Nizhyn (air base)

Nizhyn
IATA: none – ICAO: UKRN
Summary
Airport type		Military
Operator		Ukrainian Air Force
Location		Nizhyn
Elevation AMSL		440 ft / 134 m
Coordinates		51°6′0″N 031°52′0″E / 51.1°N 31.866667°E / 51.1; 31.866667Coordinates: 51°6′0″N 031°52′0″E / 51.1°N 31.866667°E / 51.1; 31.866667
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
	9,842	3,000	Concrete

Nizhyn is a naval air base in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine located 4 km north of Nizhyn, and operated by the Soviet Navy. It is a medium-sized bomber base with a modern design, and is being used to store some of Ukraine's older bombers. The airfield has 33 large revetments along a curved taxiway.

During 1964-67 the base began converting to the Tupolev Tu-22R (Blinder) and by 1967 it had 24 Tu-22s based here ^[1]. The reconnaissance variants were tasked with operations in Western Europe. In July 1969 two Tu-22 aircraft collided in mid-air; the crew ejected and the plane flew on unpiloted for 52 minutes, threatening the city of Nizhin before crashing 0.5 km from the city's railway station ^[1]. In November 1988 three Tu-22R were deployed to Mozdok to fight in Afghanistan, but returned to base a week later without seeing any combat ^[1]. Some Tu-22s were sent to Nizhyn for disposal, probably in the 1990s ^[1].

Units stationed at Nizhyn include:

• 199 ODRAP (199th Independent Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment) flying Tu-22R from 1964 to the 1990s ^{[2] [3]}, and the Tu-22RDK, Tu-22K, and Tu-22UD as of 1991 ^[2].

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Gordon, Yefim (1999). Tupolev Tu-22 'Blinder' Tu-22M 'Backfire'. Midland Publishing. ISBN 1857800656. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dal'nyaya Aviatsiya". Aviabaza KPOI. http://airbase.ru/squad/russia/da/. 
3. ^ "Take-Off". take-off.ru. http://www.take-off.ru/. 

• Michael Holm, 199th independent Long Range Reconnaissance Regiment, accessed September 2011