Dalaman DLM/LTBS 2019 MIL

[paul-760]

Dalaman international airport is predominantly used by charter flights to the Turkish coast. But it is actually (also) an air force  base.

The military uses the southern part near the sea. The F-5 and F-104 that are mentioned in the airfield guide as gate guards can still be seen from the end of the road to the civil departures terminal.

There are about ten shelters at the end of the runway. The doors were closed when I landed on Saturday, August 17th as well as when I left for home the next Saturday. Both of my observations were during the weekend, so this does not mean there is no activity here during the week. But the only open shelter looked empty and the whole area looked a bit abandoned. The preserved T-33 is hidden in between the shelters and only visible during take off from runway 19.

Southwest of the seemingly abandoned shelter area, between a small river and the coast, a newer, rectangular military apron has been constructed. It is not yet on Scramble's airfield guide map, but should be near spot 7. Google maps already shows the new facility, though. During the take off of our charter flight I could see two Casa CN235 and four Cougar (or similar) helos on the flight line.

So probably no fighters anymore at the Dalaman shelters, but instead maritime patrol aircraft and helos operating from the new apron.