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Volkel Air Base ((オランダ語:Vliegbasis Volkel)) is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) - Dutch: ''Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu)'', and is located near the village of Volkel in North Brabant, Netherlands. It is home to two F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons, 312 and 313. A third squadron formerly present at the base, 311, was officially disbanded on 27 September 2012.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://uden.kliknieuws.nl/nieuws/146481/opheffing-f-16-squadron-vliegbasis-volkel )〕 It also houses a maintenance, logistical, a base Squadron for the RNLAF, and also the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron, part of the 52d Fighter Wing from the United States Air Force. Besides military use, a traumahelicopter operated by ANWB Medical Air Assistance on behalf of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre is based here. The Dienst Luchtvaart Politie also makes use of Volkel Air Base. Volkel Air Base is one of several military airfields in the Netherlands, and one of the three major operational bases of the RNLAF, the other two being Leeuwarden Air Base and Gilze-Rijen Air Base. Together with these, it also hosts the public viewing days of the RNLAF, held annually at one of these three airfields, having both an airshow and static display of various military and civilian aircraft. The airport has two parallel runways, both in the 06/24 direction, and both being just over long. 06L/24R is wide, and is capable of handling larger aircraft. It is also equipped with an instrument landing system (ILS). 06R/24L is narrower at only wide. ==History== After the occupation of the Netherlands by Germany in 1940, the Luftwaffe constructed a diversion airfield for night-fighter aircraft called ''Nachtlandeplatz Volkel''. In 1943, the airfield was expanded into an operational Luftwaffe base, and renamed ''Fliegerhorst Volkel''. It was home to III./NJG 2 operating Junkers Ju 88 night fighters, and II & III./JG 3 operating the Messerschmitt Bf 109G. The last German aircraft based at Volkel were jet-engined Me 262 fighters and Ar 234 reconnaissance bombers.〔http://www.sgvolkel.nl/download/historie.pdf〕 To defend the base against aerial attacks, the Germans installed flak guns, but it was still bombed extensively. Attacks in 1944 in support of Operation Market Garden caused such extensive damage to the airport that it could no longer be used by the Luftwaffe. When the south of the Netherlands was liberated later that year, the Royal Air Force took control of the airfield. Though the Germans had destroyed most of the remaining airport facilities, the RAF continued to use the airport for the remainder of the war, operating Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tempest aircraft from Volkel in support of the allied advance into Germany. French ace Pierre Clostermann, at the time a flight commander in No 122 Wing, provides a detailed description of operations from Volkel in early 1945 in his book ''The Big Show''. The Dutch Naval Aviation Service started flying from Volkel in 1949 for training purposes. In 1950, the Royal Netherlands Air Force took control of the airfield, restoring it to an operational fighter base. Gloster Meteor aircraft were the first jet aircraft to be based at Volkel for the RNLAF. Later came the Republic F-84 Thunderjet and Thunderstreak, which were eventually replaced by the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the first supersonic aircraft of the RNLAF. In the 1970s, airport facilities were improved, and 32 protective Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS) were constructed for the aircraft. Between 1982 and 1984, the Starfighters were slowly replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcons that are currently based at Volkel, which were manufactured under license by Fokker.〔Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (BHIC) - (Verhalen: Vliegbasis Volkel ) (Dutch only), article retrieved 26 October 2007〕 The current F-16 aircraft are expected to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Volkel Air Base」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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