Osovcy (air Base)

Osovcy ( official transliteration: Asaŭcy) is an air base of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Republic of Belarus located in Byaroza, Brest Region, Belarus. Bereza (Osovcy) is 7 km NW of Byaroza. Alternate given coordinates are 52° 33.4' N 24° 52.8' E.

The airfield is one of the oldest in Soviet/Russian aviation history. Mentions of it date back to 1915, when a separate combat detachment was based at the airfield, consisting of two aircraft "Ilya Muromets" from the 4th aviation company based at the airfield Lida. The detachment operated jointly with the Imperial 3rd Army from February 1915 and, in addition to Bereza, was also based at airfields in Brest-Litovsk and Slutsk.

By September 10, 1915, Bereza-Kartuzskaya (the name of the city was Bereza (Birch) until 1940) was occupied by the Germans. The combat detachment of Ilya Muromets aircraft flew to Slutsk, from where it continued to bomb enemy positions in Bereza Kartuzskaya, Skobelevsky camp, Baranovichi and nearby railway stations. A German aviation detachment was relocated to Bereza, equipped with Albatros D.I aircraft.

The 120th Fighter Aviation Regiment began forming as part of the Soviet military buildup in response to tensions with China on 24 September 1969. Initially formed at Osovtsy, the regiment was part of the 26th Air Army of the Belorussian Military District. The 1st Aviation Squadron was formed from pilots of the 927th and 968th IAPs of the 26th Air Army, while the 2nd and 3rd Aviation Squadrons were formed from pilots transferred from other Air Force units and recent graduates of flying schools. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Solomon Zeltser, it was equipped with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21S. Following the completion of its formation in late 1970, the 120th IAP was relocated to Domna in the Transbaikal Military District in July 1971 in order to strengthen the Soviet air component on the border with China, its pilots making the flight in their aircraft.

The 927th Fighter Aviation Koenigsberg Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment, permanently based at the airfield, reequipped with MiG-19 supersonic fighters in 1956. In 1960, after the disbandment of the 330th IAD, it was transferred to the 95th Fighter Aviation Division of the 26th Air Army, retrained for aircraft MiG-21. On February 23, 1968, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In 1986, the regiment was re-equipped with MiG-29 fighters. In 1989 it became a separate regiment of the 26th Air Army.

Apart from a year deploying to the Soviet war in Afghanistan, to Kokandy and Bagram Air Base from June 1983 to July 1984, the 927th Fighter Aviation Regiment has been located at Bereza-Osovcy ever since. While in Afghanistan it would have been attached to the 34th Mixed Aviation Corps ( :ru:34-й смешанный авиационный корпус). It flew the Mikoyan MiG-29 (ASCC "Fulcrum") from 1986, until its changeover to unmanned aerial vehicles. From 1988-89, it was a separate regiment part of the 26th Air Army.

In 1992 it became part of the Armed Forces of Belarus. In 1993, the regiment was reorganized into the 927th Fighter Aviation Base of the Belarusian Air Force. On August 24, 2010, the base was transformed into the 927th Center for the preparation and use of unmanned aerial systems of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus. It now flies Irkut-3s and Irkut-10s.

References

* {{cite book, last1=Anokhin , first1=V.A., last2=Bykov, first2=M.Yu. , title=All fighter regiments of Stalin. The first complete encyclopedia. — Popular science edition , place=Moscow , publisher=Yauza-press , date=2014 , isbn=978-5-9955-0707-9 (944 pages) (circulation 1500).

Military installations of Belarus
Military airbases
Belarusian Air Force
Brest Region