Iran's Secret Underground Air Base 'Eagle 44' Withstands Repeated Attacks
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Iran's secret underground air base, "Eagle 44," located in the Zagros Mountains, has withstood multiple attacks during the joint US-Israeli "Epic Fury" operation in 2026. Despite damage to runways and entrances, Iran has rapidly repaired the facility, clearing debris and repaving sections, and is building alternative access routes. This underground strategy allows Iran to preserve its air assets and continue threatening the Strait of Hormuz.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Iran's underground air base 'Eagle 44' has survived multiple US-Israeli attacks in 2026.
- The base is designed to protect Iranian aircraft, drones, and missiles within the Zagros Mountains.
- Attacks aimed to sever underground hangars from the runway and block tunnel entrances.
- Iran rapidly repaired runway damage and cleared debris following the assaults.
- The facility's resilience demonstrates Iran's strategy of surviving and deterring threats.
- Iran is constructing an alternative access route to the underground base.
Iran has constructed and is actively operating a significant underground military facility known as "Eagle 44" (Oghab 44) in the Hormozgan province, approximately 160 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. This tactical air base, carved into the Zagros Mountains, is designed to protect fighter jets, drones, and missiles from aerial assaults. The base, first revealed in February 2023, features a 4.3-kilometer runway and taxiways leading to four tunnel entrances within the mountain. Aircraft are housed and armed inside the mountain, emerging only for missions, a strategy to help Iran's relatively weaker air force survive against technologically superior adversaries.
During the joint US-Israeli "Epic Fury" operation, which began on February 28, 2026, "Eagle 44" was targeted in at least three separate attack waves in late March, mid-July, and later. The objective was to sever the underground hangars from the runway, block tunnel entrances, and trap any aircraft inside. Satellite imagery from the time showed craters near the entrances, damage to support structures, and blockages on the runway.
However, Iran demonstrated resilience. Satellite photos from late September 2026 analyzed by The War Zone revealed that bulldozers had cleared debris, blockages were removed from the runway, and a key section of the western taxiway had been repaved with concrete. Iran is also constructing an alternative access route, indicating a determination to keep the facility operational despite ongoing attacks.
An April 2026 article in Defense Blog suggested that this underground fortification strategy has preserved about two-thirds of Iran's operational aircraft fleet under heavy attacks. The surviving aircraft, along with drones and missiles, are used to target American bases, runways, command facilities, and support infrastructure in the region, thereby increasing the cost of American air operations without engaging in direct aerial combat. While not indestructible, these hardened shelters pose a significant challenge, requiring expensive and precise munitions, and even then, only offering temporary blockades. The continued repairs and rebuilding efforts at "Eagle 44" illustrate Iran's strategy of surviving underground, deterring threats, and continuing to menace the Strait of Hormuz.