Akhtubinsk (air base)

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Akhtubinsk Akhtybinsk
Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Oblast in Russia
Akhtubinsk Shown within Astrakhan Oblast Show map of Astrakhan Oblast Akhtubinsk Akhtubinsk (Russia) Show map of Russia
Coordinates	48°18′31″N 46°12′15″E / 48.30861°N 46.20417°E / 48.30861; 46.20417
Type	Air Base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Russian Aerospace Forces
Site history
Built	1948 (1948)
In use	1948 - present
Battles/wars	2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: URWH
Elevation	2 metres (6 ft 7 in) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 12L/30R 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Concrete 12L/30R 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) Concrete

Akhtubinsk is a Russian Aerospace Forces base located near Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia.

The base is home to the 929th State Flight Test Centre named for V. P. Chkalov.^[1][2]

The then-State Red Banner GK Scientific Research Institute VVS was moved to the base from Chkalov in Moscow Oblast in 1960, and the 1st (fighters and fighter-bombers), 2nd (bombers), 5th (radio range), 9th (route measuring complex), and 10th (nuclear test) Scientific-Experimental Departments of the Institute were set up at Akhtubinsk that year.^[2]

In 1990 the institute received its current name.

The aerodrome was in use for testing as early as 1948; in June 1948, V. D. Lutsenko, a test pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union crashed in an aircraft of unknown type. On October 27, 1949, test pilot E.S. Greenfield died in a crash of a La-15 aircraft at Akhtubinsk during the first show of aviation equipment. On April 9, 1963 test pilot V. I. Grotsky died during a test flight of a Sukhoi Su-7B fighter-bomber aircraft near Akhtubinsk airfield.

Aircraft

6 of the advanced 5th generation Sukhoi Su-57 (ASCC: Felon) supersonic combat jets were spotted on commercial satellite pictures (and visible in Google Maps) in January 2023.^[3]

References