Rocroi RCAF Air Base

The air base was never officially opened or used for its intended purpose by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). After construction, the runway and taxiways were found to be substandard and unable to safely support the weight and operational stresses of the intended Canadair F-86 Sabre jet fighters. The RCAF formally rejected the airfield, and the wing designated for Rocroi was relocated to a different base in West Germany. The site was subsequently handed over to French authorities.

The site of the former air base has been completely demilitarized and redeveloped. It is now the 'Zone Industrielle la Pompelle', a large industrial park for the town of Rocroi. While the general outline of the airfield is gone, some original concrete infrastructure, such as sections of taxiways or aircraft aprons, can still be seen integrated into the industrial park's layout. The main runway has been almost entirely removed or built over by industrial facilities and roads.

Rocroi Air Base was constructed between 1952 and 1954 as a critical component of Canada's contribution to NATO during the early Cold War. It was one of four airfields built for the RCAF's No. 1 Air Division in Europe. Rocroi was designated to become the home of No. 4 (Fighter) Wing, which was to consist of three squadrons (416, 422, and 434 Squadrons). However, due to the severe construction flaws, the RCAF never occupied the base, making it a 'ghost base' in RCAF history. After the RCAF's rejection, the site was taken over by the French Army and became a barracks known as 'Quartier Forget', housing units such as the 3rd Engineer Regiment (3e régiment du génie) for several decades before being fully demilitarized.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the site as a functional airport. The land has been permanently and extensively converted to civilian industrial use, and the essential aviation infrastructure required for an airport no longer exists.