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.finflash{width:46px;height:46px} #mfam .rondel.wide{width:88px;height:33px} #mfam .finflash.tall{width:38px;height:46px} #mfam .mark .mk{font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.7px;text-transform:uppercase;color:rgba(255,255,255,.55);line-height:1.5;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .mark .mk b{display:block;color:#fff;letter-spacing:.2px;text-transform:none;font-size:14.5px;margin-top:2px} #mfam .statstrip .stat{border-top:3px solid var(--blue)} #mfam .statstrip .stat:first-child{border-top-color:var(--red)} #mfam table.oobt.fleet td:first-child{padding:10px 6px 10px 14px;vertical-align:top} #mfam .tthumb{display:block;width:150px;height:100px;background:#eef1f6 center\/cover no-repeat;border:1px solid var(--line)} #mfam table.oobt.fleet{table-layout:fixed;min-width:1072px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-th{width:172px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-type{width:198px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-role{width:150px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-num{width:78px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-yr{width:64px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-units{width:154px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-srv{width:104px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-rep{width:150px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet col.c-fd{width:118px} #mfam table.oobt.fleet th{white-space:normal} #mfam table.oobt.fleet.ord{min-width:900px} #mfam .ndet{display:inline} #mfam .ndet summary{display:inline;cursor:pointer;color:var(--link);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:.4px;list-style:none} #mfam .ndet summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none} #mfam .ndet summary::after{content:' \\203A'} #mfam .ndet[open] summary{display:none} #mfam table.oobt.fleet td:last-child{color:var(--txt2)} #mfam table.oobt.former .tthumb{filter:saturate(.55)} #mfam table.oobt.former tr:hover .tthumb{filter:none} #mfam table.oobt.fleet td:last-child{overflow-wrap:anywhere} #mfam table.oobt.fleet td:last-child{font-size:12.5px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--txt3)} #mfam .de{color:var(--txt3);font-size:12.5px;font-family:'Gilroy regular',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none} #mfam .orgcard .de{margin:-3px 0 8px} #mfam .oob dt .de,#mfam table.oobt .de{white-space:nowrap} #mfam .qbar{display:flex;gap:10px;align-items:center;flex-wrap:wrap;margin:22px 0 0} #mfam .qin{flex:1 1 280px;max-width:460px;padding:11px 13px;font:400 15px\/1.4 'Gilroy regular',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;background:#fff;border:1px solid #d3d8e0;border-radius:0;outline:0;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none} #mfam .qin:focus{border-color:var(--blue)} #mfam .qin::-webkit-search-cancel-button{display:none} #mfam .qcnt{font-size:12.5px;letter-spacing:.4px;color:var(--txt3);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .qbtn{padding:10px 13px;font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.1px;text-transform:uppercase;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;background:#fff;color:var(--txt2);border:1px solid #d3d8e0;border-radius:0;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4} #mfam .qbtn:hover{border-color:var(--blue);color:var(--blue-ink)} #mfam .qhide{display:none!important} #mfam .qnone{display:none;padding:20px 2px;color:var(--txt2);font-size:15px} #mfam .qnone.on{display:block} #mfam .oob>div{cursor:pointer;user-select:none;align-items:center} #mfam .oob>div:focus-visible{outline:2px solid var(--blue);outline-offset:-2px} #mfam .oob>div>i{position:relative;flex:none;width:13px;height:13px;margin-left:auto;opacity:.75} #mfam .oob>div>i::before,#mfam .oob>div>i::after{content:'';position:absolute;background:#fff;left:0;top:6px;width:13px;height:1.5px} #mfam .oob>div>i::after{transform:rotate(90deg)} #mfam .oob.open>div>i::after{transform:rotate(0)} #mfam .oobwrap.coll .oob>dl{display:none} #mfam .oobwrap.coll .oob.open>dl{display:grid} #mfam table.oobt.cbt td{vertical-align:top} #mfam table.oobt.cbt tr.crow td{border-bottom:0} #mfam table.oobt.cbt tr.cdet>td{border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);padding:0 16px 20px;color:var(--txt2)} #mfam tr.cdet{display:none} #mfam tr.cdet.on{display:table-row} #mfam .cwho{display:block;font-size:12.5px;color:var(--txt3);line-height:1.45;margin-top:3px} #mfam .cserv{display:block;font-size:12.5px;color:var(--txt3);line-height:1.45;margin-top:3px} #mfam .cbx{padding:6px 11px;font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.1px;text-transform:uppercase;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;background:#fff;color:var(--blue-ink);border:1px solid var(--blue);border-radius:0;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;white-space:nowrap} #mfam .cbx:hover{background:var(--blue);color:#fff} #mfam .cdin{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1.6fr 1fr;gap:26px;padding-top:2px;max-width:none} #mfam .cdin p{font-size:16.5px;color:var(--txt2);margin:0 0 11px;max-width:66ch} #mfam .cdin p.crole{color:#0d1117} #mfam .cdl{margin:0} #mfam .cdl dt{font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--txt3);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;margin-top:12px} #mfam .cdl dt:first-child{margin-top:0} #mfam .cdl dd{margin:3px 0 0;font-size:14.5px;color:#0d1117;line-height:1.55} #mfam .cdl dd a{color:#0d1117;border-bottom:1px solid #c3cddb} #mfam .cdl dd a:hover{color:var(--blue-ink);border-bottom-color:var(--blue)} #mfam .ccav{display:block;font-size:13px;color:var(--txt3);line-height:1.55;margin-top:12px;padding-left:11px;border-left:2px solid var(--line);max-width:64ch} #mfam .clink{display:inline-block;margin:0 14px 0 0;font-size:13.5px} #mfam .cwar{font-size:11px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--txt3);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .statstrip.dark{margin:22px 0 4px} #mfam ul.gl.cml{margin-top:18px!important} #mfam ul.gl.cml li{line-height:1.6} #mfam ul.gl.cml li b{color:#0d1117;font-weight:400;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .cbig{display:inline-block;margin-top:22px;padding:13px 22px;background:var(--blue);color:#fff!important;border:1px solid var(--blue);border-radius:0;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11.5px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;text-decoration:none} #mfam .cbig:hover{background:var(--blue-ink);border-color:var(--blue-ink)} #mfam .badge{height:66px;width:auto;display:block;flex:none;filter:drop-shadow(0 2px 9px rgba(0,0,0,.5))} #mfam .badge.big{height:112px} #mfam .mjc{height:96px;width:auto;display:block;flex:none;filter:drop-shadow(0 2px 9px rgba(0,0,0,.5))} #mfam .mcol{display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:18px} #mfam .tthumb.none{background:repeating-linear-gradient(45deg,#f3f6fa,#f3f6fa 6px,#e9eef5 6px,#e9eef5 12px)} #mfam .cflag{display:inline-block;width:16px;height:16px;vertical-align:-3px;margin-right:7px;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:200px 20px} #mfam .nflag{display:inline-block;width:18px;height:12px;vertical-align:1px;margin-left:8px;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:242px 16px} #mfam .st{display:table;font-size:10px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;padding:2px 7px;margin:8px 0 0;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1px solid currentColor;white-space:nowrap} #mfam .st.on{color:var(--green)} #mfam .st.out{color:var(--amber)} #mfam .st.ord{color:var(--blue-ink)} #mfam .flybtn{display:table;margin:8px 0 0;padding:4px 10px;font-size:10.5px;line-height:1.45;letter-spacing:1.2px;text-transform:uppercase;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#fff!important;background:var(--blue);border:1px solid var(--blue);white-space:nowrap;max-width:100%} #mfam .flybtn:hover{background:var(--blue-ink);border-color:var(--blue-ink)} #mfam .flybtn.ghost{background:transparent;border:1px solid var(--blue);color:var(--blue-ink)!important;letter-spacing:.9px;white-space:normal;max-width:11em} #mfam