The 57th Air Base "Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino" (), also known as Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, is a Romanian Air Force base located near Constanța, at the Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport. It is home to the 572nd Helicopter Squadron, while the 58th Fighter Squadron is forming at Câmpia Turzii until the base improvements are completed. The air base also has a significant US military presence, being the location of the US Army Garrison Black Sea and Area Support Group Black Sea, hosting 700 US troops.

In 2024, construction began on a project aimed at modernizing and expanding the base. Under the same project, it is planned to build a military city similar to Ramstein Air Base, where more than 10,000 NATO servicemen will live together with their families, although this number could be doubled to 20,000 soldiers of which half would be stationed permanently and half on temporary deployments.

The current base commander is Comandor Gabriel Goagă.

History

Cold War era

The 57th Air Base was first formed as , soon to be renamed to , on 15 April 1951 at the Pipera Aerodrome. It was equipped with Po-2, Yak-11, Yak-23 and Yak-17 aircraft.

The fighter regiment moved to the Mihail Kogălniceanu Aerodrome in 1955, following the escape by seaplane of two aviators from Palazu Mare. On 1 November 1959, it was renamed to (57th Fighter Aviation Regiment). The name was kept until 1995. The base received MiG-17 fighters in 1960, followed by MiG-21F-13s in 1962. By 1972, the base was equipped only with MiG-21 fighters.

In 1979, the first MiG-23s arrived at the base. These equipped the 1st Squadron of the Regiment. The 2nd Squadron converted to the MiG-23 in 1980. From 1989, the Regiment started receiving MiG-29s. The MiG-29s were assigned to the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons of the Regiment.

Post-1990

In July 1995, the 57th Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded and replaced by the 57th Air Base, with the 57th Fighter Aviation Group. The group had two MiG-29 squadrons and one MiG-23 squadron. In 2002, the 59th Helicopter Regiment from Tuzla was disbanded and its personnel and equipment were integrated into the 57th Fighter Aviation Group.

Parts of the U.S. Department of Defense, principally from United States European Command, started to use the base in 1999. The airport and the former military garrison of the 34th Territorial Mechanized Brigade became the first US base to open in Romania. In 2003, it became one of four Romanian military facilities that U.S. military forces have used as a staging area for the invasion of, and counter-insurgency efforts in Iraq, operated by the 458th Air Expeditionary Group. During the first three months of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the airport was transited by 1,300 cargo and personnel transports towards Iraq, comprising 6,200 personnel and about 11,100 tons of equipment. The base retains an important role, given added weight by the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

The base was disbanded in April 2004, following the retirement of the MiG-29s, becoming an annex to the 86th Air Base. All the MiG-29s remain in open storage at the base. The 863rd Helicopter Squadron remained the only permanent unit of the base. Before it was disbanded, the base also received MiG-21 LanceR fighters with personnel from the 86th Air Base. Until the retiring of the LanceRs in 2023, the base hosted the 861st Fighter Squadron of the 86th Air Base. In 2006, the MiGs from Mihail Kogalniceanu took part the Viper Lance 2006 exercise together with F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 22nd Fighter Squadron which were deployed at the base for the duration of the exercise. This was also the first time American F-16 crews trained in Romania.

On 1 May 2007, the Mihail Kogălniceanu aerodrome was established, with the mission to coordinate the aeronautical activities in the area of responsibility, to ensure the Support of the Host Nation for the armed forces in transit, and to represent the interface between the foreign armed forces that carried out activities on the aerodrome and the public authorities represented locally. On 1 June, the Administrative Center-Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport (Military Unit 01837) was established and took responsibility of the location. In January 2014, Mihail Kogălniceanu Aerodrome changed its organizational structure by assimilating the Mihail Kogălniceanu Administrative Center subordinated to the General Staff of the Land Forces.

In 2007 and 2011, the air base hosted the USAF Thunderbirds during the air shows that took place at the airport. With the closure of the Transit Center at Manas in Kyrgyzstan, the United States military transferred processing operations for military deploying to Afghanistan and other locations to the base. The United States Army 21st Theater Sustainment Command and Air Force 780th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron were responsible for US operations there.

In July 2018, during the restructuring and modernization of the Romanian Army, the 57th Air Base was re-established and placed under the command of the Air Force Staff.

In October 2019, a detachment of 4 IAR 330L helicopters from the 572nd Helicopter Squadron was sent to participate in the UN mission to Mali. The Carpathian Pumas detachment carried out medical evacuation missions, transport of troops and materials, air patrols, and observation missions. The detachment completed 380 missions until 2020. During the deployment, one helicopter was damaged by a storm while refueling at the UN base in Douentza.

