Isa Air Base

Isa Air Base
IATA: none – ICAO: OBBS
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Bahraini Air Force
Location	Bahrain
Elevation AMSL	136 ft / 41 m
Coordinates
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 3,800 12,467 Concrete and Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Isa Air Base, formerly Shaikh Isa Air Base (ICAO: OBBS), is located on the 665 km² island nation of Bahrain which is situated off Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast. Isa Air Base is located on the shore of the Persian Gulf in southern Bahrain.

It hosts the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) Fighter Wing and the two squadrons that comprise it.

History

During the first Gulf War, some of the Coalition forces, having trouble with the Arab pronunciation, knew the base under the name "Shakey's Pizza".

Current use

File:Marine Aircraft Group 11 at Shaikh Isa airfield 1991.JPEG

U.S. Marine Corps Marine Aircraft Group 11 aircraft at Sheik Isa, in 1991.

Bahrain

The base is home to the RBAF's 1st Fighter Wing:

• 1st Fighter Squadron – Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon C/D Block 40
• 2nd Fighter Squadron – F-16C/D Block 40
• 6th Fighter Squadron – Northrop F-5E/F
• 5th Squadron – British Aerospace Hawk
• 4th Squadron – Slingsby T-67 Firefly

United States

Further information: Military intervention against ISIL order of battle

In March 2009, the United States Air Force established a camp on Isa Air Base to support aerial port operations. The unit was designated a detachment of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. This detachment's purpose was to accelerate the delivery of mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Due to the Military intervention against ISIL the United States have deployed various aircraft there.

External links

• Shaikh Isa Air Base / Sheik Isa Airbase, Bahrain - Global Security.org