table.oobt.former td .flybtn.ghost{color:var(--blue-ink)!important} #mfam .flybtn .via{opacity:.72;letter-spacing:.8px} #mfam table.oobt td a.flybtn{border-bottom:0} #mfam table.oobt.former td a.flybtn{color:#fff!important} #mfam #structure,#mfam #former,#mfam #oob,#mfam #faq{background:var(--bg2)} #mfam .ngrid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:20px;margin-top:32px} #mfam .ncard{display:block;background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--line);overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none} #mfam .ncard:hover{border-color:var(--blue)} #mfam .ncim{display:block;height:158px;background:#eef1f6 center\/cover no-repeat} #mfam .ncim.none{background:repeating-linear-gradient(45deg,#f3f6fa,#f3f6fa 8px,#e9eef5 8px,#e9eef5 16px)} #mfam .ncbody{display:block;padding:16px 18px 20px} #mfam .ncbody time{display:block;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--txt3)} #mfam .nct{display:block;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:17px;line-height:1.32;color:#0d1117;margin:9px 0 8px} #mfam .ncard:hover .nct{color:var(--link)} #mfam .ncx{display:block;font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;color:var(--txt2)} #mfam .ncgo{display:block;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.4px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--link);margin-top:14px} #mfam .nmore{display:inline-block;margin-top:26px;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--link)} @media(max-width:960px){#mfam .ngrid{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}} @media(max-width:620px){#mfam .ngrid{grid-template-columns:1fr}} #mfam #gallery{background:#0d1117} #mfam #gallery h2{color:#fff} #mfam #gallery .spx-lede{color:#9aa3b8} #mfam #gallery .kicker{color:var(--blue)} #mfam #gallery .acard{background:#161b24;border-color:#242c38} #mfam #gallery .acard .tx b{color:#fff} #mfam #gallery .acard .im{background-color:#242c38} #mfam #gallery .acard .im.none{background:repeating-linear-gradient(45deg,#1b212b,#1b212b 8px,#232a35 8px,#232a35 16px)} #mfam .org{margin-top:34px} #mfam .cmdcard{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:26px;background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--line);border-left:4px solid var(--red);padding:22px 26px} #mfam .cface{display:block;flex:none;width:128px;height:128px;background:#eef1f6 center\/cover no-repeat;border:1px solid var(--line)} #mfam .cface.mono{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;background:var(--blue-dim);color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:44px;letter-spacing:1px;border-color:var(--blue)} #mfam .cmdtx{flex:1 1 auto;min-width:0;text-align:left} #mfam .crank{display:block;font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.8px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .cmdtx b{display:block;font-size:21px;color:#0d1117;margin:3px 0 4px;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .cmeta{display:block;font-size:13px;color:var(--txt3)} #mfam .cmdorg{flex:none;text-align:left;padding-left:22px;border-left:1px solid var(--line)} #mfam .cmdorg span{display:block;font-size:13.5px;color:#0d1117;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .cmdorg em{display:block;font-style:normal;font-size:12.5px;color:#8b94a5;margin-top:3px} #mfam .oloc{font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0 0 9px} #mfam .orgcard,#mfam .orgcard h4,#mfam .orgcard p,#mfam .orgcard .de{text-align:left} #mfam .orgrow{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:16px;margin-top:16px} #mfam .orgcard{background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--line);border-top:3px solid var(--blue);padding:20px 22px} #mfam .orgcard.wide{grid-column:1\/-1} #mfam .orgcard h4{margin:0 0 7px;font-size:16.5px;color:#0d1117} #mfam .orgcard p{font-size:14px;color:var(--txt2);max-width:none} #mfam .orgcard .tag{display:inline-block;font-size:10px;letter-spacing:1.4px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);border:1px solid var(--blue);padding:2px 8px;margin-bottom:11px;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .orgcard.new{border-top-color:var(--red)} #mfam .orgcard.new .tag{color:var(--red);border-color:var(--red)} #mfam .tfgrid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:22px;margin-top:18px} #mfam .tfcol{border-top:1px solid var(--line);padding-top:14px} #mfam .tfcol h4{margin:0 0 3px;font-size:15px;color:#0d1117} #mfam .tfn{font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;margin-bottom:8px} #mfam .tfcol p{font-size:13.5px;color:var(--txt2);margin:0} #mfam .tfmore{display:inline-block;margin-top:12px;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;border-bottom:1px solid var(--blue)} #mfam .tfmore:hover{color:#0d1117;border-bottom-color:#0d1117} #mfam .ucol{margin-top:12px} #mfam .ucol summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1.3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;padding:7px 0} #mfam .ucol summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none} #mfam .ucol summary::after{content:' +';font-family:inherit} #mfam .ucol[open] summary::after{content:' \\2013'} #mfam .ucol summary:hover{color:#0d1117} #mfam a.unit{text-decoration:none} #mfam a.unit:hover{border-color:var(--blue);color:var(--blue-ink);background:var(--blue-dim)} #mfam table.oobt tr.flash td{background:var(--blue-dim);transition:background .45s} @media(max-width:900px){#mfam .tfgrid{grid-template-columns:1fr}} #mfam .units{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;margin-top:15px} #mfam .unit{font-size:12.5px;padding:5px 11px;background:var(--bg2);border:1px solid var(--line);color:var(--txt2);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif} #mfam .acgrid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(4,1fr);gap:16px;margin-top:32px} #mfam .acard{display:block;background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--line);overflow:hidden} #mfam .acard:hover{border-color:var(--blue)} #mfam .acard .im{display:block;height:132px;background:#eef1f6 center\/cover no-repeat} #mfam .acard .im.none{background:repeating-linear-gradient(45deg,#f3f6fa,#f3f6fa 8px,#e9eef5 8px,#e9eef5 16px)} #mfam .acard .tx{display:block;padding:14px 16px} #mfam .acard .tx b{display:block;font-size:15px;color:#0d1117;line-height:1.3} #mfam .acard .tx em{display:block;font-style:normal;font-size:12px;color:var(--txt3);margin-top:5px;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums} #mfam .acard:hover .tx b{color:var(--blue-ink)} @media(max-width:1000px){#mfam .acgrid{grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr)}#mfam .orgrow{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}} @media(max-width:820px){#mfam .tthumb{width:118px;height:79px}#mfam .badge.big{height:84px}#mfam .mjc{height:74px}#mfam .mcol{gap:14px}#mfam .acgrid{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}#mfam .orgrow{grid-template-columns:1fr}#mfam .marks{gap:20px}#mfam .photocred{position:static;display:block;padding:0 24px 12px;text-align:left;max-width:none}} @media(max-width:820px){#mfam .cmdcard{flex-wrap:wrap;gap:14px}#mfam .cmdorg{padding-left:0;border-left:0;flex-basis:100%}#mfam .specgrid,#mfam .specgrid.three{grid-template-columns:1fr}#mfam .cols{grid-template-columns:1fr}#mfam .relgrid{grid-template-columns:1fr}#mfam .statstrip{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}#mfam .oob dl{grid-template-columns:1fr}#mfam .cdin{grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:18px}#mfam .oob dd{text-align:left}#mfam .frow{grid-template-columns:110px 1fr 56px;gap:10px}#mfam .srclist{columns:1}#mfam .oobmap{height:440px}#mfam .oobmap.home{height:400px}} #mfam .pqband{background:#0d1117;padding:56px 0} #mfam .pqband .wrap{max-width:1120px} #mfam 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.satlbx{position:absolute;top:18px;right:22px;color:rgba(255,255,255,.72);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10.5px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase} #mfam .satcap{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:baseline;gap:22px;flex-wrap:wrap;margin-top:12px;font-size:13px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--txt3)} #mfam .satcap b{font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Gilroy,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:400;color:var(--txt)} @media(max-width:820px){#mfam .satimg{height:380px}} @media(max-width:680px){#mfam .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}#mfam .qa details .a{padding:0 14px 20px}#mfam section{padding:44px 0}} #mfam .mfshare{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;flex-wrap:wrap;margin:0 0 6px} #mfam .mfsh-btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;padding:9px 15px;background:transparent;border:1px solid var(--blue);color:var(--blue-ink);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11.5px;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;cursor:pointer;line-height:1} #mfam .mfsh-btn:hover{background:var(--blue);color:#fff} #mfam .mfsh-btn svg{width:14px;height:14px;fill:none;stroke:currentColor;stroke-width:1.8} #mfam .mfsh-net{display:none;align-items:center;gap:8px;flex-wrap:wrap} #mfam .mfshare.on .mfsh-net{display:flex} #mfam .mfsh-net a,#mfam .mfsh-net button{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;width:34px;height:34px;border:1px solid var(--line);background:#fff;color:#3d4654;cursor:pointer;padding:0} #mfam .mfsh-net a:hover,#mfam .mfsh-net button:hover{border-color:var(--blue);color:var(--blue-ink)} #mfam .mfsh-net svg{width:16px;height:16px;fill:currentColor} #mfam .mfsh-said{font-size:12px;color:var(--green);font-family:'Gilroy semiBold',Helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:.6px}<\/style>\n<div id=\"mfam\">\n<div class=\"hero photo\">\n<div class=\"heroimg ph1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrap hero-in\">\n<div class=\"crumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/\">Order of Battle<\/a> &middot; <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/portuguese-air-force\/\">Portuguese Air Force<\/a> &middot; Air base<\/div>\n<h1>Lajes Air Base<\/h1>\n<div class=\"native\">Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4 (BA4), Lajes, Terceira<\/div>\n<p class=\"sub\">Active (Merlin search and rescue and C-295M detachment over the mid-Atlantic; host to the US Air Force&rsquo;s 65th Air Base Group; civil terminal)<\/p>\n<div class=\"statstrip\">\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>LPLA<\/b><span>ICAO<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>3,310 m<\/b><span>Runway<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>1942<\/b><span>Opened<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>Active<\/b><span>Status<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"photocred\">Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)<\/div>\n<div class=\"accent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"chips\"><span class=\"chip\"><b>Operator<\/b>Portuguese Air Force<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>District or region<\/b>Autonomous Region of the Azores (Regi&#227;o Aut&#243;noma dos A&#231;ores)<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Elevation<\/b>55 m<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Coordinates<\/b>38.7619 N, 27.0908 W<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"mfshare\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-btn\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"18\" cy=\"5\" r=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"6\" cy=\"12\" r=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"18\" cy=\"19\" r=\"3\"\/><path d=\"M8.6 10.6l6.8-4M8.6 13.4l6.8 4\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/button><span class=\"mfsh-net\"><\/span><span class=\"mfsh-said\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"story\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">The story<\/div>\n<h2>Lajes Air Base: what it was built for and what flies there now<\/h2>\n<div class=\"cols\">\n<div>\n<p>Lajes, on Terceira in the middle of the Atlantic, is the Portuguese Air Force&rsquo;s most strategic address. The Air Force traces its roots to the Achada aerodrome, inaugurated on 4 October 1930, and to the earth runway begun at Lajes in 1934; on 4 August 1942 the two Azores fields were made air bases, Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4 at Santana on S&#227;o Miguel and Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 5 at Lajes; the number four later passed to Lajes (the Air Force does not give the date). Under the old Anglo-Portuguese alliance the RAF&rsquo;s No. 247 Group landed on 8 October 1943 to hunt U-boats, laying steel planking to lengthen the runway, and US forces followed; the first American bomber was ferried through on 1 December 1943, according to the USAF history office.<\/p>\n<p>Portugal took back control in 1946 but the Americans stayed as tenants, a relationship written into the defence agreement of 6 September 1951. Lajes has served every major American airlift since: Operation Nickel Grass to Israel began here on 14 October 1973, and the base handled more than 12,000 aircraft movements in the 1991 Gulf War. The US presence has since been cut sharply, but the 65th Air Base Group remains.<\/p>\n<p>For Portugal, Lajes is first a rescue base. Aircraft such as B-17s, C-54s and SA-16 Albatrosses flew rescue from here after the war; today a Merlin of Esquadra 752, reactivated on 16 May 2023, and C-295Ms of the Esquadra 502 detachment, activated on 12 March 2010, cover a vast stretch of ocean and fly medical evacuations between the islands. The base has also seen grim days: the crash of a C-130 Hercules at Lajes on 3 September 1976 killed 68 people, according to Wikipedia&rsquo;s list of accidents (finding aid).<\/p>\n<p>Coordinates, elevation and runway are from the AIP of NAV Portugal (AD 2 LPLA, valid from 6 August 2026).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"sat\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Satellite<\/div>\n<h2>Lajes from above<\/h2>\n<div class=\"satfig\" id=\"satfig\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Enlarge the satellite view\">\n<div class=\"satimg\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Lajes Air Base seen from above\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"satzoom\">Click to enlarge<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"satcap\"><b>One runway, 3,310 m of asphalt.<\/b><span>Imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics and the GIS user community<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"satlb\" id=\"satlb\"><span class=\"satlbx\">Close<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"satbig\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Lajes Air Base seen from above, enlarged\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<style>#mfam .satimg{background-image:url(\"https:\/\/server.arcgisonline.com\/ArcGIS\/rest\/services\/World_Imagery\/MapServer\/export?bbox=-27.13806,38.74485,-27.04360,38.77904\\26 bboxSR=4326\\26 imageSR=3857\\26 size=1600,743\\26 format=jpg\\26 f=image\")!important}#mfam .satbig{background-image:url(\"https:\/\/server.arcgisonline.com\/ArcGIS\/rest\/services\/World_Imagery\/MapServer\/export?bbox=-27.13523,38.73886,-27.04643,38.78503\\26 bboxSR=4326\\26 imageSR=3857\\26 size=2048,1365\\26 format=jpg\\26 f=image\")!important}@media(max-width:820px){#mfam .satimg{background-image:url(\"https:\/\/server.arcgisonline.com\/ArcGIS\/rest\/services\/World_Imagery\/MapServer\/export?bbox=-27.11276,38.74485,-27.06891,38.77904\\26 bboxSR=4326\\26 imageSR=3857\\26 size=760,760\\26 format=jpg\\26 f=image\")!important}}<\/style>\n<div id=\"sat-data\" data-js=\"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\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(){var el=document.getElementById(\"sat-data\");var js=decodeURIComponent(escape(atob(el.getAttribute(\"data-js\"))));var sc=document.createElement(\"script\");sc.text=js;document.body.appendChild(sc);})();<\/script><section class=\"pqband\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"pqrow\">\n<figure class=\"pq\">\n<blockquote><p>Know that today when we change this command, that this is not a shift in the commitment of the United States to the Portuguese people.