Several unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles were detected flying close to the base in April 2024. The drones, determined to be small civilian types, were subsequently brought down with electronic warfare equipment, although no remains were found. The military prosecutor's office started an investigation following the events. Similar events also occurred over other Romanian air bases since 2022.

On the occasion of Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu's visit to the base on 17 May 2024, it was announced that the 57th Air Base received the name "Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino", in honor of Romania's top scoring ace of World War II, Prince Constantin "Bâzu" Cantacuzino. The 57th Fighter Aviation Group previously held this honorific name from its establishment in 1995 until the disbanding of the 57th Air Base in 2004.

In January 2025, the base was targeted by fake news spread by far-right politician Călin Georgescu. Georgescu claimed that the base was going to be used to launch an attack on Russia and start World War III before the inauguration of Donald Trump on 20 January. Such news were dismissed by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence and by James C. O'Brien, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Starting from May 2025, the 58th Fighter Squadron which is to be based at Mihail Kogălniceanu began forming at the 71st Air Base from Câmpia Turzii. The 58th is to remain there until the base upgrades are completed at Mihail Kogălniceanu.

It has been suggested that the base would play a significant role in supporting the peacekeeping effort in Ukraine. Since Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has stated that Romania is ready to offer its military infrastructure for securing peace in Ukraine and as one of the largest air bases in Eastern Europe, Mihail Kogălniceanu could accommodate heavy transport and tanker aircraft of the United States such as the C-5 Galaxy or the KC-135 Stratotanker, providing the logistical foundation of a US-backed mission.

On 11 March 2026, the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) and the Parliament of Romania approved the US request for deploying aerial refueling airplanes, monitoring equipment and satellite communications systems, as well as additional military personnel for security and maintenance at the base. Other assets will also be deployed at the Câmpia Turzii and Deveselu bases. The temporary deployment will support the US military operations against Iran. According to minister Radu Miruță, up to 15 tankers will be stationed in Romania. The first aircraft arrived on 15 March at the Otopeni Air Base and began flying their first missions on 20 March. The first tankers arrived at Mihail Kogălniceanu from Ramstein in June 2026.

Expansion project

In 2021, the first stage of a 2 billion euro project was launched by the Romanian Armed Forces to modernize and expand the base as a response to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. Under this project, approved by the Romanian Government in 2019, plans are to build a small military city, similar to Ramstein Air Base. This project will house around 50,000 NATO troops and civilians, with a total area of around . Geopolitical analyst Dorin Popescu considers it will become a "permanent NATO military structure." and a Romanian Defence Ministry official told Euractiv that as a result of the "decision to expand NATO's military base. Romania will have stronger security guarantees."

The project includes expanding the areas of barracks 888, 1288, 3494, and 2354, and building regular and protective aircraft hangars, maintenance hangars, an engine testing area, administrative and social centers, a photovoltaic park, and two new runways. The military city will include schools, kindergartens, shops, and a hospital. The project is divided into four stages, which will be implemented over 20 years. Mihail Kogălniceanu is set to become NATO's biggest airbase in Europe.

In June 2022, the Ministry of Defence announced the winners of the first stage of the contract for the base upgrades. Three companies and 22 subcontractors will participate in the works. The state secret-level classified project is set to finish in almost nine years.

Construction began in 2024 on the south side of the future base, where a high-capacity electrical network and access roads are being built. On 11 June 2024, construction started on the first runway of the base after a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the Minister of National Defence, the Deputy Chief of the Defense Staff, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the head of the Domains and Infrastructures Directorate. The construction of the runway is set to finish in 2027.

The news of the base expansion project has caused concern among Russian officials. As early as March 2024, Russian politicians have issued warnings to Romania over the project, with Andrey Klimov, deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, calling it a "threat for Bucharest" and warning that the base is "more likely to be among the first targets for retaliatory strikes."

Foreign deployments NATO Enhanced Air Policing

The Enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission was established in 2014 as NATO's response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. Since then several NATO member nations have deployed to the base to participate in this mission: The Royal Air Force, has participated with its Eurofighter Typhoons in the mission since 2017. The Royal Canadian Air Force, participated in the mission with CF-18 Hornets since 2017. The Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons started its deployments in the mission in 2019. The Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons began participating in the mission in 2021. From 2022, Spanish F-18 Hornets have also participated in the mission. The German Air Force started conducting air policing missions from Mihail Kogălniceanu with Eurofighter Typhoons in 2022. The Finnish Air Force began deployments on the eAP mission with F/A-18 Hornets in 2024.