Leonidovo 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 in the remote central area of
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 east of
Leonidovo. Declassified
KH-7
BYEMAN codenamed GAMBIT, the KH-7 (Air Force Program 206) was a reconnaissance satellite used by the United States from July 1963 to June 1967. Like the older CORONA system, it acquired imagery intelligence by taking photographs and returnin ...
imagery obtained from the
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...
shows that it existed in June 1966 without much difference compared to today. In recent times (probably 1990s) it was shortened to 2000 m. High-resolution
Google Earth imagery shows that the airfield has been decommissioned, with the runway being used as a storage pad for
petroleum industry
The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The large ...
supplies.
Satellite observation of Leonidovo in October 1964 indicated construction at the north and south ends of the runway. In 1967 there was an "unusual deployment" of 37 medium-range
Tupolev Tu-16
The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO reporting name: Badger) is a twin-engined jet strategic heavy bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has been flown for almost 70 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the People's Liberation ...
Badgers at the airfield.
[196710_CABLE TO DIRNSA FROM NPIC, 25 October 1967, CREST: CIA-RDP78B03817A000900020029-3, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.]
Also see
Matrosovo air base.
References
External links
RussianAirFields.com
Soviet Naval Aviation bases
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