Belaya (air base)

Belaya/Irkutsk
Usolye-Sibirskoye, Irkutsk Oblast in Russia
Satellite imagery of Belaya air base
Belaya Shown within Irkutsk Oblast Show map of Irkutsk Oblast Belaya Belaya (Russia) Show map of Russia
Coordinates	52°54′54″N 103°34′30″E / 52.91500°N 103.57500°E / 52.91500; 103.57500
Type	Air Base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Russian Aerospace Forces
Controlled by	Long-Range Aviation
Site history
Built	1946 (1946)
In use	1946 - present
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: UIIB
Elevation	458 metres (1,503 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 15/33 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Concrete

Belaya (ICAO: UIIB) is a significant Russian Aerospace Forces Long-Range Aviation base in Usolsky District, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Usolye-Sibirskoye and 85 kilometres (53 mi) northwest of Irkutsk. From 2009 it has sometimes been known as Srednii. It has significant ramp space and 38 bomber revetments.

The base is home to the 200th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Brest Red Banner Order of Suvorov Regiment with the Tu-22M3, the 444th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tu-22M3 and the 181st Independent Composite Aviation Squadron with the Antonov An-12 and the Antonov An-30. All of the regiments are under the control of the 326th Heavy Bomber Aviation Tarnopol Order of Kutuzov Division.^[1]

The base's bomber fleet, consisting at various times of Tupolev Tu-16, Tupolev Tu-22, and Tupolev Tu-22M aircraft, played a considerable role in Asian strategy. The base was especially important in projecting power against the People's Republic of China following the Sino-Soviet split of the late 1960s.