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Morón Air Base is
located at in southern Spain,
approximately 35 miles southeast of the city of Sevilla
and 75 miles northeast of Rota
Naval Station. 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, mean the base is a vital link in any operation moving
east from the United
States. On May 13 1958, the
first flight of B-47s
were assigned to Morón Air Base to conduct Reflex operations, and
6 weeks later the first rotational fighter squadron, F-100
Super Sabres from George
AFB, CA, arrived for temporary duty to conduct air defence
alert. Major Chuck
Yeager (Retired Brig
General, USAF)
was assigned to Morón with the fighter unit. Morón continued to
operate primarily as a Reflex base until 1962, when the first KC-135
aircraft arrived. In 1966 the base was transferred from SAC
to United
States Air Forces Europe (USAFE).
The mission changed to communications support, "fair
weather" flying operations of Temporary Duty (TDY) RF-4
and RF-101
reconnaissance units and the support of air rescue operations
provided by the 67 ARRS. In 1971 Morón Air
Base was re-designated to "modified caretaker status." Torrejon
Air Force Base was designated as the Primary Support Base (PSB). In November 1983
during the joint Spanish/American military exercise CRISEX 83,
USAF B-52 bombers were allowed once again to enter Spanish air
space and land at Moron Air Base. The B-52 Bombers were previously
banned from entering Spanish air space after the January 17, 1966
incident near Palomares, Spain, at which time an in-air refuelling
B-52 collided with a United States Air Force KC-135 jet tanker.
Two hydrogen bombs ruptured, dispersing radioactive particles over
nearby farms. An intact bomb landed near Palomares. The fourth
bomb was lost at sea, 12 miles (20 km) off the coast. A search
involving three months and 12,000 men was required to recover the
device. SpaceShuttle In 1999 Morón became
the home of the 92d
Air Expeditionary Wing – tasked with providing fuel to Operation
ALLIED FORCE. 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. |
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