Wheelus Air Base

Wheelus Air Base
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorUnited States Air Force
LocationTripoli
Elevation AMSL36 ft / 11 m
Coordinates32°53′42″N 13°16′49″E / 32.89500°N 13.28028°E / 32.89500; 13.28028
Map
Wheelus Air Base is located in Libya
Wheelus Air Base
Wheelus Air Base
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 6,000 1,829 Asphalt
11/29 11,076 3,376 Asphalt

Wheelus Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in British-occupied Libya and the Kingdom of Libya from 1943 to 1970. At one time it was the largest US military facility outside the US. It had an area of 52 km2 (20 sq mi) on the coast of Tripoli. The base had a beach club, the largest military hospital outside the US, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley and a high school for 500 students. The base had a radio and TV station, a shopping mall and fast food outlets. At its height, over 15,000 military personnel and their dependents lived at the base. Wheelus Air Base was originally built by the Italian Royal Air Force in 1923 and was known as Mellaha Air Base. Today the facility is known as Mitiga International Airport.