Poduzhemye (also Kem/Uzhmana or Uzhmana) is an former air base in
Karelia,
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 16 km west of
Kem. It was an interceptor airfield which became operational in 1957 with the 265th Fighter Aviation Regiment (265 IAP) which flew
Sukhoi Su-15 (NATO: Flagon) and
Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO: Flanker) aircraft. Aircraft from this base forced down
Korean Air Flight 902, a
Boeing 707, in 1978. Google high-res imagery shows that the base is abandoned and is in neglected condition. There is a noteworthy 45 x 25 m hangar north of the airfield.
The 265th Fighter Aviation Regiment arrived at the base from Riga-Rumbula in Latvia in 1953, when it was flying
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s (NATO: Fagot). It transitioned to
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
s (NATO: Fresco) in 1954 and Su-15s in 1969. It was subordinated to the 113th Fighter Aviation Division from 13.6.55 - 1960, the 5th Air Defence Division, 1961 - 4.80, the Air Forces of the
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District ...
, 4.80 - 3.86, and then the 23rd Air Defence Division, 3.86 - 1994. The regiment was disbanded in 1994.
History of the airfield
The airfield during the war was used in the interests of the troops of the Karelian Front. In March 1944 and at the aerodrome were based parts of the operational group
8th long-range air corps: operational group
36th Long-Range Aviation Division and
109th Long-Range Aviation Regiment on
Ilyushin Il-4.
The concrete runway of the airfield was built in 1953 on the basis of the plan for the formation of a new air defense system of the USSR to accommodate air defense fighter units.
From October 1953,
265th Fighter Aviation Regiment,
336th Fighter Aviation Division moved to the airfield from the
Rumbula airfield MiG-15. In 1954, the regiment was reequipped on aircraft MiG-17.
Since May 1955, after the fulfillment of a government assignment in China,
348th Fighter Aviation Regiment was redeployed to the airfield with support units. In 1956, a separate reconnaissance aviation squadron on MiG-17 aircraft was redeployed from under Chita. In 1965, the regiment was reequipped for new modifications of the MiG-17PF, equipped with radar sights. In 1969, the regiment was the first in
10th Air Defense OA began to retrain to a supersonic fighter
Sukhoi Su-15 (NATO: ), which flew before its disbandment in 1994.
In the period from September 1, 1953 and to July 1, 1960, the headquarters of the
336th Fighter Aviation Division was located at the airfield.
References
Russian Air Force bases
Soviet Air Force bases
Soviet Air Defence Force bases
Military of the Republic of Karelia
Airports in the Republic of Karelia
Kemsky District
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