Jazmin Li
Military airports, also known as airbases, military airbases, military airfields, air stations, or air force bases, are aerodromes or airports used as military bases for the operation of military aircraft. They typically have facilities similar to civilian airports, such as air traffic control and firefighting. Some military airports also have passenger facilities and commercial passenger flights, while others are joint-use airports shared with civilian aircraft. Military airports play a crucial role in military operations, providing flexibility in diplomacy and enhancing the capabilities of modern air forces.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Airbase, military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, air force base |
| Description | An aerodrome or airport used as a military base by a military force for the operation of military aircraft |
| Ownership | Department of Defense |
| Use | Military aircraft operations, with some facilities similar to civilian airports (e.g., air traffic control, firefighting) |
| Passenger Facilities | Some airbases have terminals or civil enclaves for commercial passenger flights, e.g., RAF Brize Norton in England, Beijing Nanyuan Airport (China), Chandigarh Airport (India) |
| Protection | Dispersed aircraft parking, revetments, hardened aircraft shelters, or underground hangars to protect aircraft from enemy attacks |
| Aircraft Carrier | A naval ship that serves as a seaborne airbase, enhancing the capabilities of modern air forces and naval aviation |
| Joint-Use Airport | Airports with shared use by both military and civilian aircraft, managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) |
| Conversion | Military airfields can be converted for civilian or joint military/civilian use with financial assistance from the Military Airport Program (MAP) |
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What You'll Learn
Joint-use airports
Military airports that are also used by civilian aircraft are called "joint-use airports". They are owned by the Department of Defense and contain the facilities of both a civil airport and a military air base. Examples of joint-use airports include Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in the United States, which uses the runway and ATC services of Eglin Air Force Base, and Changi Air Base in Singapore, which shares runway facilities with Singapore Changi Airport.
In some cases, a joint-use airport may have an altitude restriction for civilian aircraft, requiring them to maintain an altitude above a certain threshold when overflying the military enclave. This can lead to longer detours and increased fuel consumption. Air traffic control at these airports may be handled by the armed forces, a joint civilian-military crew, or civil authorities, depending on the country. For example, in the United States, the Transportation Security Administration retains responsibility for civilian aviation security.
While most military airbases in the UK do not have a commercial component, there are exceptions. For instance, Belfast International Airport utilises some facilities of the former RAF Aldergrove, which closed as an airbase in 2009 but remains in use as a helicopter station.
In contrast, many airports in the United States host Air National Guard (ANG) operations, with military presence in virtually every state without a major Air Force base. Examples of airports with ANG enclaves include McGhee Tyson Airport, Harrisburg International Airport, and Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport. These airports demonstrate the varied arrangements that can exist within the framework of joint-use airport operations.
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Military airbases
Military airports are known as airbases, air stations, or air force bases. They are aerodromes or airports used as military bases for the operation of military aircraft. Airbases typically have some facilities similar to civilian airports, such as air traffic control and firefighting capabilities. Some military aerodromes also have passenger facilities, such as the Royal Air Force's terminal at RAF Brize Norton in England, which offers flights to the Falkland Islands.
A number of military airbases also have a civil enclave for commercial passenger flights, including Beijing Nanyuan Airport in China, Chandigarh Airport in India, Ibaraki Airport in Japan, and several others. These civil enclaves within military airbases may also serve as joint civilian/military airports, where both military and civilian aircraft share the airfield. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manages the Military Airport Program (MAP), which provides grants for the development of aviation facilities for the public and the conversion of military airfields to civilian or joint military/civilian use.
Dispersal airbases are a specific type of military airbase used for dispersing air units during conflicts to minimise the vulnerability of aircraft and supporting units on the ground. These bases may not be operational during peacetime and are only activated when needed. Examples of dispersal airbase systems include the Swedish Bas 60 and Bas 90, the British V-Bomber dispersal bases, and NATO's Dispersed Operating Bases in France.
In addition to land-based airbases, aircraft carriers serve as seaborne airbases, enhancing the capabilities of modern air forces and naval aviation. Aircraft carriers allow military aircraft to be positioned closer to conflict zones and have played vital roles in various wars, including for the United States during World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam War, and for the United Kingdom during the 1982 Falklands War. Aircraft carriers continue to be important in modern diplomacy, military affairs, and disaster relief efforts.
