Amderma Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amderma
IATA: AMV - ICAO: ULDD
Summary
Airport type military
Operator Russian Air Force
Serves Amderma
Elevation AMSL 13 ft (4 m)
Coordinates 69°45′48″N, 061°33′48″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 8,530 2,600 ?

Amderma Airport is an interceptor base in arctic Russia, near Novaya Zemlya, located 4 km west of Amderma. It is a simple airfield built on a spit along the ocean, with some tarmac space. Some civilian flights operate out of the airport.

However, the facility's prime purpose is to defend the northern approaches to European Russia. Amderma's significance was driven home during the Cold War years when on 1 June 1960 a MiG-19 from Amderma shot down a Boeing RB-47H that was crossing Mys Kanin Nos. Since the 1960s the airfield has been home to the 72 Gv IAP (72 Guards Interceptor Aviation Regument) of the 10th OA PVO, which was operating at least 31 MiG-31 aircraft during the 1991-94 period. [1] The Tupolev Tu-128 and MiG-19 were stationed here in the 1960s [2].

[edit] References