Chita Northwest Air Base (Cheryomushki)

Chita Northwest is a Russian military airfield located 5 km northwest of the city of Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai. It is informally known as "Cheryomushki" and lies on the northern side of the city, distinct from Chita Kadala Airport situated 10 km to the southwest.

The airfield was built in the late 1920s and initially handled civilian aircraft. During the Second World War it accommodated units of the 12th Air Army.

The airfield's present resident unit, the 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment, traces its origins to the 172nd Independent Helicopter Squadron, from which it was formed on 29 July 1968. The unit had carried Military Unit Number (v/ch) 21812 since 1967 and, as both squadron and regiment, belonged to the 36th Combined Arms Army of the Transbaikal Military District until 2002, operating from Nerchinsk in Chita Oblast. In 1981 it was redesignated the 112th Independent Transport and Combat Helicopter Regiment. Its early equipment comprised Mil Mi-4 multi-purpose and Mi-6 heavy transport helicopters, followed by the Mi-8 and, from 1981, the Mi-24 attack helicopter. The regiment also operated Mi-10PP jamming helicopters.

In 2002 the 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment passed to the control of the 11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army and relocated to Chita Northwest. Under the 2010 reform of the Russian Armed Forces the regiment was reorganised as the 439th Army Aviation Base, subordinated to the 3rd Air and Air Defence Forces Command. The runway was reconstructed in 2014. In 2017 the 439th Army Aviation Base was reorganised back into the 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment.

The 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment remains the principal resident unit. As of 2022 the airfield also hosted the 2nd Independent Aviation Squadron of the National Guard of Russia, operating Mil Mi-8MTV-2 helicopters under the service's Siberian Regional Command.

The site contains a number of hangars and ramp areas. The 810 Aviation Repair Plant, which carries out aviation maintenance on helicopters, was located at the base as of 2022.