Ali Al Salem Air Base

Ali Al Salem Air Base is a military air base in Kuwait, approximately from the Iraqi border, and roughly west of Al Jahra. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait.

The base hosted the Royal Air Force (RAF), United States Air Force (USAF), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel and aircraft during Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The base also hosted the Royal Air Force (RAF) during Operation Telic.

Since the cessation of those operations, the base has been returned to the control of the Kuwaiti Government, with the USAF maintaining a presence alongside their Kuwait Air Force counterparts. The principal USAF unit on the base is the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing (386 AEW).

History

Gulf War

Ali Al Salem Air Base was the last to be overrun during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. By August 1990, it was the only Kuwaiti air base not occupied by Iraq. A small number of Kuwaiti regulars, staff officers, and the base Commander, General Saber Suwaidan stayed to fight and organize resupply missions from Saudi Arabia.

By the end of the day, Ali Al Salem had been overrun. Upon discovery by the Iraqi military, the Kuwaiti General was hanged from the base flagpole by Iraqi troops. New flagpoles have since been installed, however as of December 2012, the original pole still stands.

The remaining Kuwaiti military personnel were lined up outside the old Kuwaiti officers' club and shot.

On 6 April 2026, 15 Americans were wounded in an overnight Iranian drone strike on the base.

On 30 May 2026, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the incident that debris from a downed Fateh-110 missile fell on the base, slightly injuring roughly five American soldiers and contractors and destroying one US MQ-9 Reaper drone and causing serious damage to at least one more.

Infrastructure and facilities

thumb|Significant bomb damage to a [[Hardened Aircraft Shelter|HAS incurred during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991. Bomb damage caused by precision-guided "bunker busting" munitions is still visible 27 years (2019) after the liberation of Ali Al Salem.]]

The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has two asphalt/concrete runways: 12R/30L measuring and 12L/30R measuring .

Kuwait Air Force

12th Training Squadron – Hawk Mk.64
19th Training Squadron – Tucano Mk.52
17th Attack Squadron – AH-64D Apache Longbow
20th Attack Squadron – AH-64D Apache Longbow
32nd Helicopter Squadron – SA 330L Puma
33rd Helicopter Squadron – SA 342K Gazelle
62nd Utility Squadron – AS 332M Super Puma and AS532SC Cougar
88th Training Squadron – SA-342K Gazelle
Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit – Typhoon

United States Air Force

Air Combat Command

Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central)
386th Air Expeditionary Wing
386th Expeditionary Maintenance Group
386th Expeditionary Medical Group
386th Expeditionary Mission Support Group
387th Air Expeditionary Group
407th Air Expeditionary Group