Air Force Base Hoedspruit is an

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

of the

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

. It is located adjacent to the

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...

. In the late 1990s an unused portion of the base was converted into a civilian airport known as Eastgate Airport. It was also an emergency landing site for the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

Units hosted

* 19 Squadron - Helicopter squadron * 101 Squadron - Light transport (reserve) * 514 Squadron - Security services * 7 Aircraft Servicing Unit - Maintenance support * Lowveld Airspace Control Sector - Airspace control * Air Force Command and Control School - Training

History

The base was officially opened on 1 July 1978. It was designed from the start to be a highly protected wartime base. As such, it has armoured and Hardened Aircraft Shelters, with

revetment A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water an ...

s placed close to the runways for aircraft on immediate take-off standby duty. The base is teeming with wildlife, being surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve. Keeping the runway clear of animals was a massive problem. This led the base to introduce three

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

s on the airfield, with the end result that animal incursions onto the runway have decreased by 90%. Another SAAF base,

AFB Makhado Air Force Base Makhado , formerly Air Force Base Louis Trichardt, is an military airbase, airbase of the South African Air Force. It is the SAAF's northernmost base, situated at Louis Trichardt near the border with Zimbabwe, as well as being it ...

, has since also adopted this concept. The base gained international media attention in 2000, when it hosted the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

's rescue contingent as part of Operation Atlas Response, the mission to provide rescue and humanitarian support to areas of

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

devastated by the severe flooding caused by Cyclone Eline. The base motto is ''Pro Nostrorum Pace'' (Peace for our People).

Eastgate Airport

A civil airport terminal, known as the Eastgate Airport, was established at the southern end of the airfield in the early 1990s. The terminal's main business is serving tourists visiting private game reserves in the area as well as access to the

via the nearby Orpen Gate. Facilities at the terminal include car hire and foreign exchange. Charter flights are offered by

Federal Air Federal Air (incorporating Pelican Air Services) is an airline headquartered at O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg, South Africa. It operates air shuttle, scheduled and charter services throughout Africa for business and tour ...

, Genair, Cesszani, Execujet, SA Historical Flight and Bataleur.

Airlines and Destinations

References

External links

*
Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport on Manyeleti Game Reserve websiteAFB Hoedspruit on Google maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoedspruit South African Air Force bases Airports in South Africa Transport in Limpopo Mopani District Municipality Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites