Raadi Airfield (Tartu Air Base) is a former air base in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

located northeast of Tartu. The land once belonged to

Raadi Manor Raadi Manor (german: link=no, Ratshof) was in the area known as Raadi-Kruusamäe, on the outskirts of Tartu in Estonia. The manor and Raadi Manor Park were the home to the Liphart noble family who were significant art collectors. The family ...

and is now designated as the new site of the

Estonian National Museum The Estonian National Museum ( et, Eesti Rahva Muuseum) founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art. The first items for the museum were originally collected in the latter ...

History

In 1940 were requisitioned from the

estates to create a Russian airport.History
ERM.ee, retrieved 31 December 2013 The airfield was fought over during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and the manor house was burnt during the Tartu Offensive. The airport became a major Soviet bomber base for fifty years. The secrecy of the airfield meant that foreigners were not allowed to visit the city. Dozens of bombers were based here making it the largest Baltic airfield. The airfield is still seen as a reminder that Estonia was occupied by Soviet forces.Estonian National Museum Where is this? When is this?
, ERM.ee, retrieved 1 January 2014 It was a fairly extensive base with 24 large revetments and over 30 small ones. This airfield was listed as No. 13 in USSR airfield priority, by the US in 1956. Meaning it was the only nuclear target in the Baltics at this time. It was a Soviet base, home to 132 TBAP (132nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) which flew

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 ...

and

Tupolev Tu-22M The Tupolev Tu-22M (russian: Туполев Ту-22М; NATO reporting name: Backfire) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. According to some ...

aircraft. It was also a transport base with the 192 and/or 196 VTAP (Military Transport Aviation Regiment) flying Ilyushin Il-76M cargo aircraft until 1990. These aircraft were relocated to

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

. On 15 January 1991, a Soviet Air Force Tupolev Tu-16K ''Badger'' crashed near Tartu Air Base, on landing when the undercarriage failed to extend. The pilot and co-pilot ejected, but the four crew members were killed.

Today

By 1993 it was listed as a designated emergency airfield on a Jeppesen chart for airline use although this is no longer possible as the runway has various used car lots preventing use by aircraft. On 16 January 2006 the winning works of the international architecture competition held to design the new

building were revealed. In 2016, the museum was opened. In 2020, estimated 200,000 solar panels will be built on Raadi Airfield, making it the biggest solar farm in

Gallery

File:Military airport of USSR in Raadi 2.jpg File:Military airport of USSR in Raadi 3.jpg File:Military airport of USSR in Raadi 4.jpg File:Military airport of USSR in Raadi 5.jpg

References

{{authority control Defunct airports in Estonia Transport in Tartu Tartu Parish Soviet Air Force bases Soviet Long Range Aviation 1910s establishments in Estonia Buildings and structures in Tartu County Buildings and structures in Tartu