Kuçova military airfield

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Kuçova military airfield
Shenyang F-5 at Kuçova Airfield
Characteristics
ICAO code LAKV
Coordinates

40 ° 46'19 "  N , 19 ° 54'7"  E Coordinates: 40 ° 46'19 "  N , 19 ° 54'7"  E

Height above MSL 35 m (115  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 3 km southwest of Kuçova
Basic data
opening 1955
operator Albanian Air Force
Runways
14/32 2840 m × 67 m concrete
09/27 2500 m concrete (reserve)



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The Kuçova military airfield ( Albanian  Aerodromi ushtarak i Kuçovës , also Baza Ajrore e Kuçovës ) is an active military airfield of the Albanian Air Force near Kuçova north of Berat in central Albania .

Location and facilities

Some of the Shenyang F-6s parked in Kuçova and no longer used outside of the underground aircraft cavern

The airfield is located in central Albania north of Berat at the transition from the Osum valley to the Myzeqe plain. In the northeast it borders on the city of Kuçova , which was called Qyteti Stalin (German Stalin City ) from its founding in 1951 to 1991 and is the center of the Albanian oil industry, and in the southwest on the village of Ura Vajgurore .

Parallel to the main runway, there was an approximately 1000 meter long unpaved runway. An approximately two and a half kilometer long taxiway leads to a hill in the east, in which there was an underground aircraft cavern  to protect the aircraft against enemy attacks. This taxiway is often indicated as the airport's second runway.  Today, numerous old jet planes are parked in the area in front of and in the bunker , and more on the rest of the site and in hangars .

The airfield buildings are located in the north of the area and can be reached from the Ura Vajgurore - Kuçova road. The taxiway to the cavern in the southeast of the site is crossed by two dirt roads that lead from the village of Perond south of Kuçova in the direction of Berat and are open to the public.

history

The Albanian Air Force , founded in 1951, was initially stationed in Lapraka near Tirana. It had Jak-18 and Po-2 . Work on the airport began in 1952 and was completed in 1955. The new Tirana Airport , which opened near Rinas in 1958 , was used for both military and civil purposes. Air force bases were later built in Vlora and Gjadër ( Zadrima ). MiG-15s were initially  stationed in Kuçova, the country's second military airfield .

In 1966, a factory for aircraft spare parts was built in Kuçova, as these could no longer be obtained from the Soviet Union  .

During the civil war-like lottery uprising in 1997, the airfield was occupied by rebels. The damage they had caused was not repaired until 1999 to such an extent that the airfield could operate properly again. From May to September 1999 the field camp of the Albania Support Association of the German Armed Forces was in operation at the military airfield .

As part of Albania's efforts and preparations for NATO membership, the airfield was modernized between 2002 and 2004: In addition to the construction of a new control tower  , the runways were given a new surface and lighting. Today, the Albanian Air Force only operates helicopters - many old aircraft (MiG-15, MiG-19 , Jak-18 airplanes, An-2 , F-5 and F-6 ) were parked in Kuçova. The Albanian government is trying to sell the aircraft.

meaning

F-6 with Tomorr  in the background

The military airfield led a shadowy existence for a long time, as the Albanian armed forces no longer operate fixed- wing aircraft . Today it is used for training and to support the transport of troops and material.

The Italian Air Force  was active in Kuçova as part of a NATO support program.

In the summer of 2018, the Albanian government announced that NATO would invest around 50 million euros in modernizing the airfield. As an air force base in the Western Balkans , Kuçova is to support NATO air operations. In addition, the airfield will be used for logistics, exercises and training.

Web links

Commons : Kuçova Air Base  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual proof

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k Kuçovë. In: Abandoned, Forgotten, & Little Known Airfields in Europe. December 25, 2018, accessed August 13, 2019 .
  2. a b aerial photo on Google Maps, accessed on August 13, 2019
  3. ^ Albanian Military Air Bases and Airfields. In: aeroflight.co.uk. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  4. a b Air Force History. In: Armed Forces of Albania. Accessed August 11, 2019 .
  5. Rezarta Delisula: Tirana-Mahnia . Maluka, Tirana 2018, ISBN 978-9928-26018-5 , Albania in the 30s, where aircrafts replaced cars, p. 71-73 .
  6. Llazar Semini: Albania once, Europe's most isolated country under a 50-year Communist regime, is selling dozens of obsolete Eastern Bloc military jets. In: US News & World Report. March 6, 2016, accessed June 9, 2016 .
  7. ^ Air Force structure. In: Republic of Albania: Armed Forces. Accessed August 13, 2019 .
  8. NATO to revamp Albanian air base: PM. In: SpaceDaily. August 5, 2018, accessed on August 13, 2019 .