Nonstop flight route between Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from NBW to GRF:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- NBW Airport Information
- GRF Airport Information
- Facts about NBW
- Facts about GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to NBW
- List of Nearest Airports to NBW
- Map of Furthest Airports from NBW
- List of Furthest Airports from NBW
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRF
- List of Nearest Airports to GRF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRF
- List of Furthest Airports from GRF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NBW), Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,245 miles (or 5,222 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and Gray Army Airfield, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.
Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and Gray Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | NBW / KNBW |
Airport Name: | United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay |
Location: | Guantanamo Bay, Cuba |
GPS Coordinates: | 19°53'59"N by 75°9'0"W |
View all routes: | Routes from NBW |
More Information: | NBW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRF / KGRF |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°4'45"N by 122°34'50"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 300 feet (91 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GRF |
More Information: | GRF Maps & Info |
Facts about United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NBW):
- The furthest airport from United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NBW) is RAAF Learmonth (LEA), which is located 11,820 miles (19,022 kilometers) away in Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia.
- In the last quarter of the 20th century, the base was used to house Cuban and Haitian refugees intercepted on the high seas.
- The closest airport to United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NBW) is Mariana Grajales Airport (GAO), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) N of NBW.
- Until the 1953–59 revolution, thousands of Cubans commuted daily from outside the base to jobs within.
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- The Army Air Force closed its facilities in 1947.
- Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
- Camp Lewis advocates pushed for it to be a major dirigible and fixed-wing field.
- Because of Gray Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Gray Army Airfield at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
- The furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
- During the Korean War, GAAF continued in the role as a training and division support field.
- The closest airport to Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) NE of GRF.
- During the Vietnam War, GAAF not only trained helicopter units, but fixed-wing aircraft units as well.