Dolinsk-Sokol Air Base

Dolinsk-Sokol is a reserve military air base located in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, 8 km south of Dolinsk. The base features numerous hardened hangars (aircraft shelters). It was built in 1945 and has been in use since then. Declassified KH-7 satellite images indicate its existence prior to June 1966. Its primary operating unit for 40 years was the 777th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (777 IAP), which operated Sukhoi Su-15, MiG-23, and Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft. In the 1980s, the base also received the Mikoyan MiG-31. Additionally, the 361st Instruction Test Helicopter Regiment (361 IIVP), flying Mil Mi-24 and Mil Mi-8 helicopters, was stationed there. In the early 1980s, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed aircraft occasionally deployed from Dolinsk-Sokol to Burevestnik airfield. From early 1983, newer MiG-23 aircraft also began deploying to Burevestnik after airfield upgrades. Dolinsk-Sokol was the home base of the Sukhoi Su-15 aircraft involved in the shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in September 1983.