<\/blockquote><figcaption><b>Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray<\/b><span>Commander, Third Air Force, at the redesignation of the 65th Air Base Wing as a group, 14 August 2015<\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usafe.af.mil\/News\/Article-Display\/Article\/748155\/65th-abw-redesignates-at-lajes-field\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">US Air Forces in Europe<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"pq\">\n<blockquote><p>Lajes Field&rsquo;s strategic mission is important and valuable, and will not change. But, the footprint with which we accomplish our mission will change.<\/blockquote><figcaption><b>Col. Chris Bargery<\/b><span>Commander, 65th Air Base Wing, announcing the drawdown, December 2012<\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/News\/Article-Display\/Article\/109986\/lajes-field-drawdown-as-part-of-force-structuring-announced\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">US Air Force<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"glance\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">At a glance<\/div>\n<h2>Lajes Air Base in numbers<\/h2>\n<div class=\"specgrid three\">\n<div class=\"spectable\">\n<h4>Location &amp; codes<\/h4>\n<dl>\n<dt>ICAO<\/dt>\n<dd>LPLA<\/dd>\n<dt>Country<\/dt>\n<dd>Portugal<\/dd>\n<dt>District or region<\/dt>\n<dd>Autonomous Region of the Azores<span class=\"gnote\">Regi&#227;o Aut&#243;noma dos A&#231;ores<\/span><\/dd>\n<dt>Coordinates<\/dt>\n<dd>38.7619 N, 27.0908 W<\/dd>\n<dt>Elevation<\/dt>\n<dd>55 m <span class=\"imp\">(180 ft)<\/span><\/dd>\n<dt>Usage<\/dt>\n<dd>Military<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spectable\">\n<h4>Runways &amp; facilities<\/h4>\n<dl>\n<dt>Runways<\/dt>\n<dd>1<\/dd>\n<dt>Designator<\/dt>\n<dd>15\/33<\/dd>\n<dt>Length<\/dt>\n<dd>3,310 m <span class=\"imp\">(10,860 ft)<\/span><\/dd>\n<dt>Surface<\/dt>\n<dd>Asphalt<\/dd>\n<dt>Quick Reaction Alert<\/dt>\n<dd>Merlin search and rescue helicopter on standby for the Azores; Esquadra 752 was reactivated in 2023 to carry the load<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spectable\">\n<h4>Command &amp; status<\/h4>\n<dl>\n<dt>Status<\/dt>\n<dd>Active<span class=\"gnote\">Merlin search and rescue and C-295M detachment over the mid-Atlantic; host to the US Air Force&rsquo;s 65th Air Base Group; civil terminal<\/span><\/dd>\n<dt>Operator<\/dt>\n<dd>Portuguese Air Force<\/dd>\n<dt>Opened<\/dt>\n<dd>1942<\/dd>\n<dt>Command<\/dt>\n<dd>Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4, Portuguese Air Force; civil terminal operated by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal<\/dd>\n<dt>Resident units<\/dt>\n<dd>3 current, 1 former<\/dd>\n<dt>Based types<\/dt>\n<dd>2<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"units\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Resident units<\/div>\n<h2>Who flies from Lajes Air Base<\/h2>\n<div class=\"oob\">\n<div><span>Current<\/span><em>3 units<\/em><\/div>\n<dl>\n<dt>Esquadra 752 (752 Squadron)<small>F&#233;nix &middot; Search and rescue helicopter squadron &middot; active &middot; from 2023<\/small><\/dt>\n<dd>AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin<\/dd>\n<dt>Esquadra 502 Azores detachment (Destacamento A&#233;reo dos A&#231;ores)<small>Elefantes &middot; Maritime patrol and tactical transport detachment &middot; active &middot; from 2007<\/small><\/dt>\n<dd>Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M<\/dd>\n<dt>65th Air Base Group, US Air Force<small>Foreign tenant: air base support group &middot; active &middot; from 1944<\/small><\/dt>\n<dd><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<div><span>Former<\/span><em>1 units<\/em><\/div>\n<dl>\n<dt class=\"was\">No. 247 Group, Royal Air Force<small>1943&ndash;1946 &middot; Landed at Angra on 8 October 1943 and stayed until June 1946.<\/small><\/dt>\n<dd class=\"was\">RAF Coastal Command aircraft (types not listed here)<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Aircraft types based here<\/h3>\n<p>AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin, Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M, RAF Coastal Command aircraft (types not listed here)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"knownfor\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Claim to fame<\/div>\n<h2>What Lajes is known for<\/h2>\n<div class=\"kfgrid\">\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">01<\/div>\n<h3>Stepping stone in mid-Atlantic<\/h3>\n<p>Lajes sits on Terceira, roughly a third of the way from Europe to North America, which is why air forces and airlines have leant on it since the Second World War.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">The US Air Force history office puts the Azores about 900 miles (1,450 km) from mainland Portugal and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the Americas.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">02<\/div>\n<h3>The Nickel Grass airlift<\/h3>\n<p>When the United States resupplied Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, almost every transport stopped at Lajes to refuel.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">Between 14 October and 14 November 1973, 312 C-5 and 845 C-141 sorties delivered 22,395 tons; up to 56 aircraft stood on the Lajes ramp at the peak.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">03<\/div>\n<h3>Gulf War gas station<\/h3>\n<p>In 1990&ndash;1991 Lajes refuelled the air bridge to the Gulf and housed a surge of American tankers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">More than 12,000 aircraft operations, some 40 million gallons of fuel and a peak of 33 tankers, per the US Air Force history office.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">04<\/div>\n<h3>Rescue for nine islands<\/h3>\n<p>For the Portuguese Air Force, Lajes is first a search and rescue base: a Merlin helicopter of Esquadra 752 and a C-295M stand by for the Azores.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">Rescue and medical evacuation missions flown from the Azores rose by 236% in a decade, which is why Esquadra 752 was reactivated on 16 May 2023.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">05<\/div>\n<h3>The Air Transat glider<\/h3>\n<p>In 2001 an Airbus A330 that had run out of fuel over the Atlantic glided to Lajes with both engines stopped and landed without loss of life.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">306 people on board (293 passengers, 13 crew); nobody died, 18 were injured, according to the Portuguese investigators&rsquo; report.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"kf\">\n<div class=\"kfn\">06<\/div>\n<h3>A shrinking American footprint<\/h3>\n<p>Lajes was once a busy US base with thousands of Americans; today a small US Air Force group shares it with the Portuguese Air Force.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"kff\">About 1,100 US service members in December 2012; roughly 165&ndash;178 after the drawdown, depending on the count (Heritage Foundation, 2020).<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"deep\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Go deeper<\/div>\n<h2>The long version<\/h2>\n<div class=\"deep\">\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">01<\/span><span>From the Achada field to an air base<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>The Portuguese Air Force tells the story from the beginning. In 1926 a Fokker seaplane made the first Portuguese flight from Lisbon to the Azores, and in 1928 Lieutenant-Colonel Cifka Duarte was sent to find a site for an airfield. He chose Achada on Terceira. On 4 October 1930 an Avro biplane flown by Captain Frederico Coelho de Melo took off from its 600 by 70 metre strip. The US Air Force history office dates that first take-off to 30 October 1930; the two official histories disagree.<\/p>\n<p>In 1934 work began on a compacted earth runway at Lajes, on the flat north-east corner of the island, under the engineer Captain Magro Rom&#227;o. It was modest, but it was in the right place. When the Second World War turned the Atlantic into a battlefield, neutral Portugal realised that the Azores were exposed, and in 1941 Lisbon sent two fighter flights with Gloster Gladiators to the islands: Esquadrilha N.