Soto Cano Air Base (Honduras)

Soto Cano Air Base (IATA: XPL, ICAO: MHPR) is a Honduran military base 5 mi (8.0 km) to the south of Comayagua in Honduras. It houses 1,200–1,500 U.S. troops and is also used by the Honduran Air Force academy. The airbase became operational in 1940, changing the old location of the Honduras Air Force Academy in Toncontin, Tegucigalpa to Palmerola. It serves as one of the important bases to the US Military's presence in Central America. The U.S. government once used Palmerola (as previously known) as a base of operations to support its foreign policy objectives in the 1980s. Now the U.S. military uses Soto Cano as a launching point for humanitarian aid missions throughout Honduras and Central America. In addition to the Honduran Air Force Academy, the U.S. military's Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-B) is headquartered at Soto Cano.