Sharomy (air base)
Sharomy | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
Operator | Russian Air Force | ||||||||||
Location | Sharomy | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 489 ft / 149 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 54°17′36″N 158°9′6″E / 54.29333°N 158.15167°E | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Sharomy (Russian: Шаромы) (also referred to as Sheromy) is a Naval air base in Kamchatka Krai, Russia located about 143 km north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Sharomy contains hardstands for 12 bombers and 3 fighters.[1] It is believed to serve as a dispersal airfield for Soviet Naval Aviation, and may also be a staging airfield for Long Range Aviation.
The US intelligence community noted the first appearance of military aircraft at the airfield in September 1967, when three Tupolev Tu-16 were identified on KH-4 satellite imagery.[2] The same report listed the airfield as having a 9950 x 250 ft (3000 x 75 m) graded earth runway and limited support facilities, however the runway was paved and the airfield expanded in the late 1960s or 1970s.
A US intelligence report noted a Naval Aviation Tu-16K Badger-G at the airfield in 1979.[3]
Satellite imagery from early 2018 showed that the runway is plowed in the wintertime, indicating the base remains operational or in caretaker status.
References
- ^ RussianAirFields.com
- ^ CABLE TO DIRNSA FROM NPIC, CIA-RDP78B03817A000800040051-7, Top Secret.
- ^ Annual Index to Photographic Exploitation Products, January–December 1979, February 1980, CIA-RDP80T00913A000200010001-6, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.