Bückeburg Air Base (German: ''Heeresflugplatz Bückeburg'',

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

: ETHB) is a German Army base located northeast of the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Bückeburg Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

British use

The airfield was built in 1946 as a RAF Station, RAF Bückeburg, serving the headquarters of the

Royal Air Force Germany The former Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany. It consisted of units located in Germany, initially as part of the occupation following the Second World War, and later as part o ...

in Bad Eilsen. It complemented the nearby headquarters of the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

Bad Oeynhausen Bad Oeynhausen () is a spa town on the southern edge of the Wiehengebirge in the district of Minden-Lübbecke in the East-Westphalia-Lippe region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The closest larger towns are Bielefeld (39 kilometres southwest) ...

. During the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

it was one of the numerous air fields from where supply flights to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

were carried out. After the building of the British Forces' Joint Headquarters (JHQ) at

Rheindahlen Rheindahlen (called ''Dalen'' from the Early Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period around 1700, and ''Dahlen'' until 1878) is a town in the western and largest borough of the city of Mönchengladbach in the German state of North Rhine-Westphali ...

in 1954, the RAF closed the airfield at the end of the 1950s. ;Units * No. 2 Squadron RAF from 29 June 1950 with

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s and

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...

s *

No. 541 Squadron RAF No. 541 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a photographic reconnaissance squadron in World War II. History Formation in World War II The squadron formed at RAF Benson on 19 October 1942 from 'B' and 'F' flights of No. 1 PR ...

operating Gloster Meteor PR.10s * 2nd Tactical Air Force Communication Wing RAF * 2nd Tactical Air Force Communication Squadron RAF *

British Air Forces of Occupation Communication Squadron RAF British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

German use

With the foundation of the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

in 1955, a decision was made that every branch of the Bundeswehr should have their own helicopter units, operating within the framework of the tasks designated to each branch of the armed forces. Thus, the

German Army Aviation Corps The German Army Aviation Corps (german: Heeresfliegertruppe) is a special unit within the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The German Army Aviation Corps is a branch of the German Army (''Heer''), containing all its helicopter units. The German ...

was founded. The first training school, of this newly established branch of the German Army, the School of Army Aviation, was established in 1959 in

Mendig Mendig () is a small town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 6 km north-east of Mayen, and 25 km west of Koblenz. Mendig is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective ...

but moved to its current location in Bückeburg in January 1960 and has been there ever since. Its first commanding office was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Kuno Ebeling. Bückeburg Air Base is used by the German Army's School of Army Aviation as one of the bases for the practical instruction of its flying and non-flying personnel. Basic flying training of helicopter pilots of other components of the German Armed Forces also takes place at Bückeburg Air Base. Apart from the actual flight training, modern high-end

flight simulators A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

are extensively used during the training of future military helicopter pilots. Approximately 70 helicopters are permanently based at the airfield, 30 of which are used on a daily base for training. Initial training begins with the

Eurocopter EC 135 The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with ...

. During the second stage, prospective pilots are then instructed in flying the Bell UH-1D,

Bölkow Bo 105 The Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose helicopter developed by Bölkow of Ottobrunn, West Germany. It was the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and the first rotorcraft that could perform a ...

, medium transport helicopters

NH-90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter. It was developed in response to NATO requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 ...

and Sikorsky CH-53G/GS. Flying instruction on the helicopters of the type Bell UH-1D, now being phased out, and Bölkow Bo 105, takes place at

Celle Air Base Celle Air Base German: ''Heeresflugplatz Celle'' is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Today the a ...

. The tasks of Army Aviators Test Squadron 910 consist not only of trials of new types of helicopters but also of tactical and logistical research aiming at improving and developing the efficiency and concepts under which the German Army Aviators Corps are supposed to fulfil their manifolds tasks. The following units are stationed at Bückeburg Air Base: In October 2011 the German

Federal Ministry of Defence The Federal Ministry of Defence (german: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at ...

announced a reorganisation/reduction of the German Armed Forces. As a consequence, all activities of German Army Aviation School will be concentrated at Bückeburg Air Base and the school itself will be renamed International Helicopter Training Centre. The outpost at Celle Air Base will be dissolved.Quoted from , PDF-file "Die Stationierung der Bundeswehr in Deutschland", p. 81, 82

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