Let’s Talk About the U.S. Marines Reopening WW2 Airfields To Prepare For Future Scenarios
September 24, 2024 China, Military AviationStefano D'Urso
USMC WW2 airfield
After the first one in the Pacific few months ago, the USMC renovated and reopened another WW2 airfield in North Carolina which will serve as a multipurpose outlying landing field.
The U.S. Marine Corps has announced the reopening in August 2024 of a World War 2-era airfield in North Carolina, the former Army Air Corps airfield at Camp Davis. Thanks to a recent $28 million, 18-month overhaul, the resurfaced Davis South runway will now serve as a multipurpose outlying landing field (OLF) about 25 miles from Camp Lejeune.
According to the service, the new Davis South OLF can support every airframe in the Marine Corps’ arsenal, as well as other services’ aircraft up to the C-17 cargo aircraft. The OLF, which has minimal infrastructure, will be used primarily as a training platform, without units or aircraft based there.
The 4,525 foot airstrip includes a 3,600 foot asphalt runway and concrete turnarounds at each end to accommodate vertical take-offs and landings, with the total area of the airfield measuring 275 acres. The Marines said the entire runway was resurfaced with three layers of rock, gravel, and asphalt, while the concrete landing pads and apron were specially designed to handle high-intensity heat generated during hovering, landing, and turning maneuvers.
https://theaviationist.com/2024/09/24/usmc-reopening-ww2-airfields/
