Dolinsk-Sokol
Долинск-Сокол
Dolinsk , Sakhalin Oblast in Russia
Dolinsk-Sokol Shown within Sakhalin Oblast Show map of Sakhalin Oblast Dolinsk-Sokol Dolinsk-Sokol (Russia) Show map of Russia
Coordinates	47°15′42″N 142°46′6″E  /  47.26167°N 142.76833°E  / 47.26167; 142.76833
Type	Air Base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Russian Aerospace Force
Site history
Built	1945  ( 1945 )
In use	1945 - present
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO : XHSO
Elevation	33 metres (108 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 02/20 2,500 metres (8,202 ft)  Concrete

Dolinsk-Sokol is a reserve military air base in Sakhalin Oblast , Russia located 8 km south of Dolinsk . It is a small base with numerous hardened hangars (aircraft shelters).

It existed before June 1966 according to declassified KH-7 satellite images. Its chief operating unit was 777th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (777 IAP), flying the Sukhoi Su-15 , MiG-23 , and Sukhoi Su-27 during its 40 years of tenure. ^[1] In the 1980s it received the Mikoyan MiG-31 . ^[2] It is also listed as being home to 361 IIVP (361st Instruction Test Helicopter Regiment) flying Mil Mi-24 and Mil Mi-8 helicopters. ^[3]

In the early 1980s, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed aircraft occasionally deployed from Dolinsk-Sokol to the front-line airfield of Burevestnik , 240 miles to the southeast on the Kuril Islands ^[4] In early 1983 Dolinsk-Sokol began deploying newer MiG-23 from Dolinsk-Sokol to Burevestnik after upgrades were completed there.

Dolinsk-Sokol is famous for being home to the Sukhoi Su-15 that shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 near Moneron Island in September 1983. At that time, base commander was General Anatoly Kornukov , who later become Commander of the Russian Air Force. ^[5] At the time of the shootdown, Kornukov apparently ordered the shootdown to prevent KAL 007 from leaving Sakhalin airspace. ^[5]

References [ edit ]

This Russian military article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it .

• v
• t
• e