Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait partnership brings upgrades to ATC Tower

Pictured is the Air Traffic Control Tower at Ali Al Salem Air Base on Jan. 18, 2023. Upgrades to the ATC tower have helped increase cooperation between Kuwait and the United States. Tower upgrades will bring increased information and safety to Ali Al Salem Air Base, improving mission capabilities for years to come. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

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Ms. Allison Neilsen (left), an air traffic training manager with the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, speaks with Kuwait Air Force First Sergeant Salem Al-Harib (Right), senior air traffic controller, at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Jan. 16, 2023. Due to air traffic control tower upgrades, controllers at Ali Al Salem can now look forward to improved radios, upgraded electrical equipment, and a beacon on top of the tower for increased safety measures. The cooperation between Kuwait and the United States for these upgrades will improve mission capabilities for years to come. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

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Aircraft parked on the flightline as seen from the Air Traffic Control Tower of Ali Al Salem Air Base on Jan. 16, 2023. Upgrades to the ATC will make it easier for controllers to direct planes and ground vehicles, improving efficiency and safety. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

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U.S. Air Force Capt. Sam Jones, 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight commander, speaks into a radio at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Jan. 16, 2023. Due to air traffic control tower upgrades, controllers at Ali Al Salem can now look forward to using improved radios, upgraded electrical equipment, and having increased safety in the tower with the installment of a beacon on top of the tower. The cooperation between Kuwait and the United States will bring increased information and safety to Ali Al Salem Air Base, improving mission capabilities for years to come. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

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Radios charge in their charging cradle at the Ali Al Salem Air Traffic Control Tower on Jan. 16, 2023. These radios are used by air traffic controllers while communicating with Airmen on the ground, upgrades to the tower will give more effective radios to air traffic controllers and allow them to complete their job more efficiently. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

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Ms. Allison Neilsen, an Air Traffic Training Manager with the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, looks through a pair of binoculars in the Air Traffic Control Tower at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Jan. 16, 2023. Due to air traffic control tower upgrades, controllers at Ali Al Salem can now look forward to using improved radios, upgraded electrical equipment, and having increased safety in the tower with the installment of a beacon on top of the tower. The cooperation between Kuwait and the United States will bring increased information and safety to Ali Al Salem Air Base, improving mission capabilities for years to come. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen)

Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait partnership brings upgrades to ATC Tower

Published Jan. 24, 2023
By Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait --

More than $6 million worth of upgrades will occur in the Ali Al Salem Air Base Air Traffic Control Tower thanks to nearly a decade-long project between the base and the Kuwaiti Air Force.

Plans for these upgrades began in 2014, but the physical construction of the project only began recently. Construction is scheduled to finish in September 2023, which places the overall timeline of the project months ahead of schedule.

“This has been a joint project with the [Kuwaitis], showing that we are working together to improve the facility for U.S. air traffic services as well as Kuwaiti and all of our coalition partners that utilize our airfield,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Sam Jones, the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight commander. “It has been a work in progress, and we’ve been pushing through together to get to this point.”

One major upgrade is the replacement of the beacon on top of the tower. The beacon brings increased safety to aircraft landing in poor weather, allowing all joint and coalition partners increased mission capabilities.

In addition, multiple other systems within the tower are being upgraded including: wiring, radio communications, antennas, electrical systems and communication switches. These upgrades bring increased reliability to the tower and allow for enhanced systems to be installed.

Furthermore, these upgrades improve the ability of host nation partners to implement the training they get in the United States.

“One thing for the [Kuwaitis] is they get trained at our school in America,” commented Allison Nielsen, 407th EOSS air traffic training manager and watch supervisor. “They’re learning what we have in the States and are trained on that equipment. We’re now upgrading the equipment here to be the equipment they were trained on.”

The installment of this new equipment is a major milestone for the United State’s enduring presence here ultimately increasing their support to the region.