Mlekarevo, BG 🇧🇬 Closed Airport
BG-0109
-
561 ft
BG-20
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 42.37034° N, 26.08092° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
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The airfield fell into disuse in the early 1990s following the end of the Cold War. It was officially and permanently abandoned after its parent base, Uzundzhovo Air Base, was closed in 2002.
Military restructuring and economic reasons. The airport was a military dispersal field, and with the end of the Warsaw Pact, the strategic need for such bases disappeared. The Bulgarian Air Force underwent significant downsizing, and maintaining a network of reserve airfields was no longer financially viable or operationally necessary.
The site has been completely repurposed. As of circa 2012, the former airfield is the location of a large photovoltaic power plant (solar farm). Solar panels now cover a significant portion of the runway, taxiways, and apron areas, making the site unusable for any aviation activity.
Mlekarevo was a key military dispersal airfield for the Bulgarian Air Force during the Cold War. It functioned as a reserve and forward operating base for the 21st Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was permanently stationed at the nearby Uzundzhovo Air Base (ICAO: LBHS). Its primary purpose was to increase the survivability of air assets by dispersing fighter jets, such as MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft, away from the main base in case of a pre-emptive strike. The infrastructure, including a long concrete runway and numerous hardened aircraft shelters, is a testament to its strategic military role during that era.
None. The construction of the permanent and extensive solar farm infrastructure on the airfield's operational surfaces makes any prospect of reopening for aviation purposes logistically and economically impossible. The site's use has been permanently converted to energy production.
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