Belaya (air base)
Encyclopedia
Belaya is a significant strategic air base in Irkutsk Oblast
, Russia
located 18 km northwest of Usolye-Sibirskoye
and 85 km northwest of Irkutsk. It features significant tarmac space and 38 bomber revetments.
In 1954 Belaya was used as a staging base for Tupolev Tu-4
aircraft sent to China to observe American fusion bomb tests in the Pacific, but the runway was unpaved at this time . Sometime around the late 1950s the airfield was upgraded and its received the nuclear bomber mission. The Tupolev Tu-128 (Fiddler) served here starting during the late 1960s.
Though Belaya was not a part of the Tu-95 forces positioned against North America, its Tu-16, Tu-22, and Tu-22M fleet had a considerable role in Asian strategy. The base was especially important in projecting power against the People's Republic of China
following the Sino-Soviet split
.
Units stationed at Belaya include:
As of 2006, Google Earth
imagery showed a total of 26 Tupolev Tu-22M
medium-range bombers visible in revetments.
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
located 18 km northwest of Usolye-Sibirskoye
Usolye-Sibirskoye
Usolye-Sibirskoye is a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Angara River. Population: -History:It was founded in 1669 under the name Usolye, an archaic Russian word for a salt producing town, by Mikhalevs brothers, the Cossacks who had discovered salt deposits in a...
and 85 km northwest of Irkutsk. It features significant tarmac space and 38 bomber revetments.
In 1954 Belaya was used as a staging base for Tupolev Tu-4
Tupolev Tu-4
The Tupolev Tu-4 was a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid 1960s...
aircraft sent to China to observe American fusion bomb tests in the Pacific, but the runway was unpaved at this time . Sometime around the late 1950s the airfield was upgraded and its received the nuclear bomber mission. The Tupolev Tu-128 (Fiddler) served here starting during the late 1960s.
Though Belaya was not a part of the Tu-95 forces positioned against North America, its Tu-16, Tu-22, and Tu-22M fleet had a considerable role in Asian strategy. The base was especially important in projecting power against the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
following the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
.
Units stationed at Belaya include:
- 303 TBAP (303rd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying Tupolev Tu-22M2Tupolev Tu-22The Tupolev Tu-22 was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s, and the last examples were retired during the 1990s...
. - 1225 TBAP (1225th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying Tupolev Tu-4Tupolev Tu-4The Tupolev Tu-4 was a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid 1960s...
aircraft in 1956-1958 and upgrading to Tupolev Tu-16Tupolev Tu-16The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
in 1958 and Tupolev Tu-16Tupolev Tu-16The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
K in 1961. It began flying the Tupolev Tu-22M2Tupolev Tu-22MThe Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
starting in 1982 and retained this aircraft through at least the 1990s . - 1229 TBAP (1229th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying the same aircraft and receiving the same upgrades at the same times as 1225 TBAP.
- 1339 TBAP (1339th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) flying Tupolev Tu-16Tupolev Tu-16The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
bombers. (Source of information may not be reliable) - 350 IAP (350th Interceptor Aviation Regiment) flying Tupolev Tu-128 long-range interceptors starting in the late 1960s. This unit moved to Bratsk AirportBratsk AirportBratsk Airport is an airport in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia located north of Bratsk. It is a mixed use airfield, providing 32 parking spaces for medium-sized airliners, as well as a large number of branched fighter revetments....
in 1984.
As of 2006, Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
imagery showed a total of 26 Tupolev Tu-22M
Tupolev Tu-22M
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
medium-range bombers visible in revetments.