Khmeimim Air Base (Latakia Air Base)

Khmeimim Air Base, also known as Hmeimim Air Base, is a military facility in the Latakia Governorate of Syria, located southeast of Latakia and two miles northeast of Jableh. The airbase shares airfield facilities with Latakia International Airport.

Construction of the airbase began in mid-2015, and it became operational on 30 September 2015. On 26 August 2015, Russia and Syria signed a bilateral treaty granting Russian forces free, indefinite deployment rights at the facility. Under the agreement, ratified in October 2016 and amended in January 2017, Syrian forces provide perimeter security, while Russian forces retain operational control, internal policing, and air defense responsibilities. In December 2017, Russia formally established a permanent military contingent at the base. In December 2024, amid a Syrian opposition offensive, Russian forces relocated S-400 and Tor air defense assets from the airbase to Tartus, while retaining control of Khmeimim.

Base infrastructure includes personnel accommodation, an air traffic control tower, aircraft hangars, storage facilities, refueling stations, and a centralized fuel system. The airfield accommodates heavy air transports, including the Antonov An-124 and Ilyushin Il-76M.

Russian operations at Khmeimim encompass combat, reconnaissance, and transport aviation. Aircraft types operated from the base include Sukhoi Su-24M, Su-25, Su-34, and Su-35S combat aircraft, Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers, and Tu-214R and Ilyushin Il-20M reconnaissance platforms. Rotary-wing assets include Mil Mi-24, Mi-28, and Kamov Ka-52 gunships, as well as Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters. Ground elements stationed at the facility have included T-90 tanks, BTR-82 armored personnel carriers, and artillery. The base has also hosted a truce coordination center established in February 2016 and a signals intelligence station operated by the Sixth Directorate of the GRU.