Burevestnik Air Base (Iturup)

Burevestnik is a military air base located on Iturup Island, Russia. It was built in 1941 as Tennei Airfield by the Japanese during World War II. After Soviet re-occupation, it remained in use, with up to 100 aircraft observed between 1945 and 1952. In the early 1960s, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and MiG-17 jet fighters from the 308th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO were based there. The runway was lengthened in 1965. During the 1970s, it operated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis aircraft. In April 1983, the 41st Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO, flying MiG-23MLs and later MiG-23MLDs, replaced the 308th IAP. The 41st Regiment was disbanded in late 1994, and its 40 MiG-23 aircraft were withdrawn. An Army helicopter combat support squadron was also stationed at the airfield in the early 1980s. The base's logistics were tied to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, with supplies flown in weekly. In 2014, a new civilian Iturup Airport opened, and Burevestnik Airport transitioned to solely a military base and a reserve airfield for Iturup. Currently, it is considered operational and is home to a detachment of the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, which operates Mil Mi-8 AMTSh helicopters under the 11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army.