The origin of the Lajes Field dates back to 1928, when
Portuguese Army Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Gomes da Silva wrote a report on the possible construction of an airfield in the plainland of Lajes, for that branch's aviation service (). The location of Achada on the center of Terceira Island was chosen instead. In 1934, the Achada airfield was condemned due to its inadequate dimensions and adverse weather conditions, resulting in the construction of a landing strip of packed earth and a small group of support facilities by the
Portuguese military at Lajes.
World War II During
World War II, in order to defend Portuguese neutrality and deter both Nazi Germany and the Allies against a possible invasion of the Azores, the Portuguese Government significantly increased the garrisons of the isles, by mobilizing local forces and by sending about 28 000 troops and equipment from
Mainland Portugal. As part of the defenses of Terceira Island, Lajes Field received a squadron of
Gloster Gladiator fighters, having its runway expanded and becoming officially the Air Base No. 4. In 1942, the
military activities in the Azores grew, as the Gladiators began to be used to support allied convoys, in reconnaissance missions and on meteorological flights. A number of
Junkers Ju 52, of the Portuguese Bomber Squadron sent to the Azores in 1941, deployed to Lajes in July 1942, to fly cargo missions. Mk XIV,
No. 172 Squadron RAF undergoing servicing at Lajes airfield during 1944 The Portuguese Government kept a collaborating neutrality towards the Allies and by 1943, the British and American armed forces were allowed basing rights in Portugal. Within a month of disembarking on Terceira in October 1943, the
Royal Air Force (RAF) had laid pierced steel planking to lengthen the runway at Lajes Field, allowing the RAF to begin patrols. The first attack on a
German U-boat was conducted in November, sinking the submarine; this attack was followed by a dozen more attacks on U-boats by the end of February 1944, after which German forces stayed clear of the British and American patrol areas. The Azores enabled British and American airmen to protect
Allied shipping in the area. On 1 December 1943, British and U.S. military representatives at RAF Lajes Field signed a joint agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities for the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and
United States Navy (USN) at Lajes Field. From their base with
Fleet Air Wing 15 at Port Lyautey, the blimps of USN Blimp Squadron 14 (ZP-14 or Blimpron 14) conducted night-time
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) to search for German
U-boats around the
Strait of Gibraltar using
magnetic anomaly detection (MAD). In 1945, two ZP-14 replacement blimps were sent from Weeksville, North Carolina, to the
Bermudas and Lajes before going on to
Craw Field (Kenitra Air Base) at Port Lyautey.
Post-war The United States and the United Kingdom transferred control of Lajes back to Portugal in 1946. The Portuguese redesignated Lajes as Air Base No. 4 and assigned it to the air branch of the Portuguese Army. However, talks between the U.S. and Portugal began about extending the American stay in the Azores. A temporary agreement was reached between the
U.S. and Portuguese governments giving the U.S. military rights to Lajes Field for an additional 18 months: the relationship between the Portuguese and American governments continues to this day, where the U.S. military resides under a tenancy status, and the Portuguese government retaining rights of ownership to the land and infrastructure. These units were responsible for the
search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Atlantic between Europe and North America. In 1949, the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance was established. Portugal, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other western European countries were charter members of NATO. By reason of the NATO alliance, Lajes was available for use by those countries, and the use of Lajes was one of Portugal's primary contributions to the alliance. However, use of Lajes Field by the U.S.
