Pryluky Air Base: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''Pryluky''' (also given as '''Priluki''') is an air base in [[Chernihiv Oblast]], [[Ukraine]] located 6 km west of [[Pryluky]]. This airfield was Ukraine's primary [[Tupolev Tu-160]] bomber base (with [[Uzyn]] having the nation's [[Tupolev Tu-95]] fleet). There are revetments for 20 large aircraft.

Pryluky accepted the USSR's first [[Tu-160]] (Blackjack) in April 1987, building its fleet up to 19 by 1994. By the mid 1990s, the Pryluky Regiment had lost its value as a combat unit. The 184th GvTBAP's 19 "Blackjacks" were effectively grounded because of a lack of technical support, spare parts and fuel. At this point in time, Ukraine considered the Tu-160s more of a bargaining chip in their economic negotiations with Russia. Certainly, they were of very limited value to Ukraine from a military standpoint, but discussions with Russia concerning their return bogged down. Between October 1999 and February 2000 Ukraine turned over 8 Tu-160 bombers to [[Russia]] to pay off energy debts; these are now at Russia's [[Engels-2]] air base.

Units stationed at Pryluky includeincluded:

* [[184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (184 GvTBAP). The regiment arrived at Priluky in April 1946, and at the same time was renumbered from 9th Long-Range Regiment of Guards to the 184th.<ref>Piotr Butowski, International Air Power Review, Summer 2004, 81.</ref> It flew [[Tu-4]]s from 1950, [[Tu-16]] aircraft beginning in 1955, then acquiring the [[Tupolev Tu-22M|Tupolev Tu-22M4]] in 1984 and the [[Tu-160]] from 1987 until 2000.<ref name=DA>{{cite web| title = Dal'nyaya Aviatsiya | publisher = Aviabaza KPOI | url = http://airbase.ru/squad/russia/da/ }}</ref> It also flew the [[Tu-134]]UBL trainer.<ref name=DA/>