Frankfurt–Hahn Airport

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Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (German: Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn) (IATA: HHN, ICAO: EDFH) is an airport located near the towns of Kirchberg (10 km) and Simmern (20 km) in the Rhein-Hunsrück district of Rhineland-Palatinate to the west of central Germany. Despite its name, the airport is situated over 130 km (by road) to the west of the city of Frankfurt.

Transport

The airport can be easily reached by car. An hourly bus service runs from Frankfurt/Main central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) via Frankfurt International Airport Terminal 1, taking about 1.5 hours. There are also buses every two hours between Frankfurt-Hahn and the closest main railway station located in Mainz (60 km away), served by trains to and from many parts of Germany. Other buses connect Hahn to the main railway station in Cologne (Köln). There are vast parking facilities at the airport, which are linked by shuttle bus to the terminal. There is no direct railway connection to the airport.

Although its scheduled traffic is almost exclusively international flights, Hahn Airport does not carry the word "International" as part of its name — most likely in order to avoid a possible confusion with the mainland Europe's largest airport, directly serving Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt International Airport.

Hahn charges its airline operators less due to its remote location. The use of the airport has become popular with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, which has since made Hahn Airport one of its operational hubs.

Technical information

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport can handle airplanes up to the size of an Antonov An-124 or Boeing 747 cargo jet on a regular basis. The even larger Antonov An-225 cargo transporter has paid visits in 2002 and 2003.

Airlines and destinations

• Blue Air (Bucharest-Baneasa)
• Iceland Express (Reykjavík)
• Ryanair (Alghero, Balaton, Bari, Biarritz, Billund [ends 9 January 2006], Bratislava, Dublin, Fez, Gdańsk, Genoa [starts February 1, 2007], Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Gothenburg-City, Granada, Jerez, Kaunas, Kerry, Kraków, London-Stansted, Marrakesh, Marseille, Milan-Bergamo, Montpellier, Murcia, Nantes, Oslo Torp, Pescara, Pisa, Porto, Reus, Riga, Rome-Ciampino, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Shannon [ends 24 March 2007], Stockholm-Skavsta, Tampere, Treviso, Trieste, Valencia, Verona, Wrocław)
• Wizz Air (Budapest, Katowice, Warsaw)

Cargo

Cargo airline service is offered by:

• Aeroflot Cargo
• Air Armenia
• Air New Zealand Cargo
• British Airways World Cargo
• Egyptair Cargo
• Iran Air Cargo
• Malaysia Airlines Kargo
• MNG Cargo
• Royal Jordanian Cargo

Hahn Air Base

General Dynamics F-16C Block 42D Fighting Falcons of the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing over Hahn Air Base. Serial number 88-0542 is visible in front.

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport was previously a frontline NATO facility for over 40 years during the Cold War, known as Hahn Air Base. Hahn Air Base was the home of the United States Air Force 50th Fighter Wing (in various designations) for most of those years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), It was one of several USAFE bases in Germany (Zweibrucken, Ramstein, Sembach, Bitburg and Rhein-Main) all within 100 km (60 miles) of each other. Beyond their location in the heart of US troop concentrations, these air bases were well situated to reach all locations within Europe and the Mediterranean region.

History

In 1951, occupying French forces founded an air base on the site which would become Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. In September 1952, the United States took over the installation, and began to erect the seventh largest United States Air Force base in Europe and the second largest in Germany. The initial USAF unit at Hahn was the 7356th Air Base Group, whose mission was to get the base up and running and into an operational state.

Base facilities then consisted of pre-fabricated barrack buildings, heated by coke-burning pot belly stoves, outdoor latrines, and tents for motorpool personnel to work in. An L-5B was the first aircraft assigned to Hahn to fill administrative flight requirements.

50th Fighter-Bomber Wing

North American F-86F-30-NA Sabres of the 417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron flying over Germany. Serial 52-4656 is in front.

The operational squadrons of the 50th FBW were:

• 10th Fighter-Bomber (dark blue stripes)
• 81st Fighter-Bomber (yellow/black stripes)
• 417th Fighter-Bomber (red stripes)

The 417th FBS was commanded for a time by Chuck Yeager.

The 81st flew the North American F-86F Sabre, with squadron markings of dark blue for the 10th, yellow for the 81st and red for the 417th. The wing conducted tactical operations in support of USAF, NATO, and U.S. Army forces. In the autumn of 1955, the wing was upgraded to the F-86H.

The primary mission of the 50th Figher-Bomber Wing was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons against Warsaw Pact forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe. Its secondary missions were tactical air defense and support for NATO ground forces.

Due to the vulnerablitly of West Germany to Soviet attack, USAF planners did not want their tactical nuclear weapons in locations that could be quickly overrun by Warsaw Pact forces. When construction was completed at Toul-Rosieres Air Base France, the 50th Fighter-Bomber Wing was moved there on 17 July 1956.

