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Nakasongola Airport

Coordinates: 01°25′12″N 32°28′12″E / 1.42000°N 32.47000°E / 1.42000; 32.47000 (Nakasongola Airport)
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Nakasongola Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerUganda People's Defence Force
OperatorUPDF
ServesNakasongola, Uganda
LocationNakasongola, Uganda
Elevation AMSL3,710 ft / 1,130 m
Coordinates01°25′12″N 32°28′12″E / 1.42000°N 32.47000°E / 1.42000; 32.47000 (Nakasongola Airport)
Map
Nakasongola is located in Uganda
Nakasongola
Nakasongola
Location of Nakasongola Airport in Uganda
Placement on map is approximate
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02/20 9,800 3,000 Asphalt

Nakasongola Airport (IATA: n/a, ICAO: n/a) is an airport in Uganda. As of 2013, it was one of the 47 airports in the country.[1] It is the intended headquarters of the Air Wing of the Uganda People's Defense Force, along with Entebbe Airport, Gulu Airport, Jinja Airport and Soroti Airport, which are some of the national military airports.[2]

Location

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Nakasongola Airport is located in the neighborhood known as Wabisi, approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi), north of the town of Nakasongola, Nakasongola District, in the Central Region of Uganda.[3] It is located on the campus of Nakasongola Air Force Base, approximately 144 kilometres (89 mi), by air, directly north of Entebbe International Airport, the country's largest civilian and military airport.[4] The geographic coordinates of Nakasongola Airport are:01°25′12″N 32°28′12″E / 1.42000°N 32.47000°E / 1.42000; 32.47000.[5]

Overview

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Nakasongola Airport is a medium-sized military airport that serves the town of Nakasongola. It is the largest stand-alone military airport in Uganda. Nakasongola Airport is approximately 1,130 metres (3,710 ft) above sea level.[6] The airport has a single asphalt runway and taxiway that measure approximately 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in length.[7]

The airport and the air base on which it is located were constructed by an Israeli company in the 1970s. In 2014, after several years of disuse, the Ugandan government began a renovation of the airport which was projected to last six months and cost US$11 million (UGX:28 billion), following which the headquarters of the UPDF Air Force were to be relocated to Nakasongola to decongest Entebbe Air Force Base.[7][8][9] However, in 2016 the construction of a radar system on the site was still incomplete and threatened by a land-use dispute.[10] As of 2019, the relocation of the Air Force had reportedly still not occurred.[11]

Helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul unit

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In January 2022, the UPDF Air Force unveiled a helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit at the Nakasongola Air Force Base. The installation is a joint venture between National Enterprise Corporation and a Russian company called Pro Heli International Services Limited. The maintenance and repair facility is intended to repair and service Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-17, Mil Mi-24 and related equipment in the UPDF and regional air forces at a fraction of the cost it takes to ferry the hardware back to Russia for maintenance and repairs.[12][13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ CIA (2018). "Uganda: Transportation: Airports". Washington, DC: CIA Factbook. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. ^ Defenceweb (1 March 2014). "Uganda moving combat aircraft out of Entebbe". Johannesburg: Defenceweb.co.za. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Distance between Downtown Nakasongola, Uganda And Nakasongola Airforce Base, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ Distancesfrom (24 January 2022). "Air Distance between Entebbe International Airport, Entebbe, Uganda and Nakasongola Airforce Base, Uganda". Distancesfrom.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Location of Nakasongola Airport" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  6. ^ Floodmap (11 June 2018). "Elevation of Nakasongola, Uganda". Floodmap.net. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  7. ^ a b Binnie, Jeremy (25 February 2014). "UPDF Air Wing to move main base". London: Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  8. ^ Kasasira, Risdel (5 April 2014). "Works on Nakasongola UPDF Air Base Begin". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  9. ^ Candia, Steven (23 February 2014). "UPDF's Air Force To Move To Nakasongola". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  10. ^ Luwaga, Brian (12 August 2016). "Bickering Threatens Radar Project in Nakasongola". Uganda Radio Network. pp. Nakasongola, Uganda. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Museveni rejects CAA proposal to use Nakasongala airport as Entebbe's alternative". The Independent. Kampala, Uganda. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  12. ^ Kenneth Kazibwe (23 January 2022). "Museveni commissions modern helicopter maintenance facility in Uganda". Nile Post Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  13. ^ Nicholas Agaba (24 January 2022). "Museveni Commissions Futuristic Helicopter Maintenance and Overhaul Facility". The Kampala Post. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  14. ^ Jeremy Binnie (24 January 2022). "Uganda opens helicopter MRO facility". Janes Information Services. Coulsdon, Surrey, United Kingdom. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
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