Sperenberg Air Base

The primary reason for the closure was military conversion following the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. The air base was operated by the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), and it was closed and handed over to German authorities upon the final withdrawal of Russian troops from Germany in 1994. Its military purpose ceased to exist.

Since its closure, the vast site has been repurposed for various commercial and ecological uses. The infrastructure, including the massive runway, hangars, and bunkers, remains largely intact but in a state of decay. Current uses include:
- **Automotive Testing:** Parts of the runway and taxiways are used by automotive companies, notably Daimler AG, for vehicle testing, including high-speed trials and autonomous driving development.
- **Renewable Energy:** A significant portion of the area has been converted into one of Germany's largest photovoltaic power stations, the 'Solarpark Sperenberg'.
- **Drone Development:** The site is used for testing and developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones).
- **Event Location:** The area is occasionally used for events such as inline skating marathons, driving safety courses, and film shoots.
- **Nature Reserve:** Large parts of the former base are undergoing renaturation, with nature reclaiming the man-made landscape. The site is managed by a development company focused on commercial and ecological redevelopment rather than aviation.

Sperenberg Air Base was one of the largest and most important Soviet military airfields outside the USSR. Constructed between 1958 and 1960, it served as the central logistical and transport hub for the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Its key features and operations included:
- **Massive Infrastructure:** It boasted one of the longest runways in Europe, at 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) long and 80 meters (262 ft) wide, built with reinforced concrete capable of handling the heaviest aircraft.
- **Strategic Transport Hub:** It was the primary base for large Soviet transport aircraft, including the Antonov An-22 'Antei' and the An-124 'Ruslan'. It handled the rotation of military personnel, the transport of equipment, supplies, and even nuclear materials for the Soviet forces stationed in East Germany.
- **Buran Space Shuttle Program:** The runway was designated as a primary alternate landing site for the Soviet Buran space shuttle, a testament to its size and strategic importance.
- **Headquarters:** The base was the headquarters for the 226th Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment, which operated various transport and liaison aircraft.
- **High-Security Zone:** The entire area was a high-security, self-contained military town ('gorodok') with housing, schools, and amenities for thousands of Soviet soldiers and their families, completely isolated from the surrounding German population.

There are no realistic plans or prospects for reopening Sperenberg Air Base as a functional airport. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was a leading candidate to become the new single commercial airport for the German capital, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). However, in 2004, the decision was made to expand the existing Berlin-Schönefeld Airport instead. This decision effectively sealed Sperenberg's fate as an airport. The high costs of decontaminating the site, modernizing the deteriorated infrastructure to meet civilian standards, and its relatively remote location from Berlin's city center make any future revival for aviation purposes highly improbable. The current focus is firmly on non-aviation commercial and ecological redevelopment.