Kant Air Base
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| Kant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: - ICAO: | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | military | ||
| Operator | Russian Air Force | ||
| Serves | Kant, Kyrgyzstan | ||
| Elevation AMSL | ft ( m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
Kant Air Base (Russian: Авиабаза Кант) is a military air base in Ysyk-Ata District of Chuy Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. It is located just south of the city of Kant, some 20 km east of downtown Bishkek.
[edit] History
In 1941, a Soviet Air Force base and pilot training school were set up near the city of Kant, based on a school evacuated from Odessa. During WWII, 1507 military pilots were trained there. Since 1956, the school trained foreign pilots; among its graduates were both the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, as well as India's Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh.
In 1992, the air base was transferred to Kyrgyzstan authorities.
[edit] Present-day Russian base
In accordance with a bilateral agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed on September 22, 2003, the air base hosts Russian Air Force units. [1] The official opening took place on October 23, 2003, making the facility the first new air base Russia opened abroad since 1991. The unit stationed there has been described as Russian Air Force's 5th Air Army's 999th Air Base.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Санкт-Петербург взял шефство над российской авиационной базой в городе Кант (Киргизская Республика)
- ^ "All Russia's Bases", Kommersant newspaper. (Russian)
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