Krichev (air base) explained

Krichev
Krychaw
Ensign Size:90px
Location:Krychaw, Klimavichy District, Mogilev Region
Country:Belarus
Type:Air Base
Pushpin Map:Belarus
Pushpin Map Caption:Shown within Belarus
Pushpin Label:Krichev
Ownership:Armed Forces of Belarus
Used:1949–
Icao:ZF19
Elevation:174m (571feet)
R1-Number:04/22
R1-Length:2500m (8,200feet)
R1-Surface:Concrete

Krichev is a military air base in the Mogilev Region, Belarus. It is located in Klimavichy District, 13km (08miles) east of the city of Krychaw. The base served the interceptor air defense role for the Soviet Air Defence Force, hosted by the 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment, 2nd Air Defence Corps, Moscow Air Defence District.[1]

History

Krichev had been observed by 1957 by Western Lockheed U-2 overflights.[2] The 28th IAP operated the Sukhoi Su-9 (NATO: Fishpot) regiment in the 1960s and 1970s.[3] By 1981, the regiment was one of four in the USSR still operating the Su-9 but its facilities were being upgraded, and it received the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (NATO: Foxbat) in the mid-1980s.

The base was closed in 1993, after the Cold War, and the aviation regiment was disbanded.[4] All the buildings were razed to the ground; little remains except for the overgrown runway.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO . Ww2.dk . 2022-09-18.
  2. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 26; SOVIET UNION; TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS, May 1957, CREST: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090035-8, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20170123204647/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/cia-rdp81t00380r000100980001-5 PHASEOUT OF FISHPOT IN APVO STRANYY AIRFIELDS USSR
  4. https://www.sb.by/articles/vzletnye-polosy-zhdut-svoego-chasa.html Взлетные полосы ждут своего часа
  5. Web site: Взлетные полосы ждут своего часа. Беларусь сегодня. Издательский дом "Беларусь сегодня". 2013-07-25. 2019-01-19. ru. https://archive.today/20190119073742/https://www.sb.by/articles/vzletnye-polosy-zhdut-svoego-chasa.html. 2019-01-19. live.