Greem Bell
Encyclopedia
Greem Bell is an ice airfield in Ostrov Greem-Bell, Russia
located 1372 km north of Khatanga. It used the internal callsign XLDG . At latitude 81°N
, it is Russia's northernmost airfield. This ice airfield was operational only during the winter months, roughly from the end of November to the beginning of March.
It was created in the late 1950s as a possible staging base for Soviet bombers to reach the U.S. It fell under the jurisdiction of the interceptor aircraft
regiment from Rogachevo (Novaya Zemlya
) and was maintained by OGA (Arctic Control Group), the Russian Air Force agency which maintains forward strategic deployment bases. In March 1978 4 Tu-128 (Fiddler) of 72 Gv IAP (72nd Guards Interceptor Aviation Regiment) from Amderma were based here for a one-month deployment. From the early 1980s into the 1990s it was regularly visited by Su-27 (Flanker) and MiG-31 (Foxhound) aircraft of the 10 OA (10th Air Army) PVO
Arkhangelsk. Before it was shut down it was also used for tourist helicopter trips around the Russian arctic as a stopover and refueling base. The base was shut down completely in 1994. Today it is unused and falling into ruins which has closed Graham Bell Island to normal visitors. A Russian scientific expedition inspected the site in autumn of 2004 and found isolated instances of PCB
contamination from discarded chemical drums .
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 1372 km north of Khatanga. It used the internal callsign XLDG . At latitude 81°N
81st parallel north
The 81st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 81 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia, the Arctic Ocean and North America....
, it is Russia's northernmost airfield. This ice airfield was operational only during the winter months, roughly from the end of November to the beginning of March.
It was created in the late 1950s as a possible staging base for Soviet bombers to reach the U.S. It fell under the jurisdiction of the interceptor aircraft
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
regiment from Rogachevo (Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
) and was maintained by OGA (Arctic Control Group), the Russian Air Force agency which maintains forward strategic deployment bases. In March 1978 4 Tu-128 (Fiddler) of 72 Gv IAP (72nd Guards Interceptor Aviation Regiment) from Amderma were based here for a one-month deployment. From the early 1980s into the 1990s it was regularly visited by Su-27 (Flanker) and MiG-31 (Foxhound) aircraft of the 10 OA (10th Air Army) PVO
PVO
PVO may refer to:* DaimlerChrysler's Performance Vehicle Operations, also known as Street and Racing Technology* Private voluntary organization...
Arkhangelsk. Before it was shut down it was also used for tourist helicopter trips around the Russian arctic as a stopover and refueling base. The base was shut down completely in 1994. Today it is unused and falling into ruins which has closed Graham Bell Island to normal visitors. A Russian scientific expedition inspected the site in autumn of 2004 and found isolated instances of PCB
PCB
PCB may refer to:Science and technology:* Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics* PCB , software to design printed circuit boards* PCBoard, bulletin board software for MS-DOS* Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic compounds...
contamination from discarded chemical drums .