Validation date: 20 02 2014
Updated on: Never
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See on the interactive map:
53°12'13"N 044°03'49"E
Runway: 12/30 - 2500x45m - concrete
Kamenka airfield (russian: аэродром Каменка, also known as каменский аэродром, Kamensky airfield or Kamenska-2) was an air base 500 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
The original airfield was built in 1929. During World War II 10th Bomber Aviation Regiment was based here. At the base the all-female 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment (587 BAP) was set up, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union Marina Raskova. Under her command, lasting until her death in battle near Stalingrad (Volgograd) in 1943, the Regiment became the 125th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. In Kamenka pilots trained and went to the front.
From what I could trace from Russian reunion sites, the airfield must have been built to its current configuration around the end of the 1950s. Details about the airfield until the end of the Soviet Union could not be traced. Between 1994 and 1998, Kamenka housed the 20th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment which had converted to 30 Su-24 'Fencer' fighter-bombers after leaving Templin in former East-Germany in Su-17 'Fitters'. Its runway was heavy enough to handle An-124 'Ruslan' (NATO: Condor) and Il-76 (Candid) transports.An article on ym-penza.ru (in Russian) described the 1990s at the airfield:
'In the mid-90s, when pilots could not properly train because of the lack of kerosene, a regimental commander called from Moscow and said: "On the ground near Tambov are four old MiG-17. Your regiment is tasked to destroy them." Four bombers were launched with bombs on board and 15 minutes later they came to the dump near Tambov. Of the four planes, only one dropped bombs. On the ground, two direct hits were recorded. Two more bombs fell near the targets, turning them into sieves. For the mid-90s Russian Air Force, when pilots could not train because of the lack of kerosene, it was an outstanding result.'
The frontline aviation bombers remained in Kamenka until 1998. Then they were transferred to Voronezh military airfield, to be mothballed. When the 20th Guards Aviation Regiment had left, the airfield was put on the Russian equivalent of Care & Maintenance. For a while the airfield was considered as a logistics hub, which even attracted interest from Moscow, Germany and China. The project did not materialise due to financial difficulties, however. Over the past 15 years, Kamenka airfield has remained closed with only a 9 person caretaker staff. According to Russian pilots, the runway is still in a very good shape, inspite of grass growing on it and not having had maintenance in 15 years. Experts claim three passes with an agricultural aircraft will suffice to kill the weeds, after which the runway should be able to handle more than ten years of traffic.
Kamenka airfield in 2004 (Google Earth)
The operations building south of the platform was an empty hulk when this photo was taken in 2011 (Eduard_Solodov_John... on
Panoramio)
The runway, facing west, photographed in 2011 (Obscured, on
Panoramio)
In 2012 rumours appeared that the Russian military wanted to abandon the airfield and give it to the local municipality. The municipality is not too keen on the idea, as the airfield has been neglected for too long. Especially the base housing is in an extremely poor condition, which the municipality cannot afford to repair. They are interested in the airfield, if not to set up a commercial airfield, then at least for the high quality concrete, which can easily be sold as aggregate.
Kamenka 
Kamenka