Engels-2 air base
| Engels-2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Энгельс-2 | |||||||||
| Engels, Saratov Oblast in Russia | |||||||||
Satellite imagery of Engels-2 air base | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Air base | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | Russian Aerospace Forces | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Long-Range Aviation | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°28′52″N 46°12′38″E / 51.48111°N 46.21056°E | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1952 | ||||||||
| Built by | Soviet Armed Forces | ||||||||
| In use | 1954–present | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | Russian invasion of Ukraine | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison | 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: none, ICAO: XWSG | ||||||||
| Elevation | 37 metres (121 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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Engels-2 (Russian: Энгельс) is a strategic bomber military airbase in Russia located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of Saratov. Engels is a major bomber operations base, and is Russia's sole operating location for the Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO: Blackjack) strategic bomber. The base has a 3,500-metre (11,500 ft) runway and about 10 large revetments. It is named after the nearby city of Engels, which is named after the Communist philosopher, Friedrich Engels.
As of 2022, the base was home to the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tu-160M and 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tupolev Tu-95MS (NATO: Bear-H) of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.
Aircraft from the 121st and 184th attacked Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has launched multiple drone attacks on the airbase since December 2022.