| Soltsy-2 Сольцы  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soltsy,Novgorod Oblast in Russia | |||||||
 Satellite imagery of Soltsy-2 air base | |||||||
 Tu-22M3 of the Russian Air Force at Soltsy in 2007 | |||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Air Base | ||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Russian Aerospace Forces | ||||||
| Controlled by | Long-Range Aviation | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  Soltsy-2 Shown within Novgorod Oblast Show map of Novgorod Oblast.svg) Soltsy-2 Soltsy-2 (European Russia) Show map of European Russia Soltsy-2 Soltsy-2 (Russia) Show map of Russia | |||||||
| Coordinates | 58°8′20″N30°19′45″E / 58.13889°N 30.32917°E /58.13889; 30.32917 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1951 (1951) | ||||||
| In use | 1951 - present | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: XLLL | ||||||
| Elevation | 81 metres (266 ft)AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
Soltsy-2[citation needed][a] (Russian:Сольцы;ICAO: XLLL) is an air base inNovgorod Oblast,Russia located 2 km north ofSoltsy and 72 km southwest ofNovgorod. It contains large aircraft revetments, with a separate compound of 9 hardened areas about 1 mile from the airfield.[1]
The base is home to the 40th Composite Aviation Regiment which flies theTu-22M as part of the22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.[2]
In 1992, the headquarters of the326th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division (326 TBAD) arrived fromTartuRaadi Airfield in newly independentEstonia. In 1998 the division headquarters was moved toUkrainka in the Far East.[3]
The 840th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (840 TBAP) flewTupolev Tu-22 aircraft from November 1951 through to 2010.[4] The regiment was disbanded in 2010 following the changes initiated by theRussian military reforms from 2008.[5]
Airfield is properly maintained for occasional training of Russian Aerospace Forces and to service governmental flights in Novgorod region.[6][7]
Natural Resources Defense Council lists Soltsy-2 as a nuclear weapons facility.
On 19 August 2023 at about 10:00 amlocal time, the airbase was attacked by drones, which Russia claimed to be launched from Ukraine, 620km away.[8] A Tupolev Tu-22M long-range bomber, was reported damaged.[9][10][11][12] Satellite pictures taken on 10 August showed Tu-22M3 dispersed in revetments either side of the runway. Pictures taken on 19 August showed all aircraft had been evacuated and the burnt out remains of one Tu-22M3.[13]
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