About

Volkel Air Base (Dutch: Vliegbasis Volkel) is a military airfield used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and is located near the town of Uden in the Netherlands. It is home to three Fokker F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons, 311, 312 and 313. It also serves as a maintenance and logistical base for the RNLAF and houses the 703rd Munition Support Squadron, part of the 52d Fighter Wing from the United States Air Force.

Volkel Air Base is one of several military airfields in the Netherlands and one of the three major operational bases of the RNLAF, the other two being Leeuwarden Air Base and Gilze-Rijen Air Base. Together with these, it also hosts the public viewing days of the RNLAF, held annually at one of these three airfields, having both an airshow and static display of various military and civilian aircraft.

The airport has two parallel runways, both in the 06/24 direction and both being just over 3,000 meters (or just over 9,900 feet) long. 06L/24R is 45 meters wide and capable of handling larger aircraft. 06R/24L is narrower at only 23 meters wide.

History

After the occupation of the Netherlands by Germany in 1940, the Luftwaffe constructed a diversion airfield for fighter aircraft called Nachtlandeplatz Volkel. Later during the war, in 1943, the airfield was turned into an operational Luftwaffe base and renamed Fliegerhorst Volkel. It was home to the 5e Zerstörer Gruppe operating the Junkers Ju 88 and the 3e Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 7 operating the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter aircraft. A second jet-powered aircraft, the Arado Ar 234 Bomber, landed in the morning of august 30th 1944 and flew bombing missions out of Volkel for about a week. V-1 flying bombs were also fired from Volkel. To defend the base against aerial attacks, the Germans had installed flak guns, but it was still bombed extensively. Attacks in 1944 in relation to Operation Market Garden caused such extensive damage to the airport that it could no longer be used by the Luftwaffe.

When later that year the south of the Netherlands was liberated the Royal Air Force took control of the airfield. Though the Germans had destroyed most of the remaining airport facilities, the RAF continued to use the airport for the remainder of the war, operating Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tempest aircraft from Volkel in support of the allied advance into Germany. French ace Pierre Clostermann, at the time a flight commander in 122 Wing, provides a detailed description of operations from Volkel in early 1945 in his book The Big Show.

An F-16 being returned to a protective hangar at Volkel Air Base.The Dutch Naval Aviation Service started flying from Volkel in 1949 for training purposes. In 1950, the Royal Netherlands Air Force took control of the airfield, restoring it to an operational fighter base. Gloster Meteor aircraft were the first jet aircraf to be based at Volkel for the RNAF. Later came the Republic F-84 Thunderjet and Thunderstreak, which were eventually replaced by the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the first supersonic aircraft of the RNAF. In the 1970s, airport facilities were improved and protective hangars were constructed for the aircraft. Between 1982 and 1984, the Starfighters were slowly replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcons that are currently based at Volkel, which were manufactured under license by Fokker. The current F-16 aircraft are expected to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II.

URL: http://www.defensie.nl/.../volkel

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General Info
Country	Netherlands
ICAO ID	EHVK
Time	UTC+1(+2DT)
Latitude	51.656389 51° 39' 23.00" N
Longitude	5.708611 005° 42' 31.00" E
Elevation	72 feet 22 meters
Type	Military
Magnetic Variation	000° W (01/06)
Operating Agency	MILITARY
Operating Hours	SEE REMARKS FOR OPERATING HOURS OR COMMUNICATIONS FOR POSSIBLE HOURS
International Clearance Status	Airport of Entry
Daylight Saving Time	Last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October

Communications
TWR Outside opr hr ctc DUTCH MIL info 132.35.	133.425 372.225
GND Opr HO	386.775
RAPCON SOUTH Opr HO.	123.175 379.925

Runways
ID	Dimensions	Surface	PCN	ILS
06R/24L	9931 x 74 feet 3027 x 23 meters	ASPHALT	-	NO
06L/24R	9922 x 148 feet 3024 x 45 meters	ASPHALT	-	YES

Navaids
Type	ID	Name	Channel	Freq	Distance From Field	Bearing From Navaid
TACAN	VKL	VOLKEL	020X	-	At Field	-

Supplies/Equipment
Oil	O-148, MIL L 7808 (Synthetic Base), Turboprop/Turboshaft Engine O-155, MIL L 6068C, Aircraft Medium Grade O-156, MIL L 23699 (Synthetic Base)Turboprop/Turboshaft Engine
Other Fluids	DE-ICE, Anti-icing/De-icing/Defrosting Fluid (MIL A 8243) LHOX, Low and high pressure oxygen servicing LOX, Liquid oxygen servicing OX, Indicates oxygen servicing when type of servicing is unknown
JASU	DSA 150 28v DC 25 amp, 115/208v AC 15kva 400hz 3 phase 4 wire ST-56 56kw 28v DC 700-1500 amp

Remarks
A-GEAR	Rwy 06R AAE 44B-4H dep end unsvc.
CSTMS/IMG	CSTMS avbl HS, 2 hr PN.
FLUID	De-Ice LHOX LOX
FUEL	A1+
JASU	1(DSA 150) 1( JAS) 1( ST-56)
OIL	0-135-148-155-156
OPR HOURS	Opr 0900-2145Z++ Mon-Tue, 0700-1545Z++ Wed-Fri.
RSTD	24 hr PPR, fone C31-0-413278001 or fax C31-0-413276558.

Thanks to: www.worldaerodata.com

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