Dolon (air base)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dolon | |||
---|---|---|---|
IATA: - ICAO: | |||
Summary | |||
Airport type | military | ||
Operator | Soviet Air Force | ||
Serves | Dolon | ||
Elevation AMSL | 705 ft (215 m) | ||
Coordinates | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
ft | m | ||
13205 | 4025 | Concrete |
Dolon (also known as Chagan and Semipalitinsk Dolon) is an air base in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. It was a major bomber base with significant tarmac space and over 50 revetments. Dolon Southwest, a former airfield 32 km to the south, no longer exists.
In 1955 it was only one of six Soviet bases capable of handling the Myasishchev M-4 bomber. The Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack) was temporarily deployed to Dolon in the late 1980s. In 1990 Dolon had 40 Tupolev Tu-95 (Bear) aircraft, which were eliminated by 1994, ending the base's strategic bomber role.
Units that were based at Dolon included:
- 1223 TBAP (1223rd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying Tu-95 aircraft starting in 1957 and Tu-95MS aircraft around 1983 [1].
- 1226 TBAP (1226th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying Tu-95 aircraft in the 1970s and flying Tu-95MS aircraft by 1985 [1].
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dal'nyaya Aviatsiya. Aviabaza KPOI.