Tõrva Air Base

The air base was a Soviet military installation that was abandoned following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent withdrawal of the Soviet Army from the newly independent Republic of Estonia in 1994. The nascent Estonian Defence Forces had no operational need or financial capacity to maintain such a large and specialized military facility.

The site is derelict and has been largely repurposed. Over the decades since its abandonment, many of the hexagonal concrete slabs (PAG-14) that formed the runway and taxiways have been systematically removed and sold for reuse in local construction projects. In recent years, a significant portion of the former airfield's territory has been developed into the Helme Solar Park, one of the largest solar energy farms in Estonia. The remaining sections of the decaying runway are occasionally used by locals for informal activities such as motorsports, driver training, and drone flying.

Tõrva Air Base (also known as Helme Airfield) was a Soviet Air Force reserve or dispersal airfield. Its primary purpose was to serve as an alternate base to increase the survivability of air assets in case of a conflict by dispersing them from their main operating bases. It was part of the extensive military infrastructure of the Soviet Baltic Military District. The airfield was most notably associated with the 656th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (656 IAPIB), which was primarily based at Tapa Airfield. This regiment operated aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-7B and later the Su-17 'Fitter'. The base featured a single concrete runway approximately 2500 meters long, along with a network of taxiways and hardened aircraft shelters (revetments). The provided ICAO code 'EE-4931' appears to be a non-standard identifier from a specific database; historically, it was more commonly known by the Soviet-era designation or the unofficial ICAO code EETR.

There are no plans or realistic prospects for reopening Tõrva Air Base as an aviation facility. The extensive dismantling of its core infrastructure, particularly the removal of runway slabs, and the construction of a large-scale solar park on the premises make its revival as a functional airfield economically and logistically unfeasible.