Armavir Air Base

Armavir is a military airfield located on the southern outskirts of the city of Armavir in Krasnodar Territory, Russia. The site is owned by the Ministry of Defence and operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces. The official formation date for the Armavir Military Aviation School of Pilots, which led to the establishment of the airfield, is December 1, 1940. In 1960, the Armavir Military Aviation School of Pilots and its three regiments were transferred to the Soviet Air Defence Forces. Currently, the 713th Training Aviation Regiment (Military Unit Number 78738), part of the 783rd Training Center, is based at the aerodrome. Regiment instructors provide training for fighter aircraft using Yak-130, L-39, and MiG-29 aircraft. There have been several accidents involving training aircraft at or near the base, including an L-39 crash in 2006 that resulted in the death of a pilot-instructor, another L-39 crash in 2008 where the pilot ejected safely, and a MiG-31 incident in 2014 where both pilots ejected after landing gear failure. Discussions have occurred regarding the potential reconstruction of the military aerodrome to also serve as a civil aviation airport.