&#186; 1 to Santana on S&#227;o Miguel and Esquadrilha N.&#186; 2 to Lajes on Terceira.<\/p>\n<p>On 4 August 1942 the two fields were formally made air bases. The Air Force&rsquo;s own history is precise and a little surprising: Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4 was constituted at Santana on S&#227;o Miguel, and Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 5 at Lajes. The number four later passed to Lajes, which is the base that carries it today. In September 2026 the Air Force marked the base&rsquo;s 85th anniversary with a ceremony presided over by the Vice-President of the Azores regional government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">02<\/span><span>Wartime: the British arrive, then the Americans<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>Portugal stayed neutral in the Second World War, but it did not stay out of it. Invoking the Anglo-Portuguese alliance that dates back to the Treaty of Windsor of 1373, Lisbon and London signed an agreement on 17 August 1943 that opened the Azores to British forces. No. 247 Group of the Royal Air Force came ashore at Angra on 8 October 1943 and laid steel planking to lengthen the Lajes runway so that heavy aircraft could use it.<\/p>\n<p>The US Air Force history office says British Hudsons, Fortresses and Wellingtons were hunting U-boats within a 500-mile radius of the Azores within two weeks, and credits a B-17 with the first kill on 9 November 1943. The Portuguese Air Force puts it more simply: thirty days after the British landed, the first German submarine was sunk. Closing the mid-Atlantic air gap was the whole point of the exercise.<\/p>\n<p>Americans followed. The history office dates the first US bomber ferried through Lajes to 1 December 1943; the Seabees of the 96th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on 9 January 1944, and US Army engineers a week later. The Portuguese Air Force records American detachments from February 1944. In 1945 Lajes carried the Green Project, which flew more than 50,000 veterans home on over 7,000 C-54 sorties. On 2&ndash;3 June 1946 control returned to Portugal; the Americans stayed on as tenants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">03<\/span><span>Crossroads of the Atlantic<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>The Cold War gave Lajes a permanent American role. More than 3,000 aircraft passed through during the Berlin Airlift of 1948&ndash;1949, and the defence agreement of 6 September 1951 put the US presence on a treaty footing. US Forces Azores was organised on 16 March 1953, the US Navy opened a Naval Air Facility in 1957 and flew P-3 Orion patrols from 1967. The US military population rose from 1,020 in 1952 to 3,020 in 1959.<\/p>\n<p>The base&rsquo;s most famous hour came in October 1973. Lajes became the refuelling stop for Operation Nickel Grass, the American airlift to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. From 14 October to 14 November, 312 C-5 and 845 C-141 sorties delivered 22,395 tons of equipment, and up to 56 aircraft crowded the ramp at once, according to the US Air Force history office.<\/p>\n<p>The pattern repeated in the Gulf War. Between August 1990 and February 1991 the base handled more than 12,000 aircraft operations, disbursed some 40 million gallons of fuel, hosted up to 33 tankers and saw more than 75,000 people pass through. On 16 March 2003 Lajes also hosted the summit of George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Jos&#233; Mar&#237;a Aznar and Jos&#233; Manuel Dur&#227;o Barroso, four days before the invasion of Iraq began.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">04<\/span><span>A rescue base first<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>For Portugal the base has always meant rescue. After the war, the Air Force says, Lajes flew B-17s, C-54s, SA-16 Albatross amphibians, Sikorsky SH-19 helicopters and Dakotas on search and rescue, with weather reconnaissance, transport and pilot training as secondary tasks. From 1961 activity slowed as the Air Force poured its resources into the wars in Africa. In 1978 the base came under the new Comando A&#233;reo dos A&#231;ores, with search and rescue, tactical transport and maritime patrol missions.<\/p>\n<p>Esquadra 752 was formed in 1978 on the SA-330 Puma. In 1993 the Azores Air Command was abolished and the base reorganised: on 13 October 1993 squadrons 503 and 752 were disbanded and replaced by Esquadra 711 with two flights. From 30 November 2006 a detachment of EH-101 Merlins from Esquadra 751 took over rescue alert, and Esquadra 711 was deactivated on 11 April 2007. Between 2008 and 2011 the Pumas came back under &ldquo;Operation F&#233;nix&rdquo; before retiring after 34 years.<\/p>\n<p>The two official Air Force pages disagree on those Puma dates: the squadron page gives 12 September 2008 to 13 April 2011, the base page 24 September 2008 to 5 April 2011. Either way, the workload kept growing. By the Air Force&rsquo;s count, rescue and medical evacuation missions flown by the Merlin detachment rose by 236% in a decade, and on 16 May 2023 Esquadra 752 &ldquo;F&#233;nix&rdquo; was reactivated on the Merlin. A C-295M detachment, activated on 12 March 2010, flies maritime patrol, transport and evacuations between the islands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">05<\/span><span>The American drawdown and what it cost Terceira<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>The American units at Lajes are American, not Portuguese: today the US Air Force&rsquo;s 65th Air Base Group, which also looks after Mor&#243;n in Spain. On 13 December 2012 the US Air Force announced that the 65th Air Base Wing would shrink to a group, cutting more than 400 military personnel and 500 family members by the end of fiscal year 2014 to save an estimated 35 million dollars a year.<\/p>\n<p>The redesignation took place on 14 August 2015, when the group was placed under the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein. The Heritage Foundation, in a 2020 report, counted some 1,100 US service members at Lajes in December 2012 and 165&ndash;178 afterwards, depending on the date; the counts differ because they were taken at different times. Wikipedia, used here only as a finding aid, gives a cap of about 170 active duty.<\/p>\n<p>Portuguese civilian workers paid a large share of the price. According to the news agency Lusa, reported by Observador, the plan announced in January 2015 foresaw about 400 Portuguese dismissals; by September 2016 about 450 workers had accepted negotiated terminations and around 410 permanent Portuguese staff remained. The Heritage Foundation writes that Terceira lost a large part of its economy; its figures are an advocacy group&rsquo;s estimates and are not repeated here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"ddet\">\n<summary><span class=\"dn\">06<\/span><span>Lajes in the 2020s: war traffic and pollution<\/span><span class=\"dx\">Read<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"dbody\">\n<p>Lajes has returned to the headlines as a staging post. In June 2025 Portugal&rsquo;s Ministry of National Defence said the United States had requested, through a diplomatic note, the use of Lajes by 12 refuelling aircraft, and that it had been granted; the ministry stressed that these were tankers only. The request came days before the American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026 the traffic grew. Lusa reported that from 18 February 15 KC-46 tankers, 12 F-16s and several transports including a C-5M passed through. Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel acknowledged that the bilateral agreement allows short-notice, tacit authorisations. In March Prime Minister Lu&#237;s Montenegro told parliament that US use of the base was authorised on conditions: operations had to be defensive or retaliatory, necessary and proportionate, and aimed only at military targets.