The cold climate at Amderma airport in the seventies




	The cold climate at Amderma airport in the seventies

The 72nd Guard Fighter Air Regiment PVO received the Tu-128 ‘Fiddler’ long-range patrol interceptor type in 1969. It was the fifth and last fighter air regiment of the Air Defense Force to receive the Tu-128 type. In 1969 the regiment got a new crew. The first squadron arrived from Omsk airport (14th Independent Air Defence Army - Siberia) and the second squadron from Kotlas-Talagi airport (Moscow Air Defence District). That time the 3rd squadron still used older Yak-25M ‘Flashlight’ interceptor type. Later in 1970, the 3rd squadron replaced their old Yak fighter too to long-range Tupolev Tu-128 type. The 72nd regiment used Tu-128UT, Tu-124 ‘Cookpot’ and small MiG-15UTI ‘Midget’ trainer type.

The regiment's pilots at Amderma airport were very often alerted because of US reconnaissance aircraft.








		Tupolev Tu-128UT three seater trainer aircraft taxiing on the runway of the Amderma airport








		The 72nd Guard regiment’s Tu-124 ‘Cookpot’ trainer aircraft on Amderma airport by the northern Kara Sea.



		Ilyushin Il-18 ‘Coot’ is a large Soviet turboprop airliner take off from Amderma airport to the far Norilsk



		Soviet Air Defence's Tu-128 interceptor take off from Amderma airport behind the 72nd Guard Fighter Air Regiment's Tu-128 'Fiddler' row








	The 72nd Guard regiment used the older MiG-15UTI ‘Midget’ trainer version as weather reconnaissance in the seventies.

	The 72nd Fighter Air Regiment PVO moved to Amderma in 1956. The Soviet Amderma city has a polar climate with very cool and short summers combined with very long and cold winters. The winters are very cold for a marine location. The regiment changed staff every two or three years because living conditions were difficult in the north. The transition months of May and October see a milder form of winter, example the town celebrated the Victory Day on 9. May 1978 in a snowstorm!


	The northern Amderma city had no connection with the southern Soviet countryside with route or train. The supplies were shipped north by boat. Ice-breaker ships led the cargo ship convoy. The supplies were unloaded on ice in the winter.


	An aircraft maintenance center operated at Amderma airport. This center worked on the repair of the 72nd regiment's Tupolev Tu-128 ‘Fiddler’ and the 641st regiment's Yakovlev Yak-28P ‘Firebar’ interceptor type. The center did a medium repair on the aircraft.


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Life at the arctic Amderma city and airport in the eightie


	Photos: Vladimir Timin collections

	Tags: Soviet Union, USSR, Soviet Air Forces, Sovier AIR Defense, VVS, PVO, Cold War, Leningrad Military District, 10th Independent Air Defence Army, 4th Air Defense Division, Belushya Guba, 641st Guard Fighter Air Regiment PVO, Rogachevo-Novaya Zemlya, Yak-28P Firebar, 72nd Guard Fighter Air Regiment PVO, Amderma, Tu-128 Fiddler, Mikoyan and Gurevich, Sukhoi, Yakovlev, Tupolev, Облако тегов: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик, СССР, Военно-воздушные силы, Войска ПВО СССР, 10-й отдельной армии ПВО, 10-й ОА ПВО, 4-я дПВО, Новая Земля, 641-й гвардейский ордена Кутузова III степени истребительно-авиационный полк ПВО, 641-й гв.ИАП ПВО, Новая Земля, Рогачево, Як-28П, 72-й гвардейский Полоцкий ордена Суворова III степени истребительный авиационный полк ПВО, 72-й гв.ИАП ПВО, Андерма, Ту-128, Микоян и Гуревич, Сухой, Яковлев, Туполев,