Berdiansk Airport Explained

Berdiansk Airport
Nativename-A:	"Бердянськ Аеропорт"
Iata:	ERD
Icao:	UKDB
Pushpin Map:	Ukraine#Ukraine Zaporizhia Oblast
Pushpin Mapsize:	250
Pushpin Mark:	Airplane_silhouette.svg
Pushpin Label:	ERD
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of Berdiansk Airport in Ukraine
Type:	Public/Military
Location:	Berdiansk, Ukraine
Elevation-F:	171
Elevation-M:	52
Coordinates:	46.8147°N 36.7581°W
Metric-Rwy:	y
R1-Number:	09/27
R1-Length-F:	8,202
R1-Length-M:	2,500
R1-Surface:	Concrete
Module:	Wikidata: yes Zoom: 11 Frame-Height: 260 Stroke-Width: 1

Berdiansk Airport (Ukrainian: Аеропорт Бердянськ, Russian: Аэропорт Бердянск) is an airport in Berdiansk, Ukraine. The airport is located 1.51NaN1 north of the city.^[1]

History

The airport is a former Soviet airbase and was home to the:

• 292nd Independent Helicopter Squadron for Electronic Warfare between 1979 and 1981 with the Mil Mi-8^[2]
• 336th Independent Helicopter Regiment in 1978-79 with the Mil Mi-8 before being moved to join the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.^[3]
• 29th Instructor Bomber Aviation Regiment (previously called the 29th Independent Training Aviation Regiment) between 1979 and 1992 with the Sukhoi Su-17, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and Sukhoi Su-24^[4]
• 163rd Training Aviation Regiment between 1971 and 1977 with the Beriev Be-12, part of the Voroshilovgrad Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators.^[5]

As of 26 February 2022, the airport is under Russian occupation.^[6] The airport has been used by the Russian Armed Forces ever since being taken.^[7]

On October 17, 2023, as part of Operation Dragonfly, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck logistical points that the Russian military used. It mainly targeted the Luhansk International Airport in the east and Berdiansk Airport in the south.^[8] During the operation, the Ukrainians used U.S.-supplied MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, which led to the heavy losses of helicopters of the Russian Air Force.^[9] The Ukrainians also succeeded in destroying the airport runways, numerous supply depots, and even some air defense systems.^[10] The Ukrainians also claimed to have caused manpower losses, but it cannot be confirmed.^[11]

Reportedly the attack destroyed nine Russian helicopters, an antiaircraft missile launcher, an ammunition warehouse and various special equipment.^{[12] [13]}

Incidents and accidents

• On 19 June 1987, Aeroflot Flight 528, a Yakovlev Yak-40 (CCCP-87826) approached the airport with a tailwind in a heavy rain shower and touched down at high speed. A go-around was initiated, then aborted. The aircraft overran the runway, struck obstacles and caught fire, killing eight aboard. The aircraft was written off.^[14]
• On 24 March 2022, Ukrainian forces struck the occupied airfield using OTR-21 Tochka ballistic missiles, which allegedly destroyed four Russian military aircraft (Two Su-30SM fighter jets, One Su-25 attack jet, One Il-76 transport aircraft)^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Runways at Berdyansk Airport . ourairports.com . 18 October 2023 .
2. Web site: 292nd independent Helicopter Squadron for Electronic Warfare. Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. 14 November 2023.
3. Web site: 336th independent Helicopter Regiment. Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. 14 November 2023.
4. Web site: 29th Instructor Bomber Aviation Regiment. Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. 14 November 2023.
5. Web site: 163rd Training Aviation Regiment. Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. 14 November 2023.
6. Web site: 2022-02-26 . Колишній аеропорт «Бердянськ» захопили росіяни . The former Berdiansk airport was seized by the Russians . 2022-02-26 . UA.NEWS . uk.
7. Web site: Chaplynka 2.0. 10 January 2023 . OSINT - Benjamin Pittet. 11 January 2023.
8. Web site: Operation "Dragonfly". Successful operation of the Ukrainian SOF to attack Berdyansk and Luhansk Airfields. . https://web.archive.org/web/20231017202418/https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1714247717327667363 . 2023-10-17 . 2023-10-25 . X (formerly Twitter) .
9. Web site: Oryx. Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine. 2023-10-22. Oryx.
10. Web site: 2023-10-17 . Операція Dragonfly. ЗСУ знищили ворожі гелікоптери, ППО та спецтехніку під час атаки аеродромів у Бердянську та Луганську — Forbes.ua . https://web.archive.org/web/20231017154505/https://forbes.ua/news/operatsiya-dragonfly-zsu-znishchili-vorozhi-gelikopteri-ppo-ta-spetstekhniku-pid-chas-ataki-aerodromiv-v-berdyansku-ta-lugansku-17102023-16722 . 2023-10-17 . 2023-10-25 . forbes.ua . uk.
11. News: Robert Greenall . 17 October 2023 . Ukraine 'destroys Russian helicopters in Berdyansk and Luhansk' . BBC . 2023-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231020102333/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67135163 . 2023-10-20.
12. News: Ukraine uses US-supplied ATACMS for the first time, says Zelensky . BBC News . 17 October 2023 . Robert . Greenall . Chris . Partridge .
13. News: Ukraine fires long-range ATACMS to strike Russian depot and aircraft . 17 October 2023 . 18 October 2023 . Isabelle . Khurshudyan . Siobhán . O'Grady . Dan . Lamothe . Washington Post.
14. Web site: aviation-safety.net . Yak-40 Incident . 18 October 2023 .
15. News: The War in Ukraine: One Day at a Time . The New York Times . March 25, 2022 . Christopher . Miller.