Construction on the Vázquez Sagastizábal Military Aerodrome, as Morón Air Base was initially known, began in 1940. The following year it began to function as a military airfield and was utilised to train fighter pilots for the Spanish Army Air Force.
In 1953, the Spanish and American governments finalized agreements to establish a number of Spanish-American air bases, including Morón Air Base. Morón was one of three major United States Air Force (USAF) Cold War airbases in Spain, the others being Zaragoza Air Base near Zaragoza and Torrejón Air Base near Madrid. Construction efforts began in 1953 under the direction of the United States Navy, taking over 3 years to complete.
In 1971, Morón Air Base was designated to a "modified caretaker status", and Torrejón Air Base was designated as the Primary Support Base (PSB) for the Spanish Air Force. A small Spanish Air Force contingent of F-5 Freedom Fighters used the air base during the 1980s. Most of its buildings were empty and on-base services were severely limited.
In 1984, Morón became a NASASpace ShuttleTransoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) site. Special navigation and landing aids were installed, and Spanish personnel were trained to recover the Space Shuttle orbiter after an emergency landing—one that never came. In addition during the 1980 and 1990s, U.S. Air Force airmen deployed to Morón during Shuttle launching periods to help provide onsite weather reporting as well as crash/rescue capability.
Post Cold War
U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response and Airmen with the 496th Air Base Squadron participate in a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Morón Air Base, Spain, Sept. 11, 2013.
In 1991, the basing plan for Spain called for retaining Morón AB, along with Torrejón Air Base, and Naval Station Rota, but on a drastically reduced scale. In 1995, the 496th Air Base Squadron (496th ABS) was activated to replace the 712th Air Base Flight, and USAFE redesignated Morón as a limited-use base, defined as austerely staffed with no permanently assigned operational tactical forces, although it was used as a staging base to support deployments.
In 1999, Morón became the home of the 92nd Air Expeditionary Wing – tasked with providing fuel to Operation Allied Force of the Kosovo War. In addition to serving as the HQ 92 AEW (serving units in France, Crete, Sicily and Spain), Morón hosted 37 tankers (KC-135 and KC-10) and 800 personnel. The 92 AEW became the largest Tanker Wing since the Vietnam War and held the distinction of being the largest tanker base during the Kosovo war.
C-17s at Morón AB during Operation Enduring Freedom
In 2001, the base provided record numbers of airlift and fighter rotations for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2003, these operations increased as Morón became key for airlift and fighter deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, the 496th ABS started reporting to the 712th Air Base Group and was realigned under the 38th Combat Support Wing of Ramstein Air Base, Germany later that year. In 2007, the 712th ABG inactivated and the 496th ABS was realigned again under the 86th Operations Group of Ramstein Air Base. In April 2019 the 496th ABS was realigned again under the 65th Air Base Group creating the Atlantic Air Bridge.[2]
Morón's massive flight line, in-ground aircraft refueling system, long runway and prime location on the Iberian Peninsula, close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, means the base is an important link in any operation moving east from the United States.[5]
In May 2015 the Spanish government approved an agreement granting the U.S. military a permanent presence on the base. Under the agreement, up to 3,000 American troops and civilians of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Africa can be stationed there, while the number of aircraft can be increased to 40, up from the previous limit of 14.[6]
At present the base hosts:
Wing (Ala) 11 of the Spanish Air and Space Force, which is equipped with Eurofighter Typhoon;[7]
El 2.º Escuadrón de Apoyo al Despliegue Aéreo (SEADA);
Citizens visiting the base at the 2015 Morón Air Base Open House. In the foreground an U.S. V-22 Osprey and in the background three CASA C-101 of the Spanish Patrulla Águila ("Eagle Patrol").
The base is run under the Turkey Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC). Specific services include the fueling of US Air Force planes, Fire Fighting, Dining Facility (Food Services), Occupational Health, Ambulance Services, Communications, Postal Services, Safety, Civil Engineering, Lodging, Library, Fitness Center Equipment Maintenance, & Life Guard/Pool Services), Logistics Support Services, Contingency/Exercise Support, and limited support of the Zaragoza Air Base controlled by the Spanish Air Force. The contract does not cover local base security, MWR, and pastoral care.
The contract has historically been awarded for a period of four year intervals; however, the current contract, held by Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) —known as Turkey-Spain Base Maintenance Contract (TSBMC)-and combines USAFE operations in Turkey and Spain.
Based units
Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon of Ala 11 at MorónU.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa board an MV-22 Osprey during an alert force drill on Morón Air Base, Spain, Feb. 19, 2015. SPMAGTF-CR-AF maintains an alert status in order to respond to crises and regularly conducts unscripted events to test its ability to react at a moment’s notice.
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Morón Air Base.[8][9][2]
The Base's climate is characterized by the annual alternation between a dry period, which lasts more than four months and which has high temperatures, and another one humid (autumn-winter) with mild temperatures.
The monthly distribution of rain corresponds to one typical of the Mediterranean climate; the rain season takes place during the autumn and the winter; during the summer the absence of rain is the prevailing rule, except for very occasional summer storms. 41% of the rain happens during the autumn.
The average annual temperature is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F). The average absolute maximum temperature is 41.9 °C (107.4 °F). The coldest month is January and the average absolute minimum temperature is 0.8 °C (33.4 °F).
Summing up, the climate is excellent, although slightly harsh in the summer. The sun and a cloudless sky are predominant most of the time.
Incidents and accidents
On 9 June 2014, at around 14:00 CEST (12:00 GMT), a pilot died after his Eurofighter Typhoon crashed whilst landing on the runway at the base.[11] A Royal Saudi Air Force pilot was also killed in a Typhoon crash in August 2010.[12]
^Maydew, Randall C. (1997). America's Lost H-Bomb: Palomares, Spain, 1966. Sunflower University Press. ISBN978-0-89745-214-4.
^ abSenior Airman Devin M., Rumbaugh (3 April 2019). "496th ABS realigns under 65th ABG". Royal Air Force Mildenhall. US Air Force. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
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