🇮🇹 Amendola Air Base

Amendola Air Base (ICAO: LIBA) is a military airfield of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) located in San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy,. It is the home of the 32nd Wing.

Notable Features and History:

• Origins: Built around 1931, it was a pre-war Royal Italian Air Force facility. During World War II, it was briefly used by the German Luftwaffe before being seized by Allied forces in late 1943. The United States Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt it into a heavy bomber-capable airfield, featuring two 6,000' x 100' runways made of pierced steel planking.
• Post-WWII: After the war, the airfield was turned over to the new Aeronautica Militare on February 1, 1947. Its main mission became training jet pilots on aircraft like the de Havilland Vampire DH.113 and Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. The Fiat G.91 was used for advanced pilot training for nearly 30 years starting in 1954.
• Modern Operations: Amendola has participated in NATO missions, including those over the former Yugoslavia in 1997 and 1999, and hosted Belgian and Dutch F-16s during the Kosovo War. In 2002, it received the first Italian Air Force MQ-1 Predator drones, which were later used in Afghanistan alongside AMX fighter aircraft. It was also used by NATO forces in 2011 for Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Unified Protector.

Current Status: Amendola Air Base is currently the main base for the Italian F-35 Lightning program. It received the first two operational Italian Air Force F-35A aircraft on December 12, 2016, making it the first combat unit outside the US to operate this model. The 13º Gruppo FBA (13th Fighter-Bomber Squadron) operates the F-35A Lightning IIs. The 28th Group operates the training center for Italian Air Force MQ-1C Predator and MQ-9A Reaper UAVs.

The base has a runway with dimensions of 8727 x 148 ft (2660 x 45 meters) with an asphalt surface.

*Sources researched: en.wikipedia.org, skyvector.com, ourairports.com, pilotnav.com*