Qayyarah Airfield West

Qayyarah Airfield West is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It was also known as Q–West or Key West by the various U.S. Army Forces and civilian contractors stationed there.

Overview
Also known as Saddam Airbase, the facility is located in northern Iraq approximately 300 kilometers North of Baghdad and 16 kilometers West of the Tigris River. Qayyarah West AB was built in the late 1970s and became an immensely important airfield during the 1980s and the war with Iran, when it was the main hub for Iraqi Mirage F.1EQ-operations, and also the first airfield to base MiG-23MLs. Later during the war the MiG-25s were operated from this air base as well.

The secondary "Sector-Operations Center" (SOC) of the Northern Command IrAF was based here until March 2003. There were two Weapon Storage Areas (WSA) located 10 and 12 kilometers to the North that were probably associated with Qayyarah West. WSA 1 had 30 munition storage igloos and is 1640 acres in size. WSA 2 had 42 munition storage igloos and is 800 acres in size. It is not known whether these storage areas were built after Operation Desert Storm or whether they were struck during Operation Desert Fox.

The base was one of several Iraqi Air Force airfields in the mid-1970s which were re-built under project "Super-Base" in response to the experiences from Arab-Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973.

Originally, 13 airfields were re-built by British contractors, and on all of them also a number of hardened aircraft shelters was built. Subsequently companies from Yugoslavia - previously engaged in building bridges in Iraq - became involved. Due to their specific construction of these airfields - which included taxi-ways leading right out of Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS} and laid diagonally to the runways - they became known as "Trapezoids" or "Yugos".

The facilities were divided into two categories: "surface" and "underground". The "surface" facilities were actually the "softest", and included maintenance hangars of metal construction, and HAS of concrete construction. In total, the Yugoslavs have built no less but 200 HAS on different airfields in Iraq during the 1980s.

The protection of each HAS consisted of one meter thick concrete shells, reinforced by 30cm thick steel plates. There was only one entrance and this was covered by sliding doors, made of 50cm thick steel armoured plate and concrete. The HAS' were usually built in small groups - seldom more than five, with each group sharing the same water and power supply, besides having own backup gasoline-powered electrical generator, and each HAS being equipped with a semi-automatic aircraft-refuelling system.

In addition, underground facilities that could shelter between four and ten aircraft on average were constructed. In order to build these the Yugoslavs used equipment and construction techniques identical to that use in underground oil-storage depots, additionally concealing the extension and the true purpose of the whole project. The underground facilities were all hardened to withstand a direct hit by a tactical nuclear bomb, buried up to 50 meters below the ground and consisted of the main aircraft "hangar" (consisting of two floors in several cases, connected by 40ts hydraulic lifts), connected with operations, maintenance, and logistical facilities via a net of underground corridors.

United States Military Use
The base was heavily attacked by Coalition airpower during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, and seized by Coalition ground forces. The main runway, which had 32 major craters when the US troops arrived May 28, and the control tower are about two miles away from the headquarters compound. The craters were the result of precision bombing by American planes during both Gulf Wars. About 13 craters were gouged out of the 2.2-mile long main strip, and another 30 destroyed surrounding runways and lesser airstrips. Some of the craters reached 30 feet in depth, and 120 feet in diameter.

By July 2003 Qayyarah West Airfield, a former military air base about 30 miles south of Mosul in northern Iraq was the home of the 'Bastogne Bulldogs,' the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. Qayyarah West is protected by a 20 kilometers security perimeter. Within the perimeter, vegetation growth highlights draw attention to the base. Vegetation planted to obscure the base from ground observation has the opposite effect when viewed from overhead.

One of the first priorities was to repair the runway and tower, and the airfield is now in good enough shape to accept the Air Force's largest transport. After 69 days of around-the-clock work, the soldiers of the 37th Engineer Battalion, out of Fort Bragg, N.C., repaired the craters that littered the main airstrip at Q-West, impeding planes from landing there and establishing a more secure route for needed items. The airfield at Q-west has the potential to be a major supply point in the northern region of Iraq. The runway is capably of supporting a C-5 galaxy.

By July 2003 Qayyarah West Airfield, a former military air base about 30 miles south of Mosul in northern Iraq was the home of the 'Bastogne Bulldogs,' the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. Only a handful of the brigade's soldiers actually live here, however. Most of them are spread around the region, where they are tasked with missions such as local outreach and assistance, search and cordon, safety patrols and guard duty for important archaeological sites to prevent looting. The outlying troops live where they work, some in tents, others in makeshift quarters in existing buildings.

FOB Endurance
FOB Endurance is located at Qayyarah Airfield West, itself approximately 60 miles south of Mosul. It is another name for FOB Q-West.

The facility is surrounded by desert and no settlements are located near the base. As of November 2004, the facility's internet access was slow relative to that available Mosul Airbase and sometimes prone to not working. Phone access was reported to be limited. Mail deliveries were described as taking extra time because of the facility's remote location, but were running at about 3 per week, while outgoing mail was limited to one or two times per month.

A soldier-operated mini-PX opened on November 20, 2004, in room 116 of the bombed out palace. The mini-PX is to be supplied with stock from the main PX warehouse at Mosul Airbase. Other facilities at FOB Endurance include a dining facility, an MWR building with a theater. The base gym which, as of November 2004, was operated by KBR, offers a basketball court, along with access to free weights, exercise bicycles and treadmills.

On December 17, 2004, the 917th Corps Support Group took over the duties of the 167th Corps Support Group at FOB Endurance. The 2-8th Field Artillery was also stationed at the facility starting around November 2004. The 116th Rear Area Operations Center moved to FOB Endurance after Thanksgiving 2004 from Mosul AB.

The facility appears active and in-use in current aerial imagery.