Due to their specific construction of these airfields – which included taxi-ways leading right out of Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS) and laid diagonally to the runways – they became known as "Trapezoids" or "Yugos".

On 4 April 1981, eight IRIAF F-4 Phantoms flew their boldest interdiction strike of the war, penetrating over 1,000 km into Iraq in order to attack all three airfields of the H-3 complex.

[5] Achieving complete surprise, the Iranians made several passes against Al-Walid, H-3 Northwest and H-3 Southwest ABs, destroying three AN-12s, one Tu-16, four MiG-21s, five Su-20/22s, eight Mig-23s, and two Mirage F-1EQs (delivered only weeks earlier), as well as damaging eleven others beyond repair, including two Tu-16 bombers.

The S-shaped bunker located at H-3 airfield (main) and the four at the H-3 ammunition storage facility were damaged or destroyed during Desert Storm.

In response to Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly Zone, Operation Southern Watch coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike an air defense command and control facility at a military airfield 240 miles west and slightly south of Baghdad, at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT on 5 September 2002.

According to press reports, about 100 US and British aircraft took part in the attack, making it the biggest single operation over the country in four years.

H-3 airbase was defended by a battalion of Iraqi troops and significant numbers of mobile and static anti aircraft guns.

The British and Australian SAS were joined by members of Delta Force and on 24 March by Green Beret ODAs from Bravo company, 1st Battalion 5th SFG.