Naval Air Station
Encyclopedia
A Naval Air Station is a military
airbase
, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations
for the military aviation
division of the relevant branch of their Navy
. Such bases are used to house Naval Aviation
Squadrons
and their support commands.
The term "Naval Air Station" is used by many countries' navies, such as the United States Navy
, Royal Australian Navy
, UK's Royal Navy
. The French navy use Base d'aéronautique navale or BAN (Naval aéronautics base) or commonly called aeronavale base.
operates four Base Aeronaval (BAN) : from BAN Punta Indio (BAPI) in Buenos Aires Province
through BAN Comandante Espora
(BACE) and BAN Almirante Zar (BAAZ) in Patagonia to BAN Almirante Quijada
(BARD) at Tierra del Fuego
. Runways also serve domestic airlines for almost all Argentine military airbases. The Navy operates Estacion Aeronaval (EAN) (stations) which have smaller crew and normally not assigned aircraft. These includes Ezeiza
, Rio Gallegos
and Ushuaia
The Argentine Naval Prefecture
, serving as a Coast Guard, also operates air stations at Posadas
, Buenos Aires
, Mar del Plata
and Comodoro Rivadavia
with their aircraft been highly involved in sea rescues
, there is one Naval Air Station, "NAS Nowra
", HMAS Albatross
, and the formal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard and apprentice training establishment at HMAS Nirimba
in Schofields
, Sydney.
for WWII support bases
The United Kingdom has two Royal Naval Air Stations (RNAS), RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) and RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk).
Until 2006, the former served as the main operating base for the Royal Navy's Sea Harriers, which were based upon the two Invincible class aircraft carriers. However, upon the withdrawal of the BAe Sea Harrier
in that year, no strike aircraft operated from there. It is believed that all of their successors will be based at RAF Lossiemouth
. The site also contains the Royal Naval Air Museum, that showcases a variety of aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Service
(1914–1918) until the present day. RNAS Yeovilton also has RNAS Merryfield as its training and satellite station.
RNAS Culdrose
serves a variety of helicopter and fixed-wing squadrons, such as the Sea King
and the Jetstream respectively. Among the features at RNAS Culdrose include the 'Dummy deck' to train pilots about landing on ships, the Merlin training facility, and Fleet Requirements Air Direction Unit. Its satellite airfield is RNAS Predannack.
, a "Naval Air Station" is an airbase of the United States Navy. When located in foreign countries, they are often identified as US Naval Air Stations (USNAS), as the term is used by the navies of other countries.
A slightly lower level of airbase in the U.S. Navy is the Naval Air Facility. These facilities normally support smaller numbers of naval aircraft. Permanently based naval aircraft are usually minimal, with the principal focus being on supporting naval aircraft deployed from other installations. Examples are NAF Atsugi, Japan; NAF Diego Garcia
, British Indian Ocean Territory; NAF El Centro, California; NAF Washington at Andrews AFB, Maryland; NAF Souda Bay, Crete; NAF Misawa at the U.S. Air Force's Misawa AB in Japan; and NAF
Mildenhall at the U.S. Air Force's RAF Mildenhall
installation in the United Kingdom
. Base Realigment and Closure (BRAC) actions in the past few years have resulted in closure of Naval Air Facilities such as NAF Detroit at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan; NAF Lajes at the U.S. Air Force's Lajes AB facility in the Azores
; NAF Kadena at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena AB, Japan; NAF Adak, Alaska
; and NAF Midway
northwest of Hawaii.
There are also a number of former Naval Air Stations that have been realiged as part of larger Naval Stations (NAVSTA) or redesignated to other functions in the Navy. This includes the former NAS Norfolk, Virginia (now part of NAVSTA Norfolk), the former NAF Mayport, Florida (now part of NAVSTA Mayport), the former NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (now part of NAVSTA Guantanamo); and the former NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey (redesignated as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst). In the case of NAS Memphis, Tennessee (redesignated as NSA Mid-South), the airfield and flight line was turned over to local civilian authorities, while the Navy retained the remainder of the installation.
There are also larger facilities that are similar to Naval Air Stations and possess large airfield facilities, but were actually constructed as part of much larger facilities or were dedicated to research and development activities. This includes NAVSTA Rota, Spain; the recently closed NAVSTA Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, California; and the recently closed Naval Air Development Center Warminster, Pennsylvania.
