Deveselu Air Base

Military Conversion and Restructuring. The air base was not closed due to economic reasons or an accident, but was phased out as an active fighter base as part of the Romanian Air Force's post-Cold War restructuring. The final operational unit, the 91st Air Flotilla, was disbanded. Subsequently, the base was selected for a new, highly strategic military purpose, leading to its complete conversion rather than simple closure.

The site is now the location of a critical NATO and United States military installation. It has been completely transformed into **Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu**, which hosts the **Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System**. This is a land-based component of the NATO Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, designed to detect, track, and intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The agreement between the United States and Romania was signed in 2011, construction began in 2013, and the site became operational in December 2015, being officially certified in May 2016. It is operated by the U.S. Navy and is co-located with the Romanian 99th Military Base. It is a highly secure, active military installation and is not an airport in any functional sense, although the original runways may still be partially visible.

Deveselu Air Base was a significant military installation during the Cold War and for the first decade after. Constructed in 1952 with Soviet assistance, it became one of the most important fighter bases for the Romanian Air Force. It was home to the 91st Air Flotilla (Regimentul 91 Aviație Vânătoare), which operated various Soviet-era fighter aircraft over the decades, including the MiG-15, MiG-19, and most notably, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed'. In its later years, it operated the modernized Romanian variant, the MiG-21 LanceR. The base played a crucial role in defending Romania's airspace and was a key asset within the Warsaw Pact's southern flank and later for the independent Romanian military.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Deveselu as a public, commercial, or even a conventional air base. Its current mission as a strategic NATO missile defense site is a long-term, high-security commitment. The infrastructure and purpose of the facility have been fundamentally and permanently altered to support the Aegis Ashore system and the U.S. Navy and Romanian military personnel stationed there. Reversion to an airport is considered extremely unlikely.