Klyuchi (air base)
Klyuchi Air Base is in Kamchatka Krai, Russia located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) southwest of the settlement of Klyuchi. It is a small but significant interceptor airfield covering northern Kamchatka, probably to defend international borders during nearby missile testing operations at Kura Missile Test Range 130 km to the northeast. Klyuchi contains about twelve fighter revetments and some narrow tarmac space.
| Klyuchi Klyuchi-20 Kura  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ключи-20 - Кура | |||||||
| Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai in Russia | |||||||
  Klyuchi Shown within Kamchatka Krai  Klyuchi Klyuchi (Russia) | |||||||
| Coordinates | 56°18′36″N 160°48′18″E | ||||||
| Type | Air Base | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Russian Air Force | ||||||
| Controlled by | 11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1963 | ||||||
| In use | 1963 - present | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: XHPL | ||||||
| Elevation | 152 metres (499 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
The base is home to a Composite Aviation Squadron of the 35th Independent Transport Composite Aviation Regiment.[1]
Early US satellite imagery showed the airfield was constructed in 1963,[2] replacing an old airfield about 10 miles (16 km) to the east-southeast. In another satellite pass in 1966, analysts saw mostly transports such as the Lisunov Li-2, an Antonov An-2 (ASCC: Colt), and a helicopter.[3]
References
- "Russian Air Force - Klyuchi-20 (Kura) (UHPW)". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- DETAILED REPORT OF KLYUCHI COMPLEX, USSR (inadvertently paired with SEARCH FOR SURFACE-SEARCH RADAR AT VARIOUS AREAS IN CUBA), CIA-RDP78T04743A000400020001-8, September 26, 1963, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.
- ORDER OF BATTLE MISSION 4025 16-20 FEBRUARY 1966, published April 1, 1966, CIA-RDP03-00140R000100010031-7, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington DC, p. 3.