 Dr Luis Maria Argana, Mariscal Estigarribia
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1980 to present | | Location: | 22 2 S - 60 37 W | | Mariscal Estigarribia City | | ICAO: SGME | IATA: ESG | Elevation: 545 feet |
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| History of this Base/Heliport: | | |
The Estigarribia airbase was constructed in the 1980s for US technicians hired by the Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, and is capable of housing large troops units 
The base has an enormous radar system, huge hangars and an air traffic control tower. The airstrip itself is larger than the one at the international airport in Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital. It's oversized for the Paraguayan air force, which only has a handful of small aircrafts
Pope John Paul II was there in May 1988 when he visited the town of Santa Teresita, 3 kilometers away
Estigarribia has a population of about 2000, which 300 belongs to the 6th Infantry Division, 3rd Corps, paraguayan army garrison
On a May 2005 agreement, Paraguay allows United States to use the base |