Construction Of Iran’s “Eagle 44” Underground Airbase Hasn’t Stopped Despite War

Eagle 44, also called Oghab 44, is a hardened underground airbase in Iran’s Hormozgan province. It is carved into the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, about 100 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is rebuilding the facility after at least three rounds of airstrikes this year damaged parts of the base.

Satellite imagery from late September showed a completed section of new taxiway, damaged support buildings, cleared wreckage, and removed runway obstacles. The base’s tunnels connect to entrances where fighters and weapons can be stored. The facility was designed to support aircraft operations while protecting valuable assets underground.

The rebuilding remains incomplete. Only one of two taxiways is currently operational, and several support structures remain destroyed or damaged. The Pentagon and Trump administration have said little remains of Iran’s air force, but continued construction suggests Iran still considers the hardened base useful.

Eagle 44 combines a long surface runway with underground storage and operating areas. Its main runway stretches 2.7 miles across a valley floor on the northern side of the base. The runway sits below the mountain range, while the protected complex is cut through a smaller ridge nearby.

Two taxiways pass through that ridge and connect the runway to four entrances leading into the primary tunnel complex. The tunnels contain areas for storing fighters and weapons, plus branches leading to revetments for aircraft and drones. The layout lets aircraft move between the surface runway and protected underground spaces.

The article does not give the total length or volume of the tunnels. It does report that only one taxiway is currently operational. A new section of taxiway has been completed, while the other remains unfinished or unusable, and nearby support buildings are still damaged.

Work on Eagle 44’s cavernous underground tunnel complex began in 2013. Construction of its 2.7-mile main runway started roughly eight years later, placing the runway work around 2021. The runway lies on a valley floor below the surrounding mountain range and connects to underground areas through taxiways.

Iran publicly unveiled the facility in February 2023. State media showed senior officials visiting the base, which was described as the country’s newest underground airbase. Footage displayed F-4 Phantom IIs, weapons, and one-way attack drones operating inside or near the complex.

The unveiling also presented Eagle 44 as an important military installation. Iranian state media described it as one of the army’s most important air force bases, equipped with fighters carrying long-range cruise missiles. The article does not state a separate official reason for the timing, but the event highlighted the base’s underground design and claimed military role.

Eagle 44 is operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, or IRIAF. The article specifically distinguishes it from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force. That division matters because the base was presented as an air force installation supporting crewed combat aircraft as well as drones.

Iranian footage showed F-4D/E Phantom IIs using the facility. The aircraft were displayed with AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, laser-guided and electro-optically guided bombs, unguided bombs, and domestically produced anti-ship missiles. One-way attack drones were also visible in the background.

The IRIAF had roughly 60 Phantoms in service when the base was unveiled, making them its most numerous combat jet by a wide margin. However, the article says it is unknown how many remain today or are operational. The base was therefore built around capabilities whose current strength is uncertain.

The strikes damaged Eagle 44’s surface operating network rather than simply targeting visible aircraft. High-resolution imagery showed impact craters near the tunnel entrances, one support building leveled, and other structures damaged. Mounds were placed along the runway, apparently to stop enemy aircraft from landing.

The runway and taxiway entrances were critical because they connected the underground caverns with the airfield. Battle damage assessments suggested that attackers wanted to cut those links. Cratering the taxiways could block aircraft movement, while damaging the entrances could restrict access to stored aircraft and weapons.

The suspected result was to trap whatever remained inside and prevent takeoff. Later imagery showed wrecked equipment cleared from the pavement, obstacles removed, and a new taxiway section completed. Several support buildings remained damaged, so rebuilding has restored some access without fully returning the base to its earlier condition.

Eagle 44’s underground design gives Iran an alternative to relying only on exposed conventional airfields. The facility was carved into a mountain and built with tunnels, blast doors, revetments, and protected storage areas. That arrangement is intended to shelter fighters, drones, and potentially missiles from attacks aimed at surface installations.

The base’s operating method depends on concealment and protected movement. Aircraft can remain inside tunnel branches or revetments, then use taxiways to reach the runway. The runway still has to function, which explains why attackers focused on taxiway entrances, craters, and obstacles that could block access or takeoff.

The design does not make the base invulnerable. Airstrikes damaged buildings, cratered taxiways, and apparently disrupted access. Iran is rebuilding nonetheless, with a new taxiway section completed and obstructions removed. That effort shows the underground complex remains important despite uncertainty about how many aircraft are still operational.

A runway provides the takeoff and landing surface, but it cannot make an airbase operational alone. Taxiways connect it to aircraft storage and preparation areas. At Eagle 44, those routes link the surface runway with tunnel entrances and underground revetments where fighters and drones can be kept protected.

Aircraft also need maintenance and repair facilities, crew quarters, fuel, munitions, security, and systems for air traffic control and command. The article identifies these as necessary parts of a functioning base. Weapons storage supports arming, fuel supports flight, maintenance keeps aircraft usable, and command systems coordinate movements and missions.

Eagle 44’s support compound contains several buildings, although their individual purposes are unclear. Damage to those buildings, taxiways, or tunnel entrances can therefore interrupt the whole chain. Rebuilding the taxiway and clearing wreckage restores movement, but the base remains only partly functional while support structures are damaged.