Construction work has begun on the expansion of Romania's existing 57th Air Force base in Mihail Coglunicanu to become the largest NATO military base in Europe at a cost of around €2.5 billion, Euronews reported.
Once completed, the base will be the size of a small city, with an area of almost 3,000 hectares and a total perimeter of 30 kilometers.
"The expanded facility will include maintenance hangars, fuel stores, ammunition, equipment, aviation technical materials, simulators, dining facilities, accommodation, everything necessary to support the operations and missions of a base of this size."
This was stated by Nicolae Kretsu, current commander of the 57th airbase.
The facility is designed to permanently host up to 10,000 NATO soldiers and their families. As well as including new runways, weapons platforms, hangars for military aircraft, it will also provide support for military families through schools, kindergartens, shops and a hospital.
This new project is a continuation of previous air base upgrades in Romania, with almost $300 million spent on Air Force Base 71 near Campia Turzia, a training facility in Cincu and Mihail Coglunicanu.
Romania has become a strategic hub for both the US and NATO as they seek to strengthen their ability to conduct operations in the region. In addition to the fighters that operate from the 71st and 75th bases, the US Air Force also regularly flies MQ-9 Reaper drones from Campia Turzia, which provide increased surveillance capacity near Romania's border with Ukraine and the Black Sea./BGNES
