Aircraft cavern

During World War II, the neutral Swiss military airfields were equipped with simple arched concrete U-43 type shelters to protect the aircraft parked underneath.

After World War II, starting in 1947, these open objects became even better protected with metal doors, thus creating the U-68 type shelter.

These retablierstollen consisted of 100m long straight tunnels excavated in the rock, making it possible to store and eventually re-arm small Swiss fighter aircraft such as the then used Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406.

The blast doors are made of concrete reinforced steel and as long as they are closed, the aircraft parking area remains fully CBRN protected.

The WSA not only holds the munitions needed to re-arm the aircraft (missiles and cannon shells) but also the small arms ammunition for all military working in the caverne.

On the opposite side of the WSA is the command facility holding the workshops to service all aircraft systems, the communications cell, briefing room, kitchen, food & water storage, mess, personnel quarters and no-break generators to maintain electrical power under all circumstances.

[1][2] Other countries that have aircraft shelters built inside mountains on their territory include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the People's Republic of China, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Norway, North Korea, Iran and Sweden.