Protasovo (air base) explained

Protasovo
Nativename-A:Протасово
Operator:Russian Air Force
City-Served:Ryazan
Elevation-F:469
Elevation-M:143
R1-Length-F:6562
R1-Length-M:2000
R1-Surface:Concrete

Protasovo (Russian: Протасово), in western media also given as Ryazan Alexandrovo or Aleksandrovo, was an air base in Ryazan Oblast, Russia located 19km (12miles) southeast of Ryazan.

Before 1992 it was home to the Ryazan Training Centre (Russian: Рязанский УАЦ|Ryazanskiy UATs), a DOSAAF training unit, flying the L-29. After the 1992 military reforms, the unit was disbanded, and the airbase became home to the 865th Helicopter Reserve Base (Russian: 865-я брв / 865-я база резерва вертолётов|865-ya baza rezerva vertolyotov), a storage and dismantling unit, handling Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters of the Russian Air Force. However, Google Earth high-resolution images from 2004 and 2005 show the airfield was vacated with no aircraft present, probably meaning all helicopters had been scrapped by then.

As of 2012, the Ryazan Aeroclub was reported to be based on the airfield.[1]

Sources

  1. Web site: 75 лет Рязанскому аэроклубу . Russian . 75 Years Ryazan Aeroclub . 2012-03-29.