<\/p>\n<p>The other difficult subject is pollution. According to reporting summarised by The Portugal Post, US authorities identified hydrocarbon and heavy-metal contamination around the base in 2005, Portugal&rsquo;s National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC) confirmed it in 2009, monitoring began in 2012, and clean-up work was suspended in 2020&ndash;2021. A University of Coimbra doctoral study has reported higher metal concentrations in skeletal remains from Praia da Vit&#243;ria than from Angra do Hero&#237;smo. These are reported findings under discussion, not settled conclusions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"timeline\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Timeline<\/div>\n<h2>Lajes, year by year<\/h2>\n<div class=\"tl\">\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1930<\/div>\n<p>4 October: the Achada aerodrome on Terceira opens with the take-off of an Avro biplane (the USAF history office says 30 October).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1934<\/div>\n<p>Work begins on a compacted earth runway at Lajes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1941<\/div>\n<p>A flight of Gloster Gladiators, Esquadrilha N.&#186; 2, is sent to Lajes to guard the neutral Azores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1942<\/div>\n<p>4 August: Lajes becomes Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 5 (the number 4 goes to Santana on S&#227;o Miguel at first).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1943<\/div>\n<p>8 October: the RAF&rsquo;s No. 247 Group lands at Angra under the Anglo-Portuguese alliance and lengthens the runway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1944<\/div>\n<p>US Navy Seabees and Army engineers arrive in January; American detachments settle in the Azores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1946<\/div>\n<p>2&ndash;3 June: control of the base returns to Portugal; the Americans stay as tenants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1948<\/div>\n<p>The Berlin Airlift begins; more than 3,000 aircraft transit Lajes by September 1949.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1951<\/div>\n<p>6 September: the US&ndash;Portuguese defence agreement is signed. 31 January: a Portuguese C-54 crashes off Lajes, killing 14.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1973<\/div>\n<p>14 October&ndash;14 November: Operation Nickel Grass, the US airlift to Israel, refuels at Lajes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1976<\/div>\n<p>3 September: a Venezuelan Air Force C-130 carrying a university choir crashes on Terceira; 68 are killed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1978<\/div>\n<p>Esquadra 752 forms on the SA-330 Puma under the new Azores Air Command.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1980<\/div>\n<p>1 January: an earthquake strikes Terceira; 16 July: the base receives the Gold Medal for Distinguished Services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1991<\/div>\n<p>The Gulf War air bridge: more than 12,000 aircraft operations through Lajes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">2001<\/div>\n<p>24 August: Air Transat Flight 236 glides to Lajes with both engines out; all 306 survive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">2003<\/div>\n<p>16 March: Bush, Blair, Aznar and Dur&#227;o Barroso meet at Lajes before the Iraq War.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">2015<\/div>\n<p>14 August: the US 65th Air Base Wing is cut to a group under the 86th Airlift Wing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-item\">\n<div class=\"yr\">2023<\/div>\n<p>16 May: Esquadra 752 &ldquo;F&#233;nix&rdquo; is reactivated on the EH-101 Merlin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"incidents\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Incidents &amp; stories<\/div>\n<h2>What happened here<\/h2>\n<div class=\"inc\">\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">31 January 1951<\/div>\n<h3>A Portuguese C-54 lost on approach<\/h3>\n<p>The Portuguese military&rsquo;s Douglas C-54D Skymaster serial 6603 crashed into the sea a few kilometres off Lajes during a night approach to the base. All 14 people on board, three crew and 11 passengers, were killed, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. The C-54 was one of the types the base used for long-range search and rescue in the post-war years, and the loss came in the same year that the defence agreement with the United States was signed. No investigation findings are published in the record we read.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baaa-acro.com\/crash\/crash-douglas-c-54d-1-dc-skymaster-lajes-14-killed\">Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">October&ndash;November 1973<\/div>\n<h3>The one open door for Nickel Grass<\/h3>\n<p>When war broke out in the Middle East on 6 October 1973, the United States decided to resupply Israel by air. Orders reached Lajes on 12 October and the first flight unloaded in Israel on 14 October. Portugal allowed the airlift to refuel in the Azores, and Lajes became the hinge of the whole operation. Until 14 November, 312 C-5 and 845 C-141 sorties carried 22,395 tons, and at the peak 56 aircraft stood on the ramp at once, according to the US Air Force history office.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5e25b3811195f14156e54b35\/t\/5f0b74220f4f095f7e6ec608\/1594586150735\/lajes+field.pdf\">65th Air Base Wing History Office<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">3 September 1976<\/div>\n<h3>The choir that never reached Barcelona<\/h3>\n<p>A Venezuelan Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying the Orfe&#243;n Universitario of the Central University of Venezuela to a choral festival in Barcelona crashed into high ground on Terceira while trying to land at Lajes in weather worsened by Hurricane Emmy. The Venezuelan Ministry of Culture says the aircraft hit a hill 20 km from the runway. The commonly cited death toll is 68; the ministry lists 52 choir members, the director Vinicio Adames, 11 crew and 5 companions, which adds up to 69, so the exact figure is not settled.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mincultura.gob.ve\/noticias\/a-50-anos-de-las-azores-las-voces-del-orfeon-universitario-siguen-resonando-en-el-alma-venezolana\/\">Venezuelan Ministry of Culture<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">1 January 1980<\/div>\n<h3>Earthquake on Terceira<\/h3>\n<p>A magnitude 7.0 earthquake, as the US Air Force history office records it, struck Terceira on New Year&rsquo;s Day 1980. The base became a relief centre: the history office says American personnel housed about 150 local families, ran dining facilities round the clock and lent generators. Six months later, on 16 July 1980, the President of Portugal awarded Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4 the Gold Medal for Distinguished Services, according to the Portuguese Air Force. The two events are recorded separately; the medal citation is not quoted in the source.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5e25b3811195f14156e54b35\/t\/5f0b74220f4f095f7e6ec608\/1594586150735\/lajes+field.pdf\">65th Air Base Wing History Office<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">24 August 2001<\/div>\n<h3>Air Transat 236 glides in<\/h3>\n<p>An Air Transat Airbus A330, C-GITS, flying from Toronto to Lisbon with 306 people on board lost all its fuel over the Atlantic and flamed out both engines. The crew glided to Lajes and landed on runway 33, bursting tyres; nobody died and 18 were injured. Portugal&rsquo;s investigators found the leak came from a mismatched fuel tube and hydraulic tube fitted during maintenance, which chafed through. Published accounts give the unpowered glide as about 65 nautical miles; the report summary we read gives a longer distance, so the figure is disputed.