August 1944 , Jagdgeschwader 2 ( JG 2 ) began flying Focke - Wulf Fw 190 A day interceptors , remaining until September when the Luftwaffe was forcefully removed from the base by advancing Allied ground forces . Sint - Truiden Air Base was a frequent target of USAAF Ninth Air Force B - 26 Marauder medium bombers . The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids , usually in the mid - to - late afternoon , with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets in Germany . The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers . Also , the P - 47 Thunderbolt s of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Saint Trond after the Marauder raids , then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England . As the P - 51 Mustang groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid - 1944 , it was routine for them to also attack Saint Trond on their return to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield . Allied use . The airfield was sized from the Germans by Allied ground forces on 15 September 1944 . Once in American hands , combat engineers of the IX Engineer Command 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion repaired the damaged airfield and applied numerous patches to the two concrete runways and taxiways of the field . It was declared operationally ready for combat units on 18 September , only a few days after its capture from German forces , being designated as Advanced Landing Ground A - 92 or " Saint Trond Airfield " . Although operationally usable , Saint Trond was a wrecked base from the numerous Allied air attacks since late 1942 and what was blown up by the Germans as they withdrew . The Americans made due with what could be repaired , with the 832nd Engineer Aviation Battalion moving in what equipment was necessary to conduct combat operations . Under Allied control , the American Ninth Air Force used the base for several units from 7 September 1944 until closing the base in July 1945 . RAF units also operated from the base , known by the British as ALG " B - 62 " . Known Ninth Air Force units assigned were : After combat ended in May 1945 , Saint Trond was used as a relief distribution base , with the Allies flying in food , clothing and other needs , and using the base to distribute these supplies in Belgium and other occupied areas in the region . The airfield was returned to Belgian control in September 1945 . Postwar / current use . Sint - Truiden Air Base took many years to rebuild after the war , however in 1946 , military operations resumed from the base . A new jet runway ( 06 / 24 ) was laid down and the support area was completely rebuilt , although the wartime runways were resurfaced and remained in use for non - jet aircraft . From 1971 on , several training squadrons were based at Sint - Truiden . Initially , 7th Squadron and 9th Squadron operated the CM170 Fouga Magister , while 11th Squadron operated the Lockheed T - 33 . With the arrival of the Dassault Alpha - Jet in 1980 , 7th Squadron and 11th Squadron started training their students on this aircraft . 33rd Squadron was created to continue operating the CM170 Fouga Magister . In 1996 , the base was closed as an operational airfield , and all training squadrons moved to Beauvechain Air Base . Nowadays private investors are rebranding the airfield into a regional airport , named Limburg Regional Airport ( LRA ) . There will be construction of an airport hotel , new control tower and lots other facilities , the works should start in 2012 .