| Bad Aibling Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of the BND | |
| Located in Bad Aibling, Bavaria, Germany | |
 Radomes of Bad Aibling Station | |
  Bad Aibling Station  Bad Aibling Station | |
| Coordinates | 47°52′46″N 11°59′04″E / 47.879444°N 11.984444°E |
| Type | Signals and data gathering |
| Height | 492 m (1614 ft) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | BND |
| Open to the public | no |
| Condition | dismantled, relocated |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1936/1952 |
| In use | 1952–2004 |
| Demolished | 2004 |
The Bad Aibling Station (BAS), also known as the 18th United States Army Security Agency Field Station, Field station 81, and Hortensie III is a satellite tracking station operated by the German SIGINT agency BND from nearby Mangfall Barracks in Bad Aibling, Bavaria.[1]
Created by the Western Allies in 1947, it had been operated by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) until the early 2000s as operations have been transferred to the BND at Bad Aibling Station closure.[2]
As part of the global surveillance network ECHELON, Bad Aibling used to be one of the larger listening posts outside the USA and equalled its counterparts RAF Menwith Hill (UK), the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (AUS) and CFS Leitrim (CDN).
- ^ Center for Cryptologic History: "Bad Aibling Station - A Legacy of Excellence"
- ^ David Ruppe. "U.S. to Close Eavesdropping Post". ABC News. Retrieved 21 December 2013.