Zimyanskiy Aerodrome (formerly Beketovsk, Beketowskaja, Deketovskaya, or Beketovka) is a small aerodrome located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast, Russia.
| Zimnyanskiy Aerodrome Beketovsk | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast in Russia | |||||||
  Beketovsk Shown within Volgograd Oblast  Beketovsk Beketovsk (Russia) | |||||||
| Coordinates | 48°33′03″N 44°22′40″E / 48.55083°N 44.37778°E | ||||||
| Type | Air Base | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| In use | -present | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: URWA | ||||||
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History
editFrom 1951 through 1997, the aerodrome was used by the Russian Air Force (and predecessor Soviet Air Forces) as a training base and was home to the 706th Training Aviation Regiment. This unit was stood up on 14 June 1951 with MiG-15 aircraft during the 1950s before converting to the Czechoslovakian-built L-29 Delfin dedicated trainers in 1963. More advanced L-39 Albatros aircraft were acquired in the 1980s and the unit was reported as operating 89 of them in 1990 along with 84 of the original L-29 fleet. The L-29s were withdrawn in 1992, but the L-39s continued in service until the regiment was disbanded in 1997.[1]
The airfield's existence pre-dated World War II, and while German forces briefly occupied the airfield during the German Case Blue offensive, there is no record of it being used by the Luftwaffe.[2]
References
edit- ^ "706th Training Aviation Regiment". German Air Force, 1939–45. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "Luftwaffe Airfields 1935-45: Russia" (PDF). The Luftwaffe, 1933–45. Retrieved 30 January 2023.