7062th Air Base
Official Designation and Command Affiliation
The 7062nd Air Base (Russian: 7062-я авиационная база), military unit 62250, is a formation of Russian Naval Aviation subordinated to the Pacific Fleet. It administratively consolidates long-range maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare (ASW), helicopter, transport, and special-mission aviation assets operating across Russia’s Far Eastern maritime theaters.
Organizational Structure and Subunits
Identified elements under military unit 62250 include detachments referenced by suffixes that denote subunit identifiers. Reported composition: (1) military unit 62250: Il-38N ASW aircraft, Ka-27PL (ASW) and Ka-27PS (search-and-rescue) helicopters, and Mi-8 utility helicopters; (2) military unit 62250-2: 8 An-26 light transports and 4 An-12 in PP (electronic countermeasures) / PS (search-and-rescue) configurations; (3) military unit 62250-4: 17 Tu-142 aircraft across M/MZ/MR variants. Exact on-hand and serviceable numbers can fluctuate due to maintenance, rotation, and modernization cycles.
Operating Locations and Geographic Disposition
The air base’s aviation assets are dispersed at principal Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation airfields in the Russian Far East. These include: Yelizovo (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Krai), a dual-use civil-military airfield supporting Il-38N and helicopter operations; Kamenny Ruchey (Mongokhto, near Sovetskaya Gavan, Khabarovsk Krai), which supports Tu-142 long-range maritime patrol operations; and Nikolaevka (Primorsky Krai), which supports helicopter and mixed-aviation activities. Additional forward operating locations within the region are used as required. Specific garrisons and exact coordinates for subunits are not comprehensively published.
Aircraft Types and Roles
The base fields a mixed inventory aligned to maritime missions: Tu-142M/MZ (NATO: Bear-F) long-range ASW/maritime patrol aircraft and Tu-142MR (NATO: Bear-J) submarine communications relay aircraft; Il-38N (NATO: May) long-range ASW/maritime patrol aircraft equipped with the Novella mission suite; Ka-27PL (NATO: Helix-A) ASW helicopters and Ka-27PS (NATO: Helix-D) search-and-rescue helicopters; Mi-8 (NATO: Hip) utility helicopters for transport and support; An-26 (NATO: Curl) light transports; An-12PP (NATO: Cub) electronic countermeasures variant and An-12PS search-and-rescue variant. These platforms collectively provide ASW, maritime patrol, over-water search-and-rescue, submarine communications relay, electronic warfare support, and theater logistics.
Tu-142 Detachment (military unit 62250-4)
Military unit 62250-4 is reported with 17 Tu-142 aircraft across M, MZ, and MR variants. The Tu-142M/MZ provide long-range ASW and maritime patrol with endurance exceeding 10 hours, carrying ASW torpedoes, mines, and sonobuoys for wide-area ocean surveillance. The Tu-142MR is a specialized communications relay platform for submerged submarines, employing very low frequency communications via trailing-wire antenna. In Pacific Fleet service, Tu-142 operations are conducted from Kamenny Ruchey (Mongokhto), enabling coverage of the Sea of Okhotsk, the western North Pacific, and approaches to the Bering Sea.
Il-38N and Helicopter Component (military unit 62250)
The Il-38N is a modernized Il-38 fitted with the Novella-P-38 mission suite for surface and subsurface detection, employing radar, electro-optical sensors, magnetic anomaly detection, and an upgraded acoustic processing system. It supports ASW with torpedoes, depth charges, mines, and sonobuoys. Ka-27PL helicopters conduct ship- and shore-based ASW (dipping sonar, sonobuoys, lightweight torpedoes), while Ka-27PS provides maritime search-and-rescue. Mi-8 helicopters perform utility tasks including personnel movement, light cargo haul, and range support. These assets routinely operate from Yelizovo and deploy to Pacific Fleet surface combatants as embarked detachments.
Transport and Specialized Support Aviation (military unit 62250-2)
Military unit 62250-2 fields 8 An-26 and 4 An-12 (PP/PS) aircraft. The An-26 provides intra-theater lift for personnel, spares, and light cargo across widely separated Far Eastern bases. The An-12PS is configured for maritime search-and-rescue, including the ability to deploy survival equipment. The An-12PP is configured for electronic countermeasures to support fleet operations and training. This transport and special-mission element underpins logistics sustainment, dispersal, and SAR readiness across the Pacific Fleet’s aviation network.
Mission Sets and Operating Patterns
Core tasks include long-range ASW and maritime patrol across the Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea, Sea of Japan, and adjacent Pacific approaches; protection and monitoring of naval operating areas; submarine communications relay; maritime search-and-rescue; electronic warfare support; and operