Laon-Couvron Air Base - Current Uses

Current Uses

With the withdrawal of the USAF, the French Army moved into Laon Air Base and renamed the facility Quartier Mangin sur l'ancienne base de Couvron. From 1980 it was the home of the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment (1er Regiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1er RAMa)).

Many of the old USAF buildings remain at the technical area and support base, and are used by the French. The three large hangars on the main parking ramp have been removed, with new-purpose-built structures being erected on the parking ramp area. The hangars in the two northern squadron margarietes have been removed, but both parking areas are still relatively intact, albeit with deteriorating hardstands; the margarite to the east having had much additional construction of army facilities over the years. The main NATO jet runway is no longer in use, however it appears well maintained along with the main taxiway. A small section of the runway is used for helicopter operations.

Surprisingly, much of the wartime base remains. The entire length of the German 10/28 runway is visible, being used as an east-west access road and storage area for excess vehicles. The north-south 02/20 runway remains in part, with some buildings erected on parts of it, other parts reduced to a double road with, and other parts of broken-up, deteriorating concrete, with a parallel taxiway also still existing in part, being used as a perimeter road of the facility. A large area in the southwest of the base consists of abandoned streets, with concrete foundations of former buildings still remaining in the grass areas between them. It is not known if the foundations are from wartime or NATO buildings.

In addition to the southeast, just outside the current facility to the southeast, remains of what was probably a German aircraft dispersal area remain with large, unconnected concrete areas in agricultural fields, being connected by single-lane concrete farm roads.

On 19 Juin 2012, the 1st Marine Artillery Régiment took up new quartiers at Chalons-en-Champagne where it relieved the disbanded 402nd Artillery Regiment.