Tapa Airfield

Tapa Airfield Tapa lennuväli
IATA: none ICAO: EETA
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Estonian Air Force
Location	Tapa
Elevation AMSL	331 ft / 101 m
Coordinates	59°14′06″N 025°57′06″E
Map
EETA Location in Estonia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 2,500 8,202 Concrete
Sources: Forgotten Airfields[1][2]

Tapa Airfield (ICAO: EETA) is an unused air base in Estonia located 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Tapa. During the Cold War it was home to the 656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (IAP PVO).[3] For most of the time the regiment was part of the 14th Air Defence Division of the 6th Air Defence Army.

Tapa's interceptor regiment initially operated the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (ASCC: Fresco) then the Sukhoi Su-9 (ASCC: Fishpot) in the 1960s and 1970s.[4] This aircraft was replaced in 1978 with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23M (ASCC: Flogger-B).[4]

In 1987, interceptor aircraft were dispatched from Tapa to intercept Mathias Rust's Cessna 172 in a famous Cold War incident.[5] To prevent a recurrence, the 384th Independent Helicopter Squadron (384 OVE) was deployed here with the Mil Mi-24P (ASCC: Hind-F) between 1989 and 1992.[6]

See also

• Tapa Army Base
• List of airports in Estonia

References

1. Tapa Airfield at Forgotten Airfields
2. EETA at Airport Guide (elevation)
3. "656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO". Ww2.dk. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
4. PHASEOUT OF FISHPOT IN APVO STRANYY AIRFIELDS USSR, February 1981, CREST: CIA-RDP81T00380R000100980001-5, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.
5. LeCompte, Tom (July 2005). "The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust, Air & Space Magazine". Archived from the original on 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
6. "384th independent Helicopter Squadron". Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. Retrieved 4 January 2023.