Tapa Airfield

Tapa Airfield (ICAO: EETA) is an unused air base in Estonia located 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Tapa. During the Cold War it was home to the 656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (IAP PVO).[3] For most of the time the regiment was part of the 14th Air Defence Division of the 6th Air Defence Army.

Tapa Airfield

Tapa lennuväli
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorEstonian Air Force
LocationTapa
Elevation AMSL331 ft / 101 m
Coordinates59°14′06″N 025°57′06″E
Map
EETA is located in Estonia
EETA
EETA
Location in Estonia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 2,500 8,202 Concrete
Sources: Forgotten Airfields[1][2]

Tapa's interceptor regiment initially operated the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (ASCC: Fresco) then the Sukhoi Su-9 (ASCC: Fishpot) in the 1960s and 1970s.[4] This aircraft was replaced in 1978 with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23M (ASCC: Flogger-B).[4]

In 1987, interceptor aircraft were dispatched from Tapa to intercept Mathias Rust's Cessna 172 in a famous Cold War incident[5] to prevent a recurrence the 384th Independent Helicopter Squadron (384 OVE) was deployed here with the Mil Mi-24P (ASCC: Hind-F) between 1989 and 1992.[6]

See also

References
  1. Tapa Airfield at Forgotten Airfields
  2. EETA at Airport Guide (elevation)
  3. "656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO". Ww2.dk. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  4. PHASEOUT OF FISHPOT IN APVO STRANYY AIRFIELDS USSR, February 1981, CREST: CIA-RDP81T00380R000100980001-5, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC.
  5. LeCompte, Tom (July 2005). "The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust, Air & Space Magazine". Archived from the original on 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  6. "384th independent Helicopter Squadron". Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. Retrieved 4 January 2023.



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