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fss.aero\/accident-reports\/dvdfiles\/PT\/2001-08-24-PT.pdf\">GPIAA final report<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">2012&ndash;2016<\/div>\n<h3>The drawdown that hit Terceira<\/h3>\n<p>The US Air Force announced on 13 December 2012 that the American wing at Lajes would become a group, cutting more than 400 military personnel and 500 family members. The plan announced in January 2015 also foresaw about 400 dismissals among Portuguese civilian workers. According to Lusa, reported by Observador, about 450 workers accepted negotiated terminations between September 2015 and September 2016, leaving about 410 permanent Portuguese staff. Workers&rsquo; representative Bruno Nogueira said forced lay-offs had been avoided.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/observador.pt\/2016\/09\/30\/reducao-da-forca-laboral-nas-lajes-concluida-com-sucesso\/\">Observador (Lusa)<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">2005&ndash;2026<\/div>\n<h3>Contamination around the base<\/h3>\n<p>According to reporting summarised by The Portugal Post, pollution from hydrocarbons and heavy metals around the base was first identified by US authorities in 2005 and confirmed by Portugal&rsquo;s National Laboratory for Civil Engineering in 2009; monitoring began in 2012 and clean-up was suspended in 2020&ndash;2021. A University of Coimbra doctoral study reports higher metal levels in skeletal remains from Praia da Vit&#243;ria than from Angra. These are findings reported by the press and a researcher, not a final official verdict, and the US and Portugal are still negotiating remediation.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/theportugalpost.com\/posts\/heavy-metals-found-in-residents-remains-near-us-base-in-azoreswhat-you-need-to-know\">The Portugal Post<\/a><\/article>\n<article>\n<div class=\"incd\">June 2025 and February&ndash;March 2026<\/div>\n<h3>Tankers for the Iran strikes<\/h3>\n<p>In June 2025 Portugal&rsquo;s Ministry of National Defence confirmed it had granted a US request, made by diplomatic note, for 12 refuelling aircraft to use Lajes, days before the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. In 2026 Lusa counted 15 KC-46 tankers, 12 F-16s and several transports at Lajes from 18 February. In March Prime Minister Lu&#237;s Montenegro told parliament that use of the base was authorised only for defensive or retaliatory, necessary and proportionate operations against military targets. The aircraft involved were American, not Portuguese.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"incs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.riotimesonline.com\/portugal-lets-us-use-azores-base-for-iran-strikes\/\">The Rio Times (Lusa)<\/a><\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"map\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Location<\/div>\n<h2>Lajes Air Base and its neighbours<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mapframe\">\n<div id=\"oobmap\" class=\"oobmap\" style=\"height:440px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"legend\"><span><i class=\"dot\"><\/i> Active air base<\/span><span><i class=\"dot was\"><\/i> Closed or reserve<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tscroll\">\n<table class=\"oobt\" id=\"nearbytbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Nearby base<\/th>\n<th>ICAO<\/th>\n<th>Status<\/th>\n<th>Based types<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr data-base=\"montijo\">\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/montijo\/\">Montijo Air Base<\/a><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><span class=\"pill\">Active<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Lockheed C-130H\/C-130H-30 Hercules, Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M (12), AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin, Westland Super Lynx Mk95<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-base=\"porto-santo\">\n<td>Porto Santo Airfield<\/td>\n<td>LPPS<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"pill\">Active<\/span><\/td>\n<td>AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin, Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section id=\"faq\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Questions &amp; Answers<\/div>\n<h2>Everything people ask about Lajes Air Base<\/h2>\n<div class=\"qa\">\n<details open>\n<summary>Is Lajes a Portuguese or an American base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">It is Portuguese. Lajes is Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4 of the Portuguese Air Force, commanded by a Portuguese colonel. The US Air Force&rsquo;s 65th Air Base Group is a tenant under the bilateral defence agreement, and the civil terminal is run separately.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Which units at Lajes are American?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">The 65th Air Base Group of the US Air Force, which also supports Mor&#243;n in Spain and reports to the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein, is American. It has no permanently assigned aircraft of its own; US tankers, fighters and transports pass through. The flying units that belong to the base, Esquadra 752 and the C-295M detachment, are Portuguese.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What does the Portuguese Air Force fly from Lajes?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">An EH-101 Merlin of Esquadra 752 &ldquo;F&#233;nix&rdquo; for search and rescue and medical evacuation, and a C-295M detachment of Esquadra 502 for maritime patrol, transport and inter-island evacuations. There are no fighter jets based there.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Why did the British come to Lajes in 1943?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">To close the mid-Atlantic gap in which U-boats could operate beyond the reach of land-based aircraft. Portugal, though neutral, invoked its alliance with Britain dating back to 1373, and the RAF&rsquo;s No. 247 Group landed on 8 October 1943. The Air Force says the first German submarine was sunk thirty days later.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What was Operation Nickel Grass?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">The US airlift to Israel during the Yom Kippur War in October and November 1973. Lajes was its refuelling stop; 312 C-5 and 845 C-141 sorties delivered 22,395 tons, according to the US Air Force history office.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How many Americans are still at Lajes?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Far fewer than before. The Heritage Foundation counted about 1,100 US service members in December 2012 and between 165 and 178 afterwards, depending on the date of the count. The reduction followed the conversion of the 65th Air Base Wing into a group in August 2015.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What was the worst accident at Lajes?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">The crash of a Venezuelan Air Force C-130 on 3 September 1976, which killed members of a Venezuelan university choir. The toll is usually given as 68; a Venezuelan government list adds up to 69, so the exact number is not settled.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Did Lajes support the US strikes on Iran?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">As a refuelling stop, yes. Portugal&rsquo;s defence ministry confirmed in June 2025 that it had allowed 12 US tankers to use the base, and in March 2026 the prime minister told parliament that US use was authorised only for defensive or retaliatory, proportionate operations against military targets.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Is Lajes Air Base still an active military air base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Yes. Active (Merlin search and rescue and C-295M detachment over the mid-Atlantic; host to the US Air Force&rsquo;s 65th Air Base Group; civil terminal). The Portuguese Air Force operates it as Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4, Portuguese Air Force; civil terminal operated by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the ICAO code of Lajes Air Base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">The ICAO code of Lajes Air Base is LPLA. The airfield sits at 55 m above sea level in Autonomous Region of the Azores (Regi&#227;o Aut&#243;noma dos A&#231;ores), at 38.7619 N, 27.0908 W.