Department of Defense takes place under a U.S.-Portuguese Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), separate and in addition to NATO arrangements. In 1953, Admiral
Lynde D. McCormick, the
Commander-in-Chief,
United States Atlantic Command organized a subordinate unified command in the Azores called
U.S. Forces Azores (USFORAZ). A small staff of
United States Army, United States Air Force, and
United States Marine Corps personnel composed the joint staff of USFORAZ, serving as the liaison between the U.S. and the Portuguese in the Azores. In the late 1950s, USAF
air refueling/tanker aircraft were stationed at Lajes to provide inflight refueling for U.S. aircraft transiting the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the tanker units left Lajes by 1965, but others returned later, especially the USAF
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. This transfer, coupled with the introduction of newer long-range aircraft, resulted in a gradual decline in Lajes traffic. The
Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and its successor, the
Military Airlift Command (MAC), became responsible for USAF activities at the base, and for a while the 1605th Military Airlift Support Wing acted as USAF host unit. Lajes Field also played a crucial role in
Cold War politics. From 1932 to 1968, Portugal was under the authoritarian regime of
António de Oliveira Salazar, yet the U.S. Government maintained friendly relations with his
Estado Novo government, especially after 1943. The
Cold War military importance of Lajes Field outweighed considerations about the Salazar Government's authoritarian rule over Portugal. In 1961, the Portuguese Air Force Heavy Aircraft Advanced Training Squadron 42 (
Esquadra 42 - EICAP) was transferred to Lajes, operating
Douglas C-47, Douglas C-54 and later
CASA C-212 Aviocar. During the
Portuguese Overseas War, from 1961 to 1975, the Air Force Hospital at Lajes operated as the main centre for treatment and rehabilitation of mutilated and heavy burned soldiers of the three services of the
Portuguese Armed Forces. In December, 13th and 14th, 1971, Lajes Field hostes the Atlantic Summit between U.S. President
Richard Nixon, French President
Georges Pompidou and Portuguese prime-minister
Marcelo Caetano. During the 1973
Yom Kippur War, Lajes Field also supported
Operation Nickel Grass, the U.S. airlift missions to Israel, highlighting the importance of the U.S. Air Force base at Lajes. Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S. Navy's
Naval Air Facility Lajes (NAF Lajes), a tenant activity at the air base. NAF Lajes, and its associated Tactical Support Center (TSC)/Antisubmarine Warfare Operations Center (ASWOC), supported rotational detachments of U.S. Navy
P-2 Neptune and later
P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft that would track
Soviet attack,
guided missile, and
ballistic missile submarines in the region. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
Warsaw Pact, and end of the Cold War, P-3 operations at Lajes declined, and the Naval Air Facility was inactivated in the late 1990s.
Post-Carnation Revolution Following the Portuguese Air Force reorganization of 1978, Lajes Air Base comes to have two resident flying units: Transport Squadron 503 (
Esquadra 503) - equipped with CASA C-212 aircraft and Helicopter Search and Rescue Squadron 752 (
Esquadra 752) - equipped with
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters. In 1980, a detachment of Attack Squadron 301 (
Esquadra 301) - equipped with
Fiat G.91 fighter-bombers - starts to be based at Lajes, this being augmented and becoming the Attack Squadron 303 "Jaguars" (
Esquadra 302, "Jaguares") in 1981. The
Azores Islands earthquake affected Terceira Island. Damage to Lajes Field was minimal, but Portuguese communities throughout the island suffered extensive damage. Military personnel responded with food, shelter, equipment, and manpower. In the summer of 1984, Lajes undertook a new mission known as "
SILK PURSE."
Boeing EC-135s began operating out of Lajes Field as an airborne command post for the U.S.
Commander-in-Chief, Europe. Along with the aircraft came the
U.S. European Command battle staff and flight crews from United States Air Forces in Europe. This mission was ended in late August 1991. In 1990, Squadron 303 was disbanded. Lajes supported the large airlift during the
Gulf War. On the first day of the deployment over 90 aircraft transited Lajes.
