Flesland Air Station () was a military air base situated at Flesland in Bergen, Norway. Part of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF), it shares a runway with Bergen Airport, Flesland. The air station has since 1999 had a mobilization status and is only manned with six employees. Its main structure is a subterranean hangar with space for 25 fighter jets.
Construction began in 1952 and the following year the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issued grants for a long runway. The facility cost 70 million Norwegian krone and opened on 14 September 1954. Flesland was never the permanent base of any squadrons. Its role was intended as a forward operating base for the United States Air Force (USAF) in case the Cold War turned hot. From about 1966 Flesland became a forward storage facility for nuclear warheads, which could be moved to the air station in case of war. From 1985 it became operational as a collocated operating base, with supplies and facilities for USAF aircraft. Flesland Air Station was gradually mothballed during the 1990s.
History
Prelude
The first military air base to serve Bergen was Bergen Naval Air Station, situated on the island of Flatøy in what is today Meland. Construction was started in 1917 and was commissioned in August 1919. It served as one of the four main air stations for the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service until 1940. During the 1930s there were launched plans to build a land airport in Bergen. Flesland, which was at the time located in the then independent municipality of Fana, was one alternative. The other main alternative was Herdla, the northernmost island in Askøy. The main disadvantage with Flesland was the topography and that it would not be possible to build longer runways than , respectively.
After the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, the Wehrmacht started looking for a location for an airstrip. They were partially in need for a counteraction against British raids and in part in need to protect German ship traffic. Four locations were considered: Nesttun, Haukåsmyrene in Åsane, Flesland and Herdla. The choice of Herdla was taken after a German bomber emergency landed in a field and was later able to take off from there. Herdla Airport received two runways, the longest .
The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) started working on plans for an airport for Bergen in 1947. Herdla was by them seen as the prime candidate, predominantly due to the rugged topography around Bergen. The CAA recommended that Herdla be chosen and that the two runways be expanded. However, its director, Einar Bøe, was skeptical to the Herdla plans, citing the lack of possibilities to extend the runway past the initially proposed and the long travel distance from Herdla to the city. At the time there was no bridge neither from Herdla to Askøy nor from Askøy to the mainland, nor was there a road across the island. Transport would therefore have to be carried out from Bergen using a ferry. The Minister of Transport and Communications Nils Langhelle from Bergen supported Bøe's concerns and recommended that Parliament place construction of an airport serving Bergen on hold.
Engineering reports were made of both Herdla and Flesland in 1950 and 1951. Previous investigations of Flesland had concluded that the length of the runway was limited to a small valley which is located at about the middle of the current runway. The new report proposed connecting the proposed area to a larger area to the south of the valley, which was at the right elevation. This would allow for a runway. A political concern was the high cost of constructing a new airport.
Construction
At the same time the Royal Norwegian Air Force stated looking at Flesland as a suitable air station. Military engineers surveyed the area and concluded that it was well-suited for military purposes. NATO granted funding for seven air stations in Norway in 1952, but these did not include Flesland. Financing was instead secured through a national military communications project, of which NOK 16 million was set aside over a period of three years, which would secure construction of a runway. A further NOK 4 million was presumed financed by the municipalities of Bergen and Fana to build a terminal, expropriation and a road. The plans were passed by Parliament on 25 April 1952. The military funding was arranged by Langhelle, who by then had been appointed Minister of Defence. Flesland received additional NATO grants in 1953, allocating NOK 50 million. The Ministry of Defence paid the remaining NOK 5 million. The increased funding allowed the runway to be extended to .