Manyame Air Base (Harare)

 military airbase, military

Manyame Air Base is one of the two main air bases for the Air Force of Zimbabwe. In Rhodesian times known as New Sarum Air Force Station.

In the early days of Rhodesian aviation, the various air units often lodged in buildings and facilities that they inherited. By the 1940s, it became apparent that a more permanent home for aviation was needed near the capital city, Salisbury. The decision was made to build a completely new airfield at Kentucky Farm to provide a base of operations for civilian airlines and military aircraft.

Work started on the military section of the airfield in 1951. In March 1952, the New Air Headquarters and Technical Headquarters were completed at what was called New Sarum Air Force Base. The name derived from Salisbury's sister city in England, Wiltshire, which for centuries had used the name "Sarum". The RAF station near Wiltshire was called "Old Sarum". It was therefore appropriate in view of both similarities in name and close association with the Royal Air Force that the new airfield be called "New Sarum."

New Sarum is still regarded as the principal Air Force establishment and provides facilities for four squadrons of aircraft of widely differing roles as well as housing training schools for technicians, security personnel, dog handlers, and the Air Force Regiment. The schools and flying squadrons are supported by a full range of services and amenities including workshops, transport fleets, living quarters, equipment depots, and sporting & entertainment facilities. The station shares with the Salisbury (Harare) Airport Complex, one of the longest civil airport runways in the world, 15510 feet or 2.42 miles, but is otherwise a totally self-contained community[