Eggebeck Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the large-scale restructuring and downsizing of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) following the end of the Cold War and German reunification. With the reduced military threat, there was a strategic need to consolidate forces and close bases that were no longer considered essential. The German Navy's aviation arm (Marineflieger) was significantly reduced, leading to the disbandment of Marinefliegergeschwader 2 and the subsequent closure of its home base at Eggebeck.

The former air base has been successfully converted to civilian use. The site is now home to the 'Gewerbe- und Technologiepark Eggebek' (Eggebek Business and Technology Park), which utilizes the former hangars, shelters, and administrative buildings for various commercial and industrial enterprises. A very large portion of the airfield, including areas alongside the former runway, has been transformed into one of Germany's largest photovoltaic power plants, the 'Solarpark Eggebek'. The runway itself remains largely intact but is no longer certified for aviation; it is used for events, vehicle testing, and as an access road for the solar park.

Eggebeck Air Base was a strategically vital NATO and German Navy (Bundesmarine) airfield throughout the Cold War. Originally built for the Luftwaffe in the late 1930s, it was taken over by the Royal Air Force after WWII before being handed to the newly formed German military in 1959. It became the home of Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (MFG 2). Initially equipped with Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers, the wing later operated the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. Its most significant era began in the early 1980s with the introduction of the Panavia Tornado. As a Tornado base, MFG 2's primary mission was maritime strike against enemy shipping in the Baltic Sea and North Sea, using Kormoran anti-ship missiles. They also performed reconnaissance and Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance (ECR) roles. The base was a key component of NATO's defense posture in the Baltic Approaches, tasked with containing the Soviet Union's powerful Baltic Fleet.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening Eggebeck as a functioning airport. The extensive and successful redevelopment of the site into a major business park and a large-scale solar energy farm makes any potential conversion back to an aviation facility economically unfeasible and logistically impractical. The region's aviation needs are served by other existing airports.