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How long is the runway at Lajes Air Base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Lajes Air Base has one runway: 15\/33, 3,310 m (10,860 ft), asphalt.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Which squadrons are based at Lajes Air Base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Lajes Air Base currently hosts Esquadra 752 (752 Squadron) flying the AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin; Esquadra 502 Azores detachment (Destacamento A&#233;reo dos A&#231;ores) flying the Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M; 65th Air Base Group, US Air Force.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Which aircraft used to fly from Lajes Air Base?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Over its history Lajes Air Base has hosted No. 247 Group, Royal Air Force (1943&ndash;1946) with the RAF Coastal Command aircraft (types not listed here).<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is Lajes a Portuguese or an American base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It is Portuguese. Lajes is Base A\\u00e9rea N.\\u00ba 4 of the Portuguese Air Force, commanded by a Portuguese colonel. The US Air Force\\u2019s 65th Air Base Group is a tenant under the bilateral defence agreement, and the civil terminal is run separately.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Which units at Lajes are American?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The 65th Air Base Group of the US Air Force, which also supports Mor\\u00f3n in Spain and reports to the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein, is American. It has no permanently assigned aircraft of its own; US tankers, fighters and transports pass through. 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The Air Force says the first German submarine was sunk thirty days later.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What was Operation Nickel Grass?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The US airlift to Israel during the Yom Kippur War in October and November 1973. Lajes was its refuelling stop; 312 C-5 and 845 C-141 sorties delivered 22,395 tons, according to the US Air Force history office.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How many Americans are still at Lajes?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Far fewer than before. The Heritage Foundation counted about 1,100 US service members in December 2012 and between 165 and 178 afterwards, depending on the date of the count. 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Portugal\\u2019s defence ministry confirmed in June 2025 that it had allowed 12 US tankers to use the base, and in March 2026 the prime minister told parliament that US use was authorised only for defensive or retaliatory, proportionate operations against military targets.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is Lajes Air Base still an active military air base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Yes. Active (Merlin search and rescue and C-295M detachment over the mid-Atlantic; host to the US Air Force\\u2019s 65th Air Base Group; civil terminal). The Portuguese Air Force operates it as Base A\\u00e9rea N.\\u00ba 4, Portuguese Air Force; civil terminal operated by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the ICAO code of Lajes Air Base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The ICAO code of Lajes Air Base is LPLA. The airfield sits at 55 m above sea level in Autonomous Region of the Azores (Regi\\u00e3o Aut\\u00f3noma dos A\\u00e7ores), at 38.7619 N, 27.0908 W.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How long is the runway at Lajes Air Base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Lajes Air Base has one runway: 15\/33, 3,310 m (10,860 ft), asphalt.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Which squadrons are based at Lajes Air Base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Lajes Air Base currently hosts Esquadra 752 (752 Squadron) flying the AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin; Esquadra 502 Azores detachment (Destacamento A\\u00e9reo dos A\\u00e7ores) flying the Airbus (EADS CASA) C-295M; 65th Air Base Group, US Air Force.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Which aircraft used to fly from Lajes Air Base?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Over its history Lajes Air Base has hosted No. 247 Group, Royal Air Force (1943\\u20131946) with the RAF Coastal Command aircraft (types not listed here).\"}}]}<\/script><hr class=\"divider\">\n<section>\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Continue the tour<\/div>\n<h2>Around Lajes Air Base<\/h2>\n<div class=\"relgrid\"><a class=\"rel\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/portuguese-air-force\/\"><span class=\"rk\">The operator<\/span><span class=\"rh\">Portuguese Air Force<\/span><span class=\"rp\">Fleet, bases and order of battle of the service that flies from here.<\/span><span class=\"go\">Read the Portuguese Air Force page<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"divider\">\n<section style=\"padding:48px 0 64px\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"kicker\">Sources &amp; Further Reading<\/div>\n<h2>Every fact, checked<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"srclist\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emfa.pt\/unidade-27-base-aerea-n-4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">For&#231;a A&#233;rea Portuguesa: Base A&#233;rea N.&#186; 4<\/a><span>Achada aerodrome 4 October 1930; BA4 4 August 1942; RAF 247 Group 8 October 1943 to June 1946; Esquadra 752, C-295 detachment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emfa.pt\/esquadra-45-esquadra-502-8211-elefantes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">For&#231;a A&#233;rea Portuguesa: Esquadra 502 &ldquo;Elefantes&rdquo;<\/a><span>Tancos 1955; Montijo 2009; 12 C-295M; detachments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emfa.pt\/esquadra-155-esquadra-752-8211-fenix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">For&#231;a A&#233;rea Portuguesa: Esquadra 752 &ldquo;F&#233;nix&rdquo;<\/a><span>Reactivated 16 May 2023 at Lajes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ais.nav.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/AIS_Files\/eAIP_Current\/eAIP_Online\/eAIP\/html\/eAIP\/LP-AD-2.LPLA-en-PT.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AIP Portugal, AD 2 LPLA Lajes (valid from 6 August 2026)<\/a><span>NAV Portugal; ARP 38&deg;45&rsquo;43&quot;N 27&deg;05&rsquo;27&quot;W, elevation 55 m, runway 15\/33 3,310 m; military operator Commander Air Base 4.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5e25b3811195f14156e54b35\/t\/5f0b74220f4f095f7e6ec608\/1594586150735\/lajes+field.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">65th Air Base Wing History Office: A Short History of Lajes Field<\/a><span>RAF at Angra 8 October 1943; first US bomber 9 December 1943; 1951 defence agreement; Nickel Grass from 14 October 1973; 12,000 Gulf War movements. Copy hosted on a third-party site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramstein.af.mil\/About\/Units\/65th-ABG\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">US Air Force, Ramstein Air Base: 65th Air Base Group<\/a><span>Group at Lajes and Mor&#243;n; partners with the Portuguese Air Force.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"verified\">Verified 2026-09-29.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<style>#mfam .ph1{background-image:url(https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/w5-hero-lajes.jpg)!important}<\/style>\n<style>#mfam .cflag{background-image:url(https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/swiss-canton-flags-sprite-v2.png)!important}#mfam .cf0{background-position:-2px -2px}#mfam .cf1{background-position:-22px -2px}#mfam .cf2{background-position:-42px -2px}#mfam .cf3{background-position:-62px -2px}#mfam .cf4{background-position:-82px -2px}#mfam 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