- Dolon (air base)
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Dolon IATA: none – ICAO: none Summary Airport type Military Operator Long Range Aviation, Soviet Air Forces Location Dolon Elevation AMSL 705 ft / 215 m Coordinates 50°32′0″N 079°11′0″E / 50.533333°N 79.183333°ECoordinates: 50°32′0″N 079°11′0″E / 50.533333°N 79.183333°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 13,205 4,025 Concrete
Dolon (also known as Chagan and Semipalitinsk Dolon) is an air base in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan that served as a major Cold War bomber base with significant tarmac space and over 50 revetments. Dolon Southwest, a former airfield 32 km to the south, no longer exists.In 1955, Dolon was one of only six Soviet bases capable of handling the Myasishchev M-4 (Bison) bomber. The 79th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division was created at Dolon in 1957. The Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack) was temporarily deployed to Dolon in the late 1980s.[citation needed] In 1990, Dolon had 40 Tupolev Tu-95 (Bear) aircraft, which were eliminated by 1994, ending the base's strategic bomber role.
Units based at Dolon included:
- 79th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division
- 1023rd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (1023 TBAP) flying Tu-95 and Tu-95M aircraft (1957-62), Tu-95K (1960-83), and Tu-95MS aircraft (1983-92).[1]
- 1226th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (1226 TBAP) flying Tu-95 and Tu-95M aircraft (1957-62), Tu-95K and Tu-95MS aircraft (1984-92).[2]
The 79th TBAD was under the control of Long Range Aviation from 1957 to 1960, the 8th independent Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps from 1960 until 1980,[3] and, finally, the 37th Air Army from 1980 until 1992.
Both regiments were taken over by Kazakhstan in 1992 and the aircraft were withdrawn to the Russian Federation.[4]
References
- ^ force/regiment/bap/1023tbap.htm "1023rd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment". Michael Holm. http://www.ww2.dk/new/air force/regiment/bap/1023tbap.htm.
- ^ force/regiment/bap/1226tbap.htm "1226th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment". Michael Holm. http://www.ww2.dk/new/air force/regiment/bap/1226tbap.htm.
- ^ later to become the 30th Air Army
- ^ "All Strategic Bombers Out Of Kazakhstan; Talks On Those In Ukraine," RFE/RL News Briefs, Vol. 3, No. 9, 21-25 February 1994, via Nuclear Threat Initiative
Categories:- Soviet Air Force bases
- Soviet Strategic Aviation
- Military of Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan geography stubs
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