Kaliningrad Chkalovsk | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
Operator | Russian Navy | ||||||||||
Location | Chkalovsk, Kaliningrad | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 164 ft / 50 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 54°46′0″N 020°23′48″E / 54.76667°N 20.39667°ECoordinates: 54°46′0″N 020°23′48″E / 54.76667°N 20.39667°E | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
|
Kaliningrad Chkalovsk (also Chkalovskoye, Tchalov, or Proveren) is a naval air base in Chkalovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia located 9 km northwest of Kaliningrad. Most instances in Russian aviation literature of Chkalovsk or Chkalovskoye refer specifically to this large airfield. It is Kaliningrad's largest airfield, a significant Baltic naval military base with four separate complexes for bomber and fighter parking.
Chkalovsk began receiving Tupolev Tu-22 (Blinder) aircraft around 1963 and by 1967 had 30 aircraft. On December 24, 1964 a Tu-22R jumped its wheel chocks during a ground run and hit three parked aircraft; all were written off. In August 1966 a Tu-22 made a runway excursion while landing, destroying itself and a parked aircraft. The Tu-22 aircraft were transferred to Zyabrovka in 1992 as the unit re-equipped with Sukhoi Su-24MR. High-resolution Google Earth imagery shows the base is still active, with Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft on the ramp, a transport aircraft, and some helicopters. Some Tu-22M (Backfire) appear to be stored.
Chkalovsk was home to 846 OMSHAP (846th Independent Naval Shturmovik Aviation Regiment) flying 44 Sukhoi Su-17 aircraft in 1992; and 15 ODRAP (15th Independent Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment) flying 30 Tupolev Tu-22 aircraft from 1966 to 1982 and 12 Su-24 aircraft by the 1990s.
Scramble reports that 689 Gv IAP (Su-27s) & 288 OVP based at Nivenskoye moved to Chkalovsk during August 2002.