U.S.A.F. Larche was the designation of the main airport on the microstate of Malden. Used by U.S.-led NATO forces[1], it was situated to the north-east of Saint Louis, and could be reached via the paved road leading out of the town or through the trail on the north-western side of the airbase.
The airbase was established to serve as a refuelling and resupply point for cargo aircraft travelling between the continental United States and NATO bases in West Germany.[2] Command of the garrison was initially led by General Williams of the U.S. Army[3], but was later transferred to Colonel Caper Blake by late 1982.[4][5]
Runway[]
W
Length
Width
E
18 →
1,572 m
36 m
← 36
History[]
Throughout the Malden Islands Crisis, U.S.A.F. Larche served as a key staging ground for NATO troops when rogue forces led by a disavowed Soviet General, Aleksei Guba, invaded Malden on June 1st, 1985[5], in an attempt to forcibly seize control of the island.[6]
Chinese forces establish a foothold over the remnants of U.S.A.F. Larche (c. 2020s)
At the turn of the millennium, U.S.A.F. Larche would be decommissioned in the early 2020s after a series of controversial incidents involving stockpiles of Cold War-era munitions.[9]
Budget cuts caused by the surge of an economic crisis throughout NATO countries[10][11][12][13] would see to a unilateral U.S. withdrawal from Malden, and the subsequent decommissioning of U.S.A.F. Larche.[14]
In the aftermath of their drawdown, Chinese-led CSAT forces would be invited at the request of the Maldenian people to fill the security vacuum. They would be accompanied by their North African allies as part of the alliance's Scimitar Regiment, who would form the bulk of the CSAT presence on Malden.[9]
Facilities[]
Barracks[]
A series of portable tent structures and two buildings served as barracks to house the base's personnel and staff.
Supply depot[]
A vehicle repair station and fuel tanks were established along the trail on the north-western side of the main runway.
Trivia[]
Its designation is only stated in a radio transmission from Blake in Guardian.[15] In all other instances throughout the main campaign, U.S.A.F. Larche is generically referred to as the "NATO airport" or "NATO airbase".
↑ARMA: Cold War Assault 2011 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Cold War Crisis, Fire Fight, "Major Gastovski to Colonel Blake. Nogova, October 12th. Sir, I'll try to keep this simple. I don't know how to put it any other way. Thanks to the air support you managed to get for us, we finally defeated the Soviets here. We couldn't have done it without you. If we'd relied on General Williams, we’d probably all be dead now. Please accept my congratulations on your promotion to the role of commanding officer of the forces on Malden."
↑ 9.09.1ARMA 3:Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Stepping Stone, Fait Accompli, "After our exit and the catastrophic handling of Cold War-era stockpiles, Malden has drifted into CSAT's sphere of influence. Our former base, here, to the north of the main airport, is now a major concern. China's got a squadron of long-range aircraft there. Shikras. Brass tacks: we need air superiority over the Gibraltar Straits - if we don't have that, we can't invadeAltis and Stratis."
↑ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., The East Wind, \a3\missions_f_epa\video\a_in_intro.ogv, 00:09, "CIVIL DISORDER CONTINUES ACROSS MAJOR EUROPEAN CAPITALS", AAN News
↑ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., The East Wind, \a3\missions_f_epa\video\a_in_intro.ogv, 01:02, "Two decades of economic misery cannot be ignored. [...] Britain is an island not an empire! [...] The answer is no longer: 'send a gunboat' - it hasn't been the answer for the last 50 years.", AAN News
↑ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Field Manual/Vehicles/MBT-52 Kuma, "A batch of a few dozen tanks and spare turrets were bought underprice from a south-European country facing an economic collapse. "
↑ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., The East Wind, \a3\missions_f_epa\video\a_in_intro.ogv, 00:13, "REPORT: EEC 2034-2035 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AVERAGE SOARS TO 42%", AAN News
↑ARMA 3:Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Stepping Stone, Disintegration Point, "I'm just saying. We wouldn't be in this mess if we'd never left. I mean, accidentally blowing up our own research station? Killing a bunch of local workers..."
