1/72 Aalborg Air Base , Royal Danish Air Force, 1983-2001

Kits-World - 1/72 Aalborg Air Base (Flyvestation Aalborg), Royal Danish Air Force, 1983-2001. 450mm(W) x 450mm(H) 17inches(W) x 17inches(H).

Aalborg Airport was opened in 1938. In April 1940, the base was captured by Fallschirmjager during Operation Weserubung, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. Once captured, the Germans used the airport as a main location for troops and equipment for the invasion of Norway and also as a refuelling base for Junkers Ju 52/3m transport aircraft. Over the course of the war, German forces expanded the area, renaming it Fliegerhorst Aalborg West. This was taken over by the Royal Air Force after World War Two and became a camp for German refugees. Commercial flights restarted in 1945.

Aalborg Air Base was established in the northern section of the airport in 1952 under the newly formed Royal Danish Air Force (Flyvevåbnet).

Eskadrille 723 began as the 3rd Air Flotilla of the Naval Air Service in 1949 flying Gloster Meteor F. Mk 4's. In 1951 it was renamed and in 1952, Eskadrille 723 began operations at Aalborg, re-equipping with the Gloster Meteor NF. Mk 11. In 1958 these were replaced with North American F-86D Sabres, until 1968 when the unit was re-equipped with the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, and CF-104D Starfighter making up extra numbers from 1971. The F-16A/B Fighting Falcons started to arrive in 1983. 723 began full F-16A/B operations at Aalborg in 1984.

Eskadrille 726 was formed at Karup in 1952 when it began operations with the Republic F-84G Thunderjet. In 1958, the unit moved to Aalborg where it re-equipped with the F-85D Sabre and in 1964, these were replaced with the F-104G and as with Eskadrille 723, the CF-104D came on stream in 1971. 726 was the last of the RoDAF units to receive the F-16A/B, the first aircraft arriving in 1986. In 1999, the unit received its first F-16AM's (MLU- Mid-Life Update).

With the introduction of the F-16AM, Eskadrille 723 was disbanded in 2001, so it never received the improved variant. This left Eskadrille 726 as the sole F-16 unit at Aalborg. In 2005, 726 was also disbanded.

Main aircraft operated for the period (1983-2005) given:

Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16A/B Fighting Falcon (Eskadrille 723 or 726)
Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16AM Fighting Falcon (Eskadrille 726)
GPS- 57º05'47.74' N 9º50'07.74' E