Vorkuta Sovetskiy (also known as Vorkuta East) is a military airfield in the Komi Republic, Russia, located 11 km east of Vorkuta. It was one of nine Air Army staging bases in the Arctic for Russian bomber units.HALO A HEAVY LIFT HELICOPTER VORKUTA AIRFIELD EAST, USSR, CIA-RDP89-00121R000300570004-4, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, April 4, 1982.STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATIONS RELATED ACTIVITIES SUMMARY REPORT (SANITIZED), June 1, 1980, CREST: CIA-RDP80T01355A000100140001-2, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC. It contains one of the largest runways in Russia's Arctic region.

Sovetskiy was built in the early 1960s as a staging base for intercontinental Long-Range Aviation bomber strikes (as a so-called 'bounce' airdrome). The airfield was first identified by Western intelligence in 1961.PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION OAK REPORT, CIA-RDP78T05164A000200010007-7, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, July 15, 1961. It is maintained by OGA (Arctic Control Group). The 364 OSAE (364h Independent Mixed Aviation Squadron) was based here between 1980 and 1994 with the Antonov An-12 (NATO: Cub), Antonov An-26 (NATO: Curl) and Mil Mi-8 (NATO: Hip).

Sovetsky settlement A small settlement, Sovetsky, stands to the north of the airfield.

See also

List of military airbases in Russia Chekurovka, abandoned Arctic staging base Aspidnoye (air base), abandoned Arctic staging base Tiksi West, abandoned Arctic staging base

References