Sülte-Boldela Airfield

Military Decommissioning. The airfield was a Soviet Air Force dispersal base that became redundant following the reunification of Germany and the subsequent withdrawal of all Soviet/Russian troops from German soil by August 31, 1994. With no further military requirement and no economic viability for conversion to a civilian airport, it was closed and handed over to German authorities.

The site has been completely repurposed for renewable energy generation. The vast, flat expanse of the former airfield now hosts the 'Energiepark Sülstorf', a large-scale photovoltaic solar farm that covers most of the former runway and operational areas. Construction of the solar park began around 2011. While the general layout of the former airfield is still recognizable from the air, the land is now covered with thousands of solar panels. Some of the original concrete taxiways and hardened aircraft shelters may still exist on the periphery of the solar park, often in a state of decay or repurposed for storage.

Sülte-Boldela was a significant Cold War military asset. Built between 1975 and 1977, it served as a dispersal airfield (in German: Ausweichflugplatz or Dezentralisierungsflugplatz) for the Soviet Air Forces stationed in East Germany (Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, GSSD). Its primary purpose was to act as a backup base for the 20th Guards Fighter-Bomber Division, particularly for the fighter-bomber regiment stationed at the nearby Parchim Air Base. In the event of a conflict where Parchim was attacked or disabled, aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-17 'Fitter' could be dispersed to Sülte-Boldela to continue operations. The airfield was well-equipped with a 2400-meter concrete runway, extensive taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), known as 'Granit' type shelters, designed to protect aircraft from attack.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Sülte-Boldela as an airfield. The comprehensive and permanent conversion of the site into a major solar energy park makes any future aviation use infeasible. The land has been fundamentally repurposed, and the infrastructure required for an airport has been either removed or built over.