As part of Naval Aviation, Marine Corps Air Stations and Marine Corps Air Facilities fill a similar role as Naval Air Stations for the United States Marine Corps
. Marine aviation units are also assigned to Naval Air Stations, Naval Air Facilities and, in rare cases, to Air Force Base
s and Air National Guard Bases as well. The United States Coast Guard
is also part of Naval Aviation and operates its own Coast Guard Air Stations and Coast Guard Air Facilities, either as stand alone installations, or collocated at Naval Air Stations, Air Force Bases, Air National Guard Bases and Army Airfields.
The first naval air station was at Greenbury Point, at the mouth of the Severn River
near Annapolis, Maryland
.
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
for the military aviation
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
division of the relevant branch of their Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
. Such bases are used to house Naval Aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
Squadrons
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
and their support commands.
The term "Naval Air Station" is used by many countries' navies, such as the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
, UK's Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The French navy use Base d'aéronautique navale or BAN (Naval aéronautics base) or commonly called aeronavale base.
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Naval AviationArgentine Naval Aviation
The Argentine Naval Aviation is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands...
operates four Base Aeronaval (BAN) : from BAN Punta Indio (BAPI) in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
through BAN Comandante Espora
Comandante Espora Airport
Comandante Espora Airport , also known as Bahía Blanca Airport, is a domestic airport in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, which is served by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Líneas Aéreas del Estado and LAN Argentina....
(BACE) and BAN Almirante Zar (BAAZ) in Patagonia to BAN Almirante Quijada
Hermes Quijada International Airport
Hermes Quijada International Airport is an airport in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina serving the city of Río Grande. It is served by Aerolíneas Argentinas and LADE....
(BARD) at Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego Province (Argentina)
Tierra del Fuego is an Argentine province entirely separated from mainland Argentina by the Strait of Magellan. It includes:* The eastern part of the Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego archipelago and the Staten Island.* Argentina's claims to the Falkland Islands and to...
. Runways also serve domestic airlines for almost all Argentine military airbases. The Navy operates Estacion Aeronaval (EAN) (stations) which have smaller crew and normally not assigned aircraft. These includes Ezeiza
Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...
, Rio Gallegos
Piloto Civil Norberto Fernández International Airport
Piloto Civil Norberto Fernández International Airport is located west-southwest of the center of Río Gallegos, a city in the Santa Cruz Province of Argentina. The airport covers an area of 1150 hectares and is operated by Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 S.A.It is served by Aerolíneas Argentinas, LAN...
and Ushuaia
The Argentine Naval Prefecture
Argentine Naval Prefecture
The Argentine Naval Prefecture, in Spanish Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA, is a service of the Argentine Interior Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory...
, serving as a Coast Guard, also operates air stations at Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
and Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San Jorge Basin....
with their aircraft been highly involved in sea rescues
Royal Australian Navy
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, there is one Naval Air Station, "NAS Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
", HMAS Albatross
HMAS Albatross (air station)
HMAS Albatross, also known as Naval Air Station Nowra , is an airfield operated by the Royal Australian Navy , in support of the RAN's aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm...
, and the formal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard and apprentice training establishment at HMAS Nirimba
HMAS Nirimba
HMAS Nirimba was a Royal Australian Navy training base located at the former RAAF Station Schofields at Schofields, New South Wales, Australia...
in Schofields
Schofields, New South Wales
Schofields is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Schofields is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown...
, Sydney.
UK Royal Navy
see also List of air stations of the Royal Navy for past and present stations and Mobile Naval Air BasesMobile Naval Air Bases
Mobile Operational Naval Air Bases were a series of mobile units first formed in 1944 to provide logistical support to the Fleet Air Arm aircraft of the Royal Navy's British Pacific Fleet towards the end of World War II....
for WWII support bases
The United Kingdom has two Royal Naval Air Stations (RNAS), RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) and RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk).
Until 2006, the former served as the main operating base for the Royal Navy's Sea Harriers, which were based upon the two Invincible class aircraft carriers. However, upon the withdrawal of the BAe Sea Harrier
BAE Sea Harrier
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval VTOL/STOVL jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft, a development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar"...
in that year, no strike aircraft operated from there. It is believed that all of their successors will be based at RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
. The site also contains the Royal Naval Air Museum, that showcases a variety of aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(1914–1918) until the present day. RNAS Yeovilton also has RNAS Merryfield as its training and satellite station.
