Forward Operating Base Revolver (short form: FOB Revolver) was a military airbase located in the central highlands of Takistan.
Contents
Overview
| Map coordinates | Grid coordinates |
|---|---|
| 8229.9922, 2133.3669 | 082-021 |
Captured by NATO coalition forces at the height of Operation Arrowhead, Revolver was built over the (formerly) regime-controlled airbase of Loy Manara. It was used as the primary staging point for all NATO operations throughout Central Takistan until the latter half of the operation.
Revolver initially served as headquarters for the U.S. Army's Task Force Knight throughout the early stages of Operation Arrowhead. As coalition troops pushed north, Revolver would continue to supply the advancing ground troops until a new base was established at the Rasman airbase.
By the end of July 2013, Revolver and all other remaining NATO bases in the region would be fully decommissioned. Control of the base would be handed over to the New Takistani Army (NTA) as part of the alliance's withdrawal from Takistan.
History
With the expiration of the UN Security Council's ultimatum to the regime of Colonel Muhammad Aziz, U.S.-led NATO forces commenced their planned invasion of Takistan - codenamed Operation Arrowhead, in the early hours of June 1st, 2012.
Several ground and air units from the U.S. Army's TF Knight would spearhead the coalition's offensive into the central highlands. If they succeeded in capturing Loy Manara, they could neutralise a significant portion of the Takistani Army's airpower and establish a bridgehead to use for further pushes north.
Airborne infantry lead the attack on Loy Manara.
Flown in from the south, airborne infantry were airdropped onto the runway. Special operations units demolished several of the anti-air batteries protecting Loy Manara, though one of the helicopters were still shot down before it could unload. The Takistanis responded by dispatching several tanks and APCs to intercept the infantry but were repelled by a column of American tanks.
Locals in the surrounding villages - many of whom were pro-Royalist tribesmen persecuted by Aziz' regime, reached out to coalition representatives and voiced their support for the attack. Many fighters took the opportunity to launch their own reprisals upon regime soldiers. Hours after the airbase was finally secured, additional equipment was flown in to retrofit the airbase into a proper FOB.
However, a plane carrying several news journalists and Non-Government Organisation aid workers and doctors was struck by surface-to-air missiles on its final approach to Revolver. The plane crashed inside the valleys north of the airbase, deep within militia-occupied lands. A convoy of U.S. mechanised infantry secured the crash site an hour later, but were unsuccessful in locating the remaining survivors.
Facilities
Barracks
An improvised housing area for the personnel of TF Knight was constructed near the entrance of the base. It consisted of numerous canvas tents and a field hospital surrounded by Hesco barriers to shield the occupants against mortar shrapnel and sniper fire.
Control tower
The control tower served two purposes: directing inbound and outbound flights, as well as a command centre for controlling all ground and air operations throughout the region.
Drone control station
An uplink could be used to interface with orbiting UAVs providing surveillance over the entire region.
Hangars
Two hangars built before Operation Arrowhead were located in the middle of the base facing towards the runways. They were large enough to support fixed-wing aircraft ranging from light turboprops to jet-powered CAS planes.
Motor pool
The motor pool was located near the entrance and stretched along the road connected to the hangars. A repair depot staffed by engineers and technicians was also built near the control tower.
