Smirnykh (air base)

Smirnykh (Russian: Смирных) is an abandoned Soviet airbase in Sakhalin, Russia located 2 km east of the village of the same name. It appeared in June 1966 KH-7 imagery with a runway length of 2,000 m. It was expanded sometime after this to 2,500 m with a new extension of revetments added.

Smirnykh
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorSoviet Air Force
LocationSmirnykh
Elevation AMSL141 ft / 43 m
Coordinates49°44′18″N 142°51′36″E
Map
Smirnykh
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
01/19 8,202 2,500 Concrete

History

The base was originally built near the town of Smirnykh, a coaling and watering station for the Sakhalin railway. The airfield was first detected by Western intelligence around 1962. By 1965 19 Yak-28P Firebar were known to be stationed at the airfield.[1]

In October 1972 a US reconnaissance satellite assessment showed 17 Yak-28P long-range interceptors, 2 Antonov An-24 Coke transports, and 1 Lisunov Li-2 Cab (DC-3 copy) transport.[2]

By the 1980s Smirnykh was home to a MiG-23 (Flogger-G) interceptor regiment[3] An ICAO report on the 1983 downing of Korean Air Flight 007 indicated PVO (Soviet Anti-Air Defense) MiG-23 fighter aircraft from Smirnykh were scrambled, but it was an Su-15 jet from Dolinsk-Sokol which carried out the shootdown.

The airfield is no longer in use and the runways have not been maintained in decades.

References
  1. 196507_MISSION COVERAGE INDEX MISSION 4017 29 APRIL - 3 MAY 1965, CIA-RDP03T02227R000100070002-8, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.
  2. OAK SUPPLEMENT PART 8 KH-9 MISSION 1204 11 OCTOBER - 17 DECEMBER 1972 (TOP SECRET), CIA-RDP78T04752A000100010005-1, Central Intelligence Agency, January 1, 1973.
  3. Fencer Deployment, Smirnykh Airfield, USSR, Central Intelligence Agency, October 1983.
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