An Iraqi Air Force Cessna 172 lands at Kirkuk Air Base.
The Kirkuk International Airport (IATA: KIK, ICAO: ORKK) is an airport located in Kirkuk, Iraq. The airport officially opened in 20th October, 2022 for civil visitors.[3][4]
Since 2003, the airport was used by the U.S. Air Force as a military airport. It was returned to the Iraqi Army in November 2011.[5] In 2012, the Iraqi Transportation Ministry decided to move the military section to another location, a prerequisite for turning the air base into a civilian airport.[6] According to the (Nazaha) committee, the government allocated 93.5 million dollars from the airport project.[7][8]
At the onset of the Iran-Iraq War, Al-Hurriah was the main airbase use by the newly purchased Mirage F1s. It was bombed in Operation Sultan 10 in 1980 in the early phase of the war.
Approximately 1,000 active-duty, Reserve and Guard Airmen were assigned to the 506th AEG during any given Air Expeditionary Force rotation. Additionally, approximately 5,000 soldiers are assigned to the installation, commonly known as Forward Operating Base Warrior. As of July 2011, the majority of these soldiers were assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, U.S. 1st Infantry Division, and the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.
Kirkuk RAB lies in northeastern region of Iraq in the outskirts of the city of Kirkuk, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Iraq. Kirkuk is approximately 180 mi (290 km) north of Baghdad.