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Aircraft carriers
Military airports are called air bases.
Now, here is some information on aircraft carriers:
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase. It is equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Aircraft carriers are among the largest types of warships due to their need for ample deck space. They are highly adaptable and survivable airfields. Since their inception in the early 20th century, aircraft carriers have evolved from wooden vessels used to deploy tethered reconnaissance balloons to nuclear-powered supercarriers carrying dozens of fighters, strike aircraft, military helicopters, and other types of aircraft.
There is no single definition of an "aircraft carrier", and modern navies use several variants. These variants are sometimes categorized as subtypes of aircraft carriers and sometimes as distinct types of aviation-capable ships. Aircraft carriers may be classified according to the type of aircraft they carry and their operational assignments.
Today, aircraft carriers are typically divided into four categories based on how aircraft take off and land: Catapult-assisted take-off barrier-arrested recovery (CATOBAR), Short take-off barrier-arrested recovery (STOBAR), STOVL (Short Take-Off Vertical Landing), and V/STOL (Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing). The speed of an aircraft carrier is crucial, as it needs to be able to deploy quickly and evade detection.
As of May 2025, there are 50 active aircraft carriers in the world, operated by fifteen navies. The United States has the largest and most powerful aircraft carriers, with 11 nuclear-powered CATOBAR fleet carriers, each carrying around 80 fighters. Other countries operating aircraft carriers include China, the United Kingdom, India, France, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Iran, Japan, Australia, Egypt, South Korea, Brazil, and Thailand.
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Civilian airports with military airbases
There are several examples of joint-use airports around the world. In the United States, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport utilises the runway and ATC services of Eglin Air Force Base, while Charleston International Airport uses the runways and services of Charleston Air Force Base. Both of these civilian airports operate their own passenger terminals and taxiways. Charleston also has private fixed-base operators on the civilian side of the field catering to the general public.
In the UK, Belfast International Airport uses several facilities of the former RAF Aldergrove, which closed as an airbase in 2009 but continues to be used as a helicopter station.
In India, Goa's Dabolim Airport is a civilian airport with a military enclave, where a section of the airport is allocated for use by the military. This is a common occurrence in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, where World War II-era airbases are used for domestic air traffic instead of building new civilian airports. These airports often have curfews and altitude restrictions for civilian aircraft.
Another example of a joint-use airport is Singapore Changi Airport, the country's main international airport, which shares runway facilities with Changi Air Base.
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Military Airport Program (MAP)
Military airports are referred to as air bases. Military air bases that are shared with civilian aircraft are called joint-use airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manages the Military Airport Program (MAP), which provides capital development funding assistance to civilian airport sponsors of designated joint-use military airfields or former military airports. The MAP is a grant set-aside from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The FAA awards grant funds to the civil sponsor of a military airfield for the development of aviation facilities for the public. The MAP also assists new sponsors in converting former military airfields to public use, adding system capacity, and reducing congestion at existing airports experiencing significant delays.
The MAP provides financial assistance to civilian sponsors who are converting, or have already converted, military airfields to civilian or joint military/civilian use. MAP grants may be used for projects not generally funded by the AIP, such as building or rehabilitating surface parking lots, fuel farms, utilities, hangars, and air cargo terminals. Designated airport sponsors may receive up to $7 million per fiscal year for terminal projects and up to $7 million for the construction, improvement, or repair of airfield infrastructure.
Airport sponsors applying for designation or redesignation to the MAP must complete and submit an SF-424 and provide supporting documentation to the appropriate FAA Regional Airports Division or Airports District Office serving that airport. The FAA may designate up to 15 joint-use or former military airports to participate in the MAP each fiscal year. Three of these airports may be general aviation (GA) airports, while the remaining 12 must be commercial service or reliever airports. Selected airports may be designated for a period of one to five fiscal years.
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Frequently asked questions
An aerodrome or airport used as a military base by a military force for the operation of military aircraft is called an airbase, military airbase, military airfield, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base.
A joint-use airport is an airport owned by the Department of Defense, where both military and civilian aircraft share the airfield.
A dispersal airbase is an airfield used to disperse air units during a conflict to reduce the vulnerability of aircraft and supporting units on the ground.
