SAAF Air Force Base Hoedspruit Plaque

 Air Force Base Hoedspruit (IATA: HDS, ICAO: FAHS) is an airbase of the South African Air Force situated adjacent to the Kruger National Park. In the late 1990s, an unused portion of the base was converted into a civilian airport known as Eastgate Airport. Notably, it was also designated as an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle. The base was officially inaugurated on 1 July 1978 and was designed from its inception to be a highly fortified wartime base. It features armoured and Hardened Aircraft Shelters, with revetments positioned near the runways for aircraft on immediate take-off standby duty. The base is surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve. To address the challenge of keeping the runway clear of animals, the base introduced three cheetahs, which resulted in a 90% reduction in animal incursions onto the runway. In 2000, the base gained international attention when it hosted the United States Air Force's rescue contingent for Operation Atlas Response, a mission to provide rescue and humanitarian support to areas of Mozambique affected by flooding caused by Cyclone Eline. The base's motto is "Pro Nostrorum Pace" (Peace for our People).

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