Clark Air Base

Clark Air Base is a <a href="/facts/Philippine_Air_Force/sdASxaGz">Philippine Air Force</a> base in <a href="/facts/Luzon/dJNpzhEM">Luzon</a>, located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of <a href="/facts/Angeles_City/p5dG1Rb5">Angeles City</a>, and about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of <a href="/facts/Metro_Manila/DQT25K5w">Metro Manila</a>. It was previously operated by the <a href="/facts/U.S._Air_Force/7MxWBYlc">U.S. Air Force</a> and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base covered 14.3 square miles (37 km2) with a military reservation extending north that covered another 230 square miles (600 km2).
The base was a stronghold of combined Philippine and American forces during the final months of <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, and a backbone of logistical support during the <a href="/facts/Vietnam_War/W0gfbGTE">Vietnam War</a> until 1975. Following the departure of American forces in 1991 due to the <a href="/facts/1991_eruption_of_Mount_Pinatubo/8yhb1Y9n">eruption of Mount Pinatubo</a> and rejection by the <a href="/facts/Senate_of_the_Philippines/aoC7e3NB">Philippine Senate</a> for renewing the presence of U.S. military bases in the Philippines, the base became the site of <a href="/facts/Clark_International_Airport/ggKreqG1">Clark International Airport</a>, as well as the <a href="/facts/Clark_Freeport_Zone/QElx6g0a">Clark Freeport Zone</a> and the Air Force City of the <a href="/facts/Philippine_Air_Force/sdASxaGz">Philippine Air Force</a>.
In April 2016, an air contingent of USAF <a href="/facts/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II/8y6zYaxe">A-10s</a> and <a href="/facts/Sikorsky_HH-60_Pave_Hawk/RB4J0pNR">HH-60s</a> was deployed from US air bases in <a href="/facts/Pyeongtaek/gYEVhTaG">Pyeongtaek</a> and <a href="/facts/Okinawa_(city)/sGF2plNb">Okinawa</a> to Clark. The air contingent included five A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the <a href="/facts/51st_Fighter_Wing/DB0ukQs4">51st Fighter Wing</a>, <a href="/facts/Osan_Air_Base/XnprUXzD">Osan AB</a>, South Korea; three HH-60G Pave Hawks from the <a href="/facts/18th_Wing/7MUs3pWw">18th Wing</a>, Kadena AB, Japan; and approximately 200 personnel deployed from multiple Pacific Air Force units. The primary mission of the contingent appears to be to patrol disputed <a href="/facts/South_China_Sea/WRFXLgIg">South China Sea</a> islands, "to provide greater and more transparent air and maritime domain awareness to ensure safety for military and civilian activities in international waters and airspace." The air contingent builds upon previous deployments by <a href="/facts/U.S._Navy/xYK0fUou">U.S. Navy</a> <a href="/facts/P-8_Poseidon/7n4qa5UA">P-8 Poseidon</a> aircraft to Clark.

Clark Air Base open-in-new

Clark Air Base