Can anyone help, where is this airfield?

Plough, that really is a great bit of detective work, I can’t thank you enough for this.

Like you, I had started going through alot of Russian airfields and found so many with a similar layout, they look like they are built to the same spec with the same size runway, taxiways etc.

One again thank you very much, I did wonder if it would ever get identified as well!

Thanks for your comments 🙂

Not sure what has happened to the links; they worked fine last night.

Plough – An impressive piece of detective work. Well done! I have been following this thread over on Pprune and was beginning to think it would never be identified.
OG

And the name is Stupino! Well done (but the first link doesn’t work).:)

Wow! What an effort! Thumbs up!

Well done. I think you have it nailed.

I’ve had a very interesting few hours with this database (http://www.locationidentifiers.org/russia/)

I have found several airfields in the former Eastern Bloc which have a similar layout to that in the photograph, but after some hours of searching found this one which looks a very close match to me. What do the rest of you think :confused:

http://www.locationidentifiers.org/russia/Krut’shki.htm

http://maps.google.com/maps?&q=54.8900,38.1500&spn=0.1,0.1&output=kml

Runway heading numbers look like 11 to me !

If anyone wants to hunt, there’s this overview kmz file for Eastern Bloc eighties air bases over on the GE community boards that may help.

Sorry shouldn’t have said print, meant image.

The problem here is is that airfields can develop quickly and appear very different to a certain time frame, this can render GE searches very hardwork unless you can pick out a very distinctive feature that still exists.
I would hazard a guess that the subject airfield was a front-line fighter type, going off the large (readiness?) platform at the end of the threshold and the dispersals.

Sadly not, the photo is undated

I don’t have the original print but a jpeg which is bigger then the jpeg shown and it says 06 on the threshold!

Thanks. Kitsa at least points to this being Soviet pattern airfield so that narrows it down (a bit). You don’t have any indication on the date of the photo though? I’m wondereing if the runway orientation also would point to a more southerly location.

I don’t have the original print but a jpeg which is bigger then the jpeg shown and it says 06 on the threshold!

I don’t think the runway orientation is right for Kitsa, similar layout though.

Because REF tells us in post#14, and he has the original photograph.

OK, I hadn’t seen anything saying that REF had the original print.

Because REF tells us in post#14, and he has the original photograph.

So definitely not Kitsa. That looks at best 02 – 20

Moggy

How do we know the runway orientation for sure? I can’t see the runway numbers clearly in the photo.

Agreed, there are some differences in the surroundings. Knowing the date of the original photo would help a lot!

Yes, the airfield could have deteriorated alot since the photo was taken. It ‘feels’ 1970/1980 to me but I could be very wrong. These small Soviet airfields must be built to a pretty standard pattern but there are probably hundreds of them!

… the runway is 06/24 if that helps further, the 06 threshold is at the bottom of the photo.

So definitely not Kitsa. That looks at best 02 – 20

Moggy

Same general layout, no doubt there, but a lot of features seem to be missing. Where are all the pans off the taxiway and where are all the concrete roads (unless somebody had torn-up the concrete)?

The settlements on the other side of the runway seem to be missing also.

Agreed, there are some differences in the surroundings. Knowing the date of the original photo would help a lot!