🇷🇺 Nagurskoye Airport

Nagurskoye (UODN) is Russia's northernmost military air base, located on Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, Arkhangelsk Oblast, approximately 1,350 kilometers north of Murmansk. It is operated by the Russian Air Force.

Notable Features and History:

• Built in the 1950s as a staging base for Soviet Long Range Aviation bombers.
• Named after Polish-Russian pilot Jan Nagórski.
• In 1996, an An-72 cargo plane crashed there, one of the northernmost plane crashes ever.
• Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the facilities were significantly reduced to a border post, Arctic specialists, and meteorologists.
• Russia began re-establishing a military presence in the Arctic in 2013, leading to significant expansion and upgrades at Nagurskoye.
• The base features a large, connected building complex known as the "Arctic Trefoil," designed to withstand severe weather.
• Satellite imagery from 2020 showed the newer runway being concrete surfaced and extended from 2,500 meters to 3,500 meters, capable of supporting permanent deployments of combat jets.
• The base has displayed a Monolit-B coastal radar system, capable of tracking targets up to 450 km, and the Bastion missile defense system. It has also shown an anti-drone gun.
• The upgraded airbase is capable of receiving and basing all types of aircraft, including strategic bombers, and can defend itself.

Current Status: Nagurskoye is an operational, all-year-round military air base maintained by the Russian Air Force and Frontier Guards (FSB). It is capable of servicing An-26 and An-72 aircraft, and Il-76 cargo aircraft can land on its two unsurfaced runways. The base is home to an aviation commandant's office, a tactical group from the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade, and two battalions from the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command. The expansion of its runway allows for permanent deployments of combat jets, enhancing Russia's military capabilities in the Arctic.

*Sources researched: en.wikipedia.org, eathergraphics.com, thebarentsobserver.com, twz.com, csis.org*