7425th Air Base Group

Martin TM-61A "Matador" cruise missle of the 701st Tactical Missile Wing.

File:F-102a-496th-hahn.jpg

Convair F-102A-65-CO Delta Dagger Serial 56-1210 and 56-1219 of the 496th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

With most of the construction completed by mid-1953, the primary mission of the Hahn Air Base was the reception of the 50th Fighter Bomber Wing. The aircraft was deployed to Hahn from Clovis AFB New Mexico during Operation Fox Able 20 on 10 August 1953. This marked the first mass flight of an entire tactical wing from the U.S. to continental Europe. With the move of the F-86s to France, the 7425th Air Base Group became the "parent" organization at Hahn, providing support for the following units:

• 701st/38th Tactical Missile Wing
  • 585th Tactical Missile Group (Bitburg AB)
  • 586th Tactical Missile Group (Hahn AB)
  • 587th Tactical Missile Group (Sembach AB)

Note: 701st TMW deactivated on 18 June 1958. Groups transfered to 38th TMW. Each of these tactical missle groups had several missile squadrons for operations, support and maintence.

• 496th Fighter Interceptor Squadron

On 3 August 1956 the 701st Tactical Missile Wing, equipped with the Martin TM-61A "Matador" cruise missle, was activated Hahn. This was the first U.S. Air Force tactical missile wing.

On 18 June 1958 The 38th Tactical Missle Wing replaced the 701st TMW at Hahn, being transferred from Laon-Couvron Air Base France. The 38th was headquartered at Sembach Air Base and was composed of launch and maintenance squadrons at Hahn and Bitburg Air Bases. Along with the Matador, the 38th TMW had the distinction of bringing the Martin MGM-13A Mace missle operational in August 1959, while maintaining the Matador combat ready until September 1962.

The mission of the 701st and 38th TMW was the dispersal and maintence these cruise missles. These were the first operational surface-to-surface missles built by the United States, similar in concept to the World War II German V-1 flying bomb. Both the Mace and Matador missles were designed to carry a conventional or nuclear warhead.

In addition to the tactical missles, Hahn was host to the 496th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flying the Convair F-102A "Delta Dagger". Although primarily an Aerospace Defense Command interceptor, F-102s were deployed to Europe with the mission to intercept invading Soviet fighers.

The 496th was assigned to Hahn on 10 December 1959, but reported to the 86th Air Division at Ramstein Air Base, The squadron remained attached to the 86th AD until it was transferred to the 50th TFW until 25 November 1968.

In 1959 disagreements arose concerning atomic weapons storage and custody issues within NATO, resulting in a decision to remove Unied States Air Force atomic-capable units from the French soil, and it was decided to move the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing from Toul AB back to Hahn. In August 1960, a few months prior to the return of the 50th from France, the 38th Tactical Missile Wing was transferred to Sembach Air Base.

50th Tactical Fighter Wing

North American F-100D-90-NA Super Sabre Serial 56-3238 of the 50th TFW (Wing Commander's Aircraft)

McDonnell Douglas F-4E-52-MC Phantomd II Serial 72-0161 of the 417th TFS. After its service at Hahn, this aircraft was flown by the ANG until its useful life ended in 1991.

General Dynamics F-16B Block 5 Fighting Falcons, serial numbers 79-0413, 0415, 416 and 417 of the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron

On 10 December 1960, the 50 TFW redeployed back to Hahn, now flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre. Rather than accompanying the wing at Hahn AB, however, the 417th TFW relocated to Ramstein AB, West Germany. Squadrons of the 50th TFW were:

• 10th Tactical Fighter (F-100D/F) (blue tail stripes)
• 81st Tactical Fighter (F-100D/F) (yellow tail stripes)
• 417th Tactical Fighter (F-100D/F) (redtail stripes) (at Ramstein AB)

For the next several years, 50th TFW Airmen concentrated on becoming the best fighter unit in USAFE. The 50th TFW supported and controlled CONUS dual-based fighter squadrons at Hahn and at other collocated operating bases in West Germany and Denmark.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, which began on the 22 October 1962, the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed from Morón Air Base Spain to Hahn. Although the crisis officially ended on the 26 November 1962, the 435th TFS did not return to Morón until the 11 December 1962. After the Cuban Missile Crisis ended, the 50th TFW resumed normal operations and participated in various exercises and competitions, oftentimes with other NATO allies.

The wing's three tactical squadrons, the 10th, 81st, and 417th, began converting to the McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II on 8 October 1966. When the last F-100 left Hahn, 50th TFW aircrews had logged 143,147 flight hours. Throughout the conversion to the F-4D, 417th TFS remained detached to the 86th Air Division at Ramstein AB. With the change of equipment, the squadrons of the 50th TFW adopted "Tail Codes". The aircraft of 50th TFW were tail-coded "HR". The 496th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, attached to the 50th TFW but assigned to the 86th Air Division, did not convert to the new F-4D aircraft.

