The Oreshkovo airfield is a former air base in Russia located 2 km southeast of Vorotynsk. It was a military base with Mi-8 helicopters.

Oreshkovo airfield
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorRussian Air Force
LocationVorotynsk
Elevation AMSL545 ft / 166 m
Coordinates54°28′6″N 036°4′24″E / 54.46833°N 36.07333°E / 54.46833; 36.07333
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6,562 2,000 Concrete

During the Cold War it was a Soviet Air Defence Forces base. The 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (78th Guards Fighter Aviation Corps PVO, Moscow Air Defence District) was based there from February 1952 to March 1960.[1]

In July 1992, the 336th Independent Helicopter Regiment returned from Germany to the airfield and was placed under the Moscow Military District. The regiment then came under 1st Guards Tank Army from 31 December 1992.[2]

On 1 October 1997, it was retitled the 45th Independent Helicopter Regiment.

The military airfield was closed in 2013 after the last unit stationed there, the 45th Independent Helicopter Regiment, was transferred to Vyazma in 2010.

As of 2023, it no longer has a military identification assigned, but is known by the local civilian code УУФО (UUFO).[3]

The airfield is home to Mansur, a bear raised from an abandoned cub by pilots with the help of crowdfunding, who lives in a reserve on the airfield. The name Mansur means 'bear' in the local Altaic language.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

References

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  1. ^ "176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  2. ^ "336th independent Helicopter Regiment". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  3. ^ Indexes of Airports
  4. ^ Zhu, Tiffany. "Black Snow, Brown Bears, and Sore Losers". Russian Life.
  5. ^ "WATCH: Russian pilots raising 3-year-old bear named 'Mansur'". NonStop Local KHQ. March 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "WATCH: Russian pilots raising 3-year-old bear named 'Mansur'". NonStop Local Montana. March 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "Российские летчики, приютившие медвежонка-сироту, ведут трансляцию его жизни на аэродроме - KP.RU".
  8. ^ Bostock, Bill (December 15, 2016). "A group of pilots in Russia adopted a wild bear, and launched a crowdfunding campaign to feed him and build him a home". Business Insider.
  9. ^ "Crowdfunding campaign for Russian air bear". February 18, 2019 – via www.bbc.com.

Sources

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