Back قاعدة كلارك الجوية Arabic Clark Air Base German Base Aérea de Clark Spanish Base aérienne Clark French クラーク空軍基地 Japanese 클라크 공군기지 Korean Clark Air Base Dutch Clark Air Base PAM Baseng Panghimpapawid ng Clark Tagalog Căn cứ không quân Clark Vietnamese
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| Clark Air Base | |
|---|---|
| Part of the United States Air Force and Philippine Air Force | |
| Located at the Clark Freeport Zone, Philippines | |
 Clark Air Base in 1989 as part of United States Pacific Air Forces | |
| Coordinates | 15°11′09″N 120°33′35″E / 15.18583°N 120.55972°E |
| Type | Air base |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Philippines |
| Controlled by |  Philippine Air Force |
| Condition | Renovated |
| Site history | |
| Built | September 1, 1903 |
| Built by |  United States |
| In use |  United States1903–1942  Japan1942–1945  United States1945–1991 Philippines1991–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison |
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Airfield information | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 148 m / 484 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 15°11′09″N 120°33′35″E / 15.18583°N 120.55972°E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
.svg)  CRK/RPLC Location of Clark Air Base in the Philippines | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Angeles City, and about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was previously a United States military facility, operated by the U.S. Air Force under the aegis of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and their predecessor organizations from 1903 to 1991. The base covered 14.3 square miles (37 km2) with a military reservation extending north that covered another 230 square miles (600 km2).
The base was a stronghold of the combined Philippine and American forces during the final months of World War II, and a backbone of logistical support during the Vietnam War until 1975. Following the departure of American forces in 1991 due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and rejection by the Philippine Senate for renewing the presence of U.S. military bases in the Philippines,[1][2][3] the base became the site of Clark International Airport, as well as the Clark Freeport Zone and the Air Force City of the Philippine Air Force.
In April 2016, an Air Contingent of USAF A-10s and HH-60s was deployed from U.S. air bases in Pyeongtaek and Okinawa to Clark. The Air Contingent included five A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the 51st Fighter Wing, Osan AB, South Korea; three HH-60G Pave Hawks from the 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan; and approximately 200 personnel deployed from multiple Pacific Air Force units.[4] The primary mission of the contingent appears to be to patrol disputed South China Sea islands, "to provide greater and more transparent air and maritime domain awareness to ensure safety for military and civilian activities in international waters and airspace."[4] The air contingent builds upon previous deployments by U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft to Clark.
- ^ Oberdorfer, Don (September 10, 1991). "U.S. Base Rejected in Philippines". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Francisco, Katerina (September 16, 2016). "LOOK BACK: When the Senate said 'no' to US bases renewal". RAPPLER. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Politics, Pinatubo and the Pentagon: The Closure of Subic Bay". adst.org. Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "PACAF Airmen stand up air contingent in Philippines". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved April 30, 2016.