The Stuttgart Army Airfield (SAAF) is located on the grounds of today’s Stuttgart Airport in Echterdingen and has its origins in the period before the Second World War.
Short Description
Stuttgart is the sixth biggest city in Germany. Located in the south-west of the country, it is the capital of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg.
The Stuttgart Army Airfield is an important facility for the US military due to its proximity to the USAG. USAG Stuttgart is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa garrison located in Stuttgart and the surrounding area.
In 2023, USAG Stuttgart comprised more than 23,000 personnel. This includes members of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. There are also civilian employees, contractors, and local national employees. This makes it one of the largest American military installations in Europe.
Operated by the United States Army Special Operations Command, the airfield is primarily used for transporting military troops and cargo.
The airfield is located in the south-west of the airport and borders the EDDS cargo terminal. There are five hangars on the airfield. One is used by the fire department to store vehicles. Another is used by the USMC to store the UC-12W. Phoenix Air uses one to store their Gulfstream. The remaining two are used for the parking and maintenance of smaller aircraft and helicopters.
Historical Summary
The Echterdingen airfield was built in the 1930s as a military airbase for the German Luftwaffe. During the Second World War, it served as an important military airfield and was repeatedly targeted in Allied air raids.
Since 1945, the U.S. Army has operated the Stuttgart Army Airfield on the southern side of the Echterdingen air base, which they took over from the German Air Force.
During the Cold War, Stuttgart Army Airfield played a significant role for the U.S. armed forces in Europe as it served as a logistical hub.
Until the construction of the civilian air cargo center, other parts of the airport also formed part of the military area. Today, Stuttgart Airport and Stuttgart Army Airfield operate side by side, with clearly defined areas of responsibility for each.
Based Units
As the USMC uses the airfield, the ‘Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Africa’ (SP-MAGTF-CR-AF) operates there with an UC-12W aircraft (Beechcraft King Air 350).
There is always one aircraft based there for exactly six months before it is replaced by the next one. While operating nearly daily in European and African countries, they always use ‘ATILA’ followed by the last two digits of the registration number as the callsign.
Phoenix Air Group is a U.S.-based civilian aviation company that has worked for many years under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The company conducts specialized support flights for U.S. forces worldwide, including operations from Stuttgart Army Airfield (SAAF).
Phoenix Air supports the AFRICOM and EUCOM by providing flexible, civilian-operated special-mission aircraft that carry out military-related tasks while remaining outside the remit of the U.S. Air Force.
Visitors
As the Special Operations Command uses the SAAF, some very interesting aircraft can be seen using Stuttgart for fuelstops a few times per year.
Navy personnel in the Stuttgart area use U.S. Army infrastructure, including air transport via SAAF, despite there being no dedicated Navy aviation component. U.S. Navy or Marine Corps aircraft frequently use Stuttgart Army Airfield for transport or VIP flights from Rota, Sigonella, Souda Bay or Naples.
Some USAFE and USAREUR aircraft from different US-Airfields in Germany are also often visitors to SAAF for training or short stops.
Government aircraft sometimes bring VIPs to Stuttgart for events such as change-of-command ceremonies and smaller meetings.
A few times per year (mostly in April and October), civilian Airlines like Atlas Air or Omni Air International operate ‘CMB-flights’ between Stuttgart and Norfolk Naval Station, carrying troops and cargo.
About ten years ago, the SAAF received many AMC aircraft, with lots of C-17s arriving each year. However, larger cargo aircraft such as the C-17 and C-5 are now a rare sight. This is due to increased operational security. Efforts are being made to avoid attracting public attention at civilian airports such as Stuttgart.
Missions out of SAAF
In addition to the USMC C-12s and Phoenix Air Gulfstreams, some other aircraft sometimes operate different missions out of Stuttgart. Before the civilian Charter Airline Berry Aviation appeared in Stuttgart with their Dash 8-200, Prescott Support operated likely the same missions with a CASA CN235 for the AFRICOM.
Some C-146A’s can also often be seen while connecting EDDS with African states like Algiers or Tunis. But since one aircraft got permanently based at RAF Mildenhall, they’re getting more and more rare in Stuttgart.
The US Navy E-6B Mercury was a regular visitor to perform submarine reconnaissance flights over the North Sea multiple times per year. These missions were stopped in 2019.
Future
Facility upgrades are ongoing at SAAF, including security improvements. Some U.S. Army Special Operations units are relocating from Stuttgart to Baumholder by 2026, which may change how SAAF is used. The SAAF will continue serving as a logistics and command-support airfield while the garrison modernizes and adapts.
Even if there were thoughts about closing the SAAF in the near future, it seems as they are continuing to operate. Only time will tell whether the United States will enlarge or shut down Stuttgart Army Airfield.