Smirnykh (air base)


Smirnykh is an abandoned Soviet airbase in Sakhalin, Russia located 2 km east of the village of the same name. It appeared in June 1966 KH-7 imagery with a runway length of 2,000 m. It was expanded sometime after this to 2,500 m with a new extension of revetments added.

History

The base was originally built near the town of Smirnykh, a coaling and watering station for the Sakhalin railway. The airfield was first detected by Western intelligence around 1962. By 1965 19 Yak-28P Firebar were known to be stationed at the airfield.
In October 1972 a US reconnaissance satellite assessment showed 17 Yak-28P long-range interceptors, 2 Antonov An-24 Coke transports, and 1 Lisunov Li-2 Cab transport.
By the 1980s Smirnykh was home to a MiG-23 interceptor regiment An ICAO report on the 1983 downing of Korean Air Flight 007 indicated PVO MiG-23 fighter aircraft from Smirnykh were scrambled, but it was an Su-15 jet from Dolinsk-Sokol which carried out the shootdown.
The airfield is no longer in use and the runways have not been maintained in decades.