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Soviet Baltic Military District's 15th Tactical Air Army
899th Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment's MiG-27D and MiG-23UB

The Soviet 899th Fighter Air Regiment, then Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment used various versions of the MiG-21 for twenty-five years in the Baltic region! From the mid-1960s, it flew MiG-21PFMs ‘Fishbed-F’, then MiG-21bis ‘Fishbed-L’ from 1979. In 1981, the MiG-21bis fighter was replaced by MiG-21SMT ‘Fishben-K’ bombers when the 899th Regiment was assigned a bomber role.

The obsolete MiG-21SMT ‘Fishbed-K’ bombers were replaced between 1989 and 1990 by the variable-sweep wing MiG-27 type. The MiG-27D ‘Flogger-J’ bombers and the two-seater MiG-23UB ‘Flogger-C’ training aircraft came partly from the 372nd Regiment and partly from numerous other Soviet units.

Between 1990 and 1993, the 899th Fighter Bomber Air Regiment lost two MiG-27s over Baltic region:

• The pilot was scheduled to perform tactical bombing over the Salduš training ground in northern Latvia that night. While approaching the target, which was illuminated from the ground, the pilot lost his bearings and ended up in a dive with the aircraft upside down. He did not have enough altitude to pull out of the dive. The aircraft crashed into the ground near the target, and the pilot was killed.
   
• Ten minutes later, while flying in the area designated for burning off excess fuel, contact was lost with MiG-27D. After making two turns, the aircraft disappeared from the radar screen – it had crashed into the ground. The crash occurred over the vast Limbozhsky marshes, where it took a day to locate the crash site. The most likely causes of the crash were considered to be loss of spatial orientation and inadequate preparation for night operations, compounded by difficult weather conditions and, as noted, “impaired flying skills due to a sharp reduction in flight hours.”

The 899th Fighter Bomber Air Regiment’s MiG-27Ds ‘Flogger-D’ used yellow tactical number in the Soviet Baltic Military District. Photos: Sergey Skrynnikov and Stanislav Mackovik (airforce.ru) collections

During 1992, one-third of the regiment's personnel left for further service with the defense ministries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The largest groups of flight and technical officers were transferred to Slavgorod and Krasnodar for further service. In 1992-1993, the MiG-27D ‘Flogger-J’ and MiG-23UB ‘Flogger-C’ aircraft were transferred to storage bases. In July 1993, the 899th Regiment left the Baltic region and returned to Russia.

In 1993, the 899th Assault Air Regiment was re-established at the Russian Buturlinovka airfield and equipped with Su-25 ‘Frogfoot-A’ attack aircraft. The new regiment received too the name and decorations of the original 899th Regiment.

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Tags:
Soviet Union, USSR, Soviet Air Forces, VVS, Cold War, Warsaw Pact, Soviet Air Defence, Baltic Military District's Air Force, 15th Tactical Air Army, Soviet Tactical Air Force, 39th Fighter Bomber Aviation Division, Lielvarde, 39th Fighter Bomber Aviation Division, 899th Fighter Bomber Air Regiment, 899th Fighter Bomber Aviation Regiment, MiG-21SMT Fishbed-K, MiG-27D Flogger-J, Lielvarde, Mikoyan and Gurevich

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Союз Советских Социалистических Республик, СССР, Холодная война, Военно-воздушные силы, ПрибВО, Прибалтийский ВО, 15-я воздушная армия, Рига, 15-я ВА, Прибалтийский военный округ, 39-я авиационная дивизия истребителей-бомбардировщиков, Лиелвадце Ригой, 39-я адиб, 899-й авиационный полк истребителей-бомбардировщиков, Лиелварде, Ригой, МиГ-27Д, 899-й Апиб, Микоян и Гуревич, Сухой, Мил