Kalinka Airfield

Kalinka Airfield (Blagodatnoye)
US KH-4B satellite image of Blagodatnoye, 1971
IATA: none ICAO: UHHS
Summary
Location	Blagodatnoye
Elevation AMSL	151 ft / 46 m
Coordinates	48°24′37″N 135°25′03″E
Map
Kalinka Shown within Khabarovsk Krai Show map of Khabarovsk Krai Kalinka Kalinka (Russia) Show map of Russia
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 2,600 800 Concrete 05/23 (closed) 8,202 2,500 Concrete

Kalinka Airfield is a civilian airfield located in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia located 23 km east of Khabarovsk near the town of Kalinka.

It was originally Blagodatnoye (Russian: 10-й участок, Kalinka) a former Russian military airbase and was part of the 11th Independent Air Defence Army, Soviet Air Defence Forces and hosted an interceptor regiment flying Sukhoi Su-9 (NATO: Fishpot) and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (NATO: Fresco) aircraft.[1] It was closed as a military base in 2009.

It is used by light aircraft.

History

From November 1948 to October 1952, the 582nd Fighter Aviation Regiment was stationed on aircraft flying Lavochkin La-7 (1948-1950), Lend-Lease Bell P-63 Kingcobra (1950) and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (1950-1952). In October 1950, the regiment relocated to the airfield Denshahe (China).

From June 1948 until its disbandment in 1994, the 301st Fighter Aviation Regiment was based on Yakovlev Yak-9, Yakovlev Yak-11, P-63 Kingcobra (1953-1953), MiG-15 (March 1953 to 1955), Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (September 1953 to 1962), Sukhoi Su-9 (February 1962 to 1976), and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MLD (1976 to 1994).[2]

From 1968 until its disbandment in 1988, the 26th Guards Aviation Regiment of fighter-bombers (26th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment since 1979) was based on the Sukhoi Su-7 (1968–1972) and Sukhoi Su-17 (1972) aircraft (until 1979), and the Sukhoi Su-24 (1979 to 1988).[3][4]

From 1988 to 1991, the 216th Fighter Aviation Regiment was based at the airfield, using Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft.[5][6] In 1991 it moved to Komsomolsk-na-Amure.

From 2010 onward, the airfield was no longer used for military purposes. Civilian operators include the Federation of Aviation Sports of the Far East, ChelAvia-Vostok, Representative Office of the Khabarovsk Regional Branch of AOPA-Russia. Satellite imagery shows the maintained portion of the runway was shortened to 800 m (2600 ft).

References

1. SOVIET MILITARY BUILDUP ALONG THE CHINA BORDER AND IN MONGOLIA, CIA-RDP78T05162A000100010038-9, Central Intelligence Agency, February 1, 1971.
2. THE LIKELIHOOD OF SINO-SOVIET HOSTILITIES: A PROGRESS REPORT ON A QUANTITATIVE PROJECT, CIA-RDP79T00889A000800160001-4, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, October 12, 1976.
3. OAK SUPPLEMENT PART 3 KH-9 MISSION 1205 10 MARCH - 4 APRIL 1973, CIA-RDP78T04752A000400010007-6, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, April 1, 1973.
4. http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/bap/26gvbap.htm
5. http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/iap/216iap.htm
6. Wikimapia entry: Blagodatnoye, accessed 2018-12-17.