Mengon Air Base

The air base was closed following the disbandment of its resident aviation regiment. This was part of the large-scale military downsizing, restructuring, and budget cuts that occurred across the Russian Armed Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The base was deemed strategically redundant and too costly to maintain in the new military landscape.

The air base is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery and reports from local explorers show a derelict site. The main runway, taxiways, and numerous aircraft revetments (hardstands) are still clearly visible but are in a severe state of disrepair, with concrete slabs cracking and being reclaimed by vegetation. The associated garrison buildings, hangars, and technical facilities are abandoned, looted for materials, and falling into ruin. The site is occasionally visited by photographers and urban explorers.

Mengon Air Base was a significant Soviet Air Force facility in the Russian Far East, operating under the 37th Air Army of the Supreme High Command (Strategic Purpose). Its primary role was long-range strategic and tactical reconnaissance. The base was home to the 219th Independent Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (219th ODRAP). During the Cold War, this regiment operated a fleet of Tupolev Tu-16R/RM/K 'Badger' aircraft, conducting critical reconnaissance, electronic intelligence (ELINT), and maritime patrol missions over the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, and the Pacific Ocean, monitoring US and allied naval forces. In its later years, the regiment was re-equipped with Sukhoi Su-24MR 'Fencer-E' tactical reconnaissance aircraft before being disbanded.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening Mengon Air Base. The extensive decay of its infrastructure, its remote location, and the presence of other active military airfields in the region (such as Khurba and Dzyomgi) make its reactivation for either military or civilian purposes economically and strategically unfeasible.