Iran Restores Underground Eagle 44 Air Base Despite Airstrikes

Iran is restoring the fortified underground Eagle 44 Air Base, located within a mountain range and designed to shelter aircraft and missiles.

This is evidenced by Planet Labs satellite images published by TWZ.

Restoration work is continuing despite the fact that the facility has been hit by at least three waves of airstrikes this year.

The airbase is located in Hormozgan Province, in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, approximately 160 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.

The satellite images show that a new section of the runway has already been completed.

At the same time, several auxiliary buildings remain destroyed or damaged. Debris from destroyed equipment has been cleared from the runway, and the obstacles previously installed to block the runway have been dismantled.

Eagle 44 Air Base

Eagle 44 Air Base, also known as Oghab 44, was named in honor of the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian state media first featured the facility in February 2023, when it was visited by high-ranking officials. At that time, the base was described as the country’s newest underground airbase.

Video footage released at the time showed F-4D/E Phantom II fighter jets stationed at the base.

At that time, Iran had approximately 60 such aircraft in service. However, it is currently unknown how many aircraft remain and how many of them are operational.

In addition to the Phantoms, kamikaze strike drones were also visible in the background of the video footage.

Construction of a large-scale complex of underground tunnels began in 2013.

About eight years later, construction began on the main 4.3-kilometer-long runway. It is located on the northern side of the base, at the bottom of a valley near a mountain range.

Two taxiways run through a small mountain spur and connect the runway to four entrances to the main tunnel complex, where aircraft and weapons are stored.

However, only one of these taxiways is currently operational.

In the western part of the base, next to the unfinished taxiway, there is a support complex consisting of several buildings.

The exact purpose of each structure is unknown. At the same time, for the airbase to function fully, it requires repair and maintenance facilities, barracks and crew quarters, fuel and ammunition storage facilities, security and personnel protection measures, as well as infrastructure for air traffic control and military command.

It was previously reported that Iran is preparing nuclear facilities and its population for a possible escalation of the war with the United States.