The wing underwent a major organizational change on 15 July 1968 when the 417th TFS was transferred to the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho as part of project CRESTED CAP. That project provided for the redeployment of specified U.S. European Air Force units to the United States on a semi-permanent basis. Not long after leaving Europe, the 417th returned to Hahn in January 1969 to participate in Exercise CRESTED CAP I, the first in a series of exercises designed to test the mobility of NATO-committed fighter squadrons based in the U.S. under simulated wartime conditions.

Also in 1968, USAFE redesignated 496th FIS as a tactical fighter squadron. To replace the 417th, USAFE reassigned the 496th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron from the 86th AD to the 50th TFW under a reorganization that officially dissolved the 86th Air Division. In 1970, the 496th retired its F-102As aircraft for F-4E aircraft and was redesignated as a Tactical Fighter Squadron while retaining its Air Defence mission. 496th TFS F-4Es were tail coded "HS".

In August 1970, the wing switched to a strike-attack role, with air defence as a secondary mission. The 81st TFS became USAFE's first "Wild Weasel" unit. The squadron's primary mission focus changed from ground and air attack roles to location and elimination of threats posed by enemy radar tracking and surface-to-air missile systems. The "Wild Weasel" version of the F-4E (and later the F-4G) would be used as a radar jamming platform or as a search and destroy vehicle. The 81st TFS relacted to Zweibrucken Air Base on 12 June 1971, although it remained a part of the 50th TFW. At Zweibrucken however, the 81st TFS was detached from the wing's operational control and attached to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing.

In June 1972 "HR" was adopted as the standard tail code for all 50th TFW aircraft, both at Hahn and Zweibrucken.

Following these changes, the the 50th TFW settled into a more routine operations tempo and returned its attentions to maintaining combat readiness. It's operational squadrons in 1975 were:

• 10th Tactical Fighter (F-4E, HR, blue tail stripe)
• 313th Tactical Fighter (F-4E, HR, white, later orange tail stripe)
• 496th Tactical Fighter (F-4E, HR, red, later yellow tail stripe)

An equipment change began on 30 December 1981 when the first General Dynamics Block 15 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon arrived at Hahn. The 50th TFW was he first USAFE wing to recieve the F-16. Throughout the spring of 1982 the 10th, 313th and 496th converted to the new aircraft, with the last F-4E leaving the wing on the 21 June 1982. In 1986, the first-generation F-16A/B aircraft were upgraded to the more capable Block 25 F-16C/D.

In addition, Hahn supported preparations for Ground Launched Cruise Missile activities at Wüscheim, between 1982 and 1985. It also supported the reactivated 38th Tactical Missile Wing beginning on 1 April 1985. The 38th TMW was deployed with the The General Dynamics/McDonnell Douglas BGM-109G "Gryphon" Ground-launched Cruise Missile (GLCM). By 1987 the 38th maintained ninety-six GLCMs. However, in December 1997, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which eliminated intermediate and short-range nuclear missiles from Europe. This was the first nuclear force reduction in history. A three-year withdrawal of the GLCMs was undertaken in 1988 and the 38th TMW was deactivated in August 1990.

During Operation Desert Storm, the 50th TFW provided personnel, munitions, and equipment to support the liberation of Kuwait, also deploying the 10th TFS to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates from December 1990 to May 1991.

Post Cold War

At the end of the Cold War, Hahn Air Base supported more than 13,000 people and three squardrons of F-16 tactical figheers. When the Cold War threat of an invasion of West Germany subsided, the United States was left with a huge excess capacity of expensive airfields in Europe.

As a result, the 50th TFW was inactivated in 1991 after 35 years at Hahn. The 496th was inactivated on 15 May; The 313th TFS on 1 July, and the 10th TFS on 30 September. The 50th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated on 30 September 1991. On 30 January 1992 the 50th was activated as the 50th Space Wing at Falcon (later, Schriever) AFB, Colorado.

On 30 September 1993, most of Hahn Air Base was returned to civil German authorities, the USAF retaining a small portion as a communications site.

The German government decided to turn the former NATO airfield into a civil airport. One of the main investors in the development of the new Frankfurt-Hahn Airport was Fraport AG, which primarily runs Frankfurt International Airport, the aim being to reduce the amount of traffic using that airport.

See also

• Frankfurt International Airport
• United States Air Force In Germany
• United States Air Forces in Europe

References

• Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1989

• Donald, David, "Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War".

• Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History

• Fletcher, Harry R., Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989

• Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983

• Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994

• Menard, David W., Before Centuries. USAFE Fighters 1948-1959

• Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984

• Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005

• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to Present [1]

External links

• Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (official site)
• FlyHahn.com - The Travel Guide to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) (official tourism site)
• The 38th Tactical Missile Wing at Hahn Air Base
• Hahn-Infos.de - largest internet forum about HHN