Ozerne (air base)

Ozerne (given in source material under the plethora of names: Zhitomyr Ozernoye, Oziernoye, Ozernoe, Ozernoye, Ozyornoye, Ozerne, Ozernyy, Ozyornaya) is an air base in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine located 11 km southeast of Zhytomyr. The facility features angled taxiways, ramp space, and over 30 large revetments consistent with a bomber base.

In 1965 Ozernoye began receiving Tupolev Tu-22 (Blinder) aircraft. By 1967 it had 31 Tu-22 aircraft, and in 1968 it received Tu-22PD aircraft ^[1]. A Tu-22 crash-landed here in 1969 due to a stall during the landing flare; this incident was captured by a movie camera and used in the motion picture Tenderness for the Roaring Beast ^[1]. Currently the airfield is home to about 15 advanced fighter aircraft visible in Google Earth high-resolution imagery. The north airfield appears to contain a huge army salvage yard.

Units stationed at Ozernoye include:

• 894 IAP (894th Interceptor Aircraft Regiment) flying up to 38 MiG-23MLD, ML, and UB models as recently as 1991 ^[2]. This regiment was subordinate to 8 OA PVO (8th Air Army, Air Defense).
• 341 TBAP (341st Heavy Bomber Aircraft Regiment) flying Tu-22M2 from 1965 until the 1990s ^[1] and Tu-22PD from 1968 until the 1990s ^{[3] [1]}, and the Tu-22UD as recently as 1991 ^[3].

References