Al Minhad Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة المنهاد الجوية, IATA: NHD, ICAO: OMDM, also just Minhad Air Base[1]) is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Dubai and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force. It is currently the headquarters of the Australian Defence Force's Joint Task Force 633 and supports Australian operations in the Middle East. The base was "a critical hub for Coalition/ISAF partners in Afghanistan, including the Australians, Dutch, Canadians, Brits and Kiwis."[2]
As of March 2024 the airbase is also host to the permanent British Support Operations facility Donnelly Lines.[3]
Facilities
The airfield resides at an elevation of 172 ft (52 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway, 09/27 which has an asphalt surface measuring 12,901 ft × 150 ft (3,932 m × 46 m),[1] and a parallel taxiway with a width of 38 m (125 ft).[4]
In March 2024, HRH The Princess Royal opened an "expansive" new permanent facility called Donnelly Lines to support British operations in the region. The facility contains a headquarters and accommodation.[9][10]
Several foreign countries allied to the United Arab Emirates are believed to have made use of Al Minhad Air Base since the early 2000s to support the logistics supply chain for their military operations in Afghanistan. Use of the Al Minhad Air Base is a sensitive matter for the Government of the United Arab Emirates, which imposes a diplomatic agreement stating that the militaries of foreign governments not advertise the host nation nor location of their operations in the United Arab Emirates due to "local sensitivities" about allowing a foreign military presence within its borders.[5]
Canada - The Canadian Forces operated a forward logistics support facility in the Middle East, which they had codenamed Camp Mirage. It is widely believed that Camp Mirage was located at Al Minhad Air Base from its founding in autumn 2001 until its closure in autumn 2010 due to an unrelated disagreement over securing additional landing rights for UAE's civilian airlines at Canadian airports. The United States military relied on the UAE bases for assistance during the Gulf War and the recent conflict in Iraq.
^ abcDoD Flight Information Publication (Enroute) - Supplement Europe, North Africa and Middle East. St. Louis, Missouri: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2021. p. B-351.
United States Department of State (9 February 2010). "UAE - Scenesetter for visit of CJCS (10ABUDHABI69)". WikiLeaks via United States diplomatic cables leak. "The mission name Operation Troy was originally assigned to the NZDF Air Survelliance Task Unit prior to its deployment to the Middle East in 2003. On its return to New Zealand in 2003 the name was transferred to the NZDF Logistics Hub which remained in the Middle East to provide an essential logistics and transport hub" [developed mostly into support for Afghanistan activities]. [1]