RNAS Culdrose
RNAS Culdrose
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose , based in Cornwall, near Helston, on the Lizard Peninsula, has three major roles: serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line Sea King and Merlin helicopter squadrons; providing search and rescue for the South West region; and training specialists for the Royal Navy...
serves a variety of helicopter and fixed-wing squadrons, such as the Sea King
Sea King helicopter
Sea King helicopter may refer to:* SH-3 Sea King* CH-124 Sea King* Westland Sea King...
and the Jetstream respectively. Among the features at RNAS Culdrose include the 'Dummy deck' to train pilots about landing on ships, the Merlin training facility, and Fleet Requirements Air Direction Unit. Its satellite airfield is RNAS Predannack.
United States Navy
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a "Naval Air Station" is an airbase of the United States Navy. When located in foreign countries, they are often identified as US Naval Air Stations (USNAS), as the term is used by the navies of other countries.
A slightly lower level of airbase in the U.S. Navy is the Naval Air Facility. These facilities normally support smaller numbers of naval aircraft. Permanently based naval aircraft are usually minimal, with the principal focus being on supporting naval aircraft deployed from other installations. Examples are NAF Atsugi, Japan; NAF Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
, British Indian Ocean Territory; NAF El Centro, California; NAF Washington at Andrews AFB, Maryland; NAF Souda Bay, Crete; NAF Misawa at the U.S. Air Force's Misawa AB in Japan; and NAF
NAF
The acronym NAF can mean:* National Abortion Federation* National Academy Foundation - an education non profit organization.* National Academy Foundation School - a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland....
Mildenhall at the U.S. Air Force's RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
installation in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Base Realigment and Closure (BRAC) actions in the past few years have resulted in closure of Naval Air Facilities such as NAF Detroit at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan; NAF Lajes at the U.S. Air Force's Lajes AB facility in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
; NAF Kadena at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena AB, Japan; NAF Adak, Alaska
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
; and NAF Midway
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
northwest of Hawaii.
There are also a number of former Naval Air Stations that have been realiged as part of larger Naval Stations (NAVSTA) or redesignated to other functions in the Navy. This includes the former NAS Norfolk, Virginia (now part of NAVSTA Norfolk), the former NAF Mayport, Florida (now part of NAVSTA Mayport), the former NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (now part of NAVSTA Guantanamo); and the former NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey (redesignated as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst). In the case of NAS Memphis, Tennessee (redesignated as NSA Mid-South), the airfield and flight line was turned over to local civilian authorities, while the Navy retained the remainder of the installation.
There are also larger facilities that are similar to Naval Air Stations and possess large airfield facilities, but were actually constructed as part of much larger facilities or were dedicated to research and development activities. This includes NAVSTA Rota, Spain; the recently closed NAVSTA Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, California; and the recently closed Naval Air Development Center Warminster, Pennsylvania.
As part of Naval Aviation, Marine Corps Air Stations and Marine Corps Air Facilities fill a similar role as Naval Air Stations for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Marine aviation units are also assigned to Naval Air Stations, Naval Air Facilities and, in rare cases, to Air Force Base
Air Force Base
An Air Force Base is a military airbase of any of a number of air forces, such as the United States Air Force or South African Air Force ....
s and Air National Guard Bases as well. The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
is also part of Naval Aviation and operates its own Coast Guard Air Stations and Coast Guard Air Facilities, either as stand alone installations, or collocated at Naval Air Stations, Air Force Bases, Air National Guard Bases and Army Airfields.
The first naval air station was at Greenbury Point, at the mouth of the Severn River
Severn River (Maryland)
The Severn River runs through Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located south of the Magothy River, and north of the South River.-Geography:...
near Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
.
See also
- AirbaseAirbaseAn airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
- Airfield
- Lists of military installations
- Outlying Landing FieldOutlying Landing FieldAn Outlying Landing Field, or Naval Outlying Landing Field, is an auxiliary airfield, associated with a Naval Air Station, used by the United States Navy....