Strategic Air Command (SAC) created a
provisional tanker wing, the 802nd Air Refueling Wing (P) Provisional, at Lajes to support the airlift. At the height of the operation a peak of 33 tanker aircraft and 600 troops deployed to Lajes. Soon after the Gulf War ended, Lajes command changed from
Air Mobility Command, to
Air Combat Command. In 1993, squadrons 503 and 752 are merged in a single mixed unit operating both C-212 and Aérospatiale Puma, the
711 Squadron Albatrosses (
Esquadra 711 "Albatrozes"). The resident Portuguese 711 Squadron was deactivated on 30 November 2006. With this act the long-serving
Aerospatiale Puma was retired from service. The
Puma helicopters were replaced by the modern
AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin: the Portuguese government purchased twelve units for SAR, CSAR and Fisheries enforcement. Air Base No. 4 received three Merlins on permanent detachment from
Esquadra 751 "Pumas" from
Air Base No. 6 at
Montijo, near Lisbon. They saw immediate service starting 1 December 2006. Maintenance problems developed in following months, coupled with a shortage of spare parts from the manufacturer, leading to such a low serviceable rate, forcing the Portuguese Air Force to pull the Merlin from service in the Azores. The last Merlin flew back to Montijo in March 2009. In order not to compromise the SAR mission, the Portuguese Air Force decided to reactivate the Puma fleet: in July 2008 a formation of four Puma helicopters made the trans-Atlantic crossing from
Beja to Lajes via
Porto Santo Airport on
Porto Santo Island and
Santa Maria Airport on
Santa Maria Island. Beginning in 1997, large scale fighter aircraft movements under the new USAF operating concept known as the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) filled the Lajes flightline. Lajes also has hosted
B-52 Stratofortress and
B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft on global air missions, and also supported many routine NATO exercises, such as the biennial Northern Viking exercise. Lajes Field services aircraft from various nations, including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. The airfield was an alternative landing site for the
NASA Space Shuttle orbiter and also now plays as the number one
diversion airport for medical or mechanical emergency diversion situations for all types of aircraft. An annual average of 50 aircraft of all types divert to Lajes as a mid Atlantic safe haven.
2000 – present and Portuguese Prime Minister
José Manuel Durão Barroso at Lajes Airfield, March 2003.In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in
Iraq and
Afghanistan. Fighter, tanker and transport planes frequently stopped there, either east or westbound. The next decade expects to see a rise in the number of
U.S. Department of Defense aircraft to transit Lajes supporting the newly created
AFRICOM. In August 2006, Portuguese news agencies reported that both governments were in discussions for a new agreement that could allow the use of Lajes for the training of a permanent
F-22 Raptor squadron. Since 1943, the use of Lajes by the U.S. military has allowed Portugal to strengthen diplomatic relations with the U.S. as well as obtain military equipment for the Portuguese Armed Forces, including two
A-7P Corsair II squadrons and the co-finance of
F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft under the
Peace Atlantis I program. In August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for
Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) training over the Atlantic Ocean. DoD sources were cited as the plan cancelled due to budgetary constraints. This was regarded locally as a setback for the military environment at Lajes, as well as raising doubts from regional political forces who have concerns regarding the base future as well as the safety of the Azorean employed workforce. Portugal has explored contingencies in the event the United States military eventually abandons Lajes, including the possibility of entering an agreement with the
People's Republic of China. On June 27, 2012, an airplane carrying
Premier Wen Jiabao made a four-hour stop at Lajes during which time he toured the island. On 13 December 2012, the US Department of Defense announced, as part of a larger Air Force effort to shape the force, that Lajes Field will transition from an air base wing to an air base group with a reduction of more than 400 military personnel and 500 family members by the end of fiscal year 2014. This force reduction is estimated to garner a cost savings of $35 million annually.
2026 Iran war Lajes Air Base was used by the United States Armed Forces as a logistical support point during military operations against Iran in 2026. Located in the Azores, the base has a strategic position in the Atlantic that facilitates the movement of aircraft between the United States and the Middle East. In this context, several military aircraft passed through the base for refueling, maintenance, and preparation before continuing their journey to other regions where operations were taking place. The use of the base did not mean that bombings were launched directly from Lajes, but rather that the infrastructure served as an essential intermediate point to support American air missions. This type of cooperation is possible due to the defense agreement between Portugal and the United States, which allows the use of the base in certain military operations. == Role and operations ==