Korsakov (also Novaya (US)) was a
Soviet Naval Aviation
Soviet Naval Aviation (AV-MF, for ''Авиация военно-морского флота'' in Russian, or ''Aviatsiya voyenno-morskogo flota'', literally "aviation of the military maritime fleet") was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Na ...
reserve airfield
[197803_VOL. 3 OF 4 VOLUMES ANNUAL INDEX TO PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLOITATION PRODUCTS JANUARY-DECEMBER 1978, CREST: CIA-RDP79T01184A000100030001-6, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.] on
Sakhalin
Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
located northeast of
Korsakov. It was first listed by US intelligence in 1964, when significant construction of the runway was underway. Due to the long runway length it was likely intended for dispersal of
Tupolev Tu-16R medium reconnaissance jets, and may have been built to meet Defense Minister
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (russian: Родио́н Я́ковлевич Малино́вский, ukr, Родіо́н Я́кович Малино́вський ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander. He was Marshal of the Sov ...
's directive that every American aircraft carrier between Midway Island and the Kuril Ridge be photographed by Soviet Tupolev Tu-16R reconnaissance aircraft.
The airfield appears to have been abandoned after the
Cold War, and satellite imagery shows much of the concrete has been reclaimed.
Korsakova airfield
A smaller airfield given variously as Korsakovka or Korsakova is located 3 km southeast of the town (). As with Korsakov it was also a Soviet Naval Aviation base.
It had a much shorter runway, measuring only 1500 m. Up to 12 light helicopters were observed in 1967.
[196703_MISSION 1039 23-FEBRUARY - 5 MARCH 1967 PART II, CREST: CIA-RDP99T01396R000100230001-7, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.] Due to the similar name with the larger airfield the two are often confused with one another on historical intelligence documents, requiring careful attention to the given coordinates.
References
Soviet Naval Aviation bases
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