The last members of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing departed JB Balad, Iraq, on Tuesday, as the United States relinquished control of its second largest base in Iraq, reports Reuters. The Iraqi government now controls the base, which once housed roughly 36,000 American troops and contractors, according to the news wire service. Known as al Bakr Air Base before the US invasion in March 2003, the installation grew into Balad Air Base, hosting a large Air Force presence, and Camp Anaconda, the Army’s major logistics hub in the country. The Air Force and Army combined the two into a joint base in June 2008 under the stewardship of USAF’s 332nd AEW. Aircraft such as F-16s, MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, and MC-12 Liberty surveillance aircraft operated from there. Boasting an 11,000 foot runway, Balad at one time during the US military’s presence was “second only” to London’s Heathrow airport in terms of activity, according to Reuters, citing a US military historian.
The two Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes are expected to fly very soon, as Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems conclude ground tests. The two aircraft will fly from commercial airports in the desert areas north of Los Angeles, California, not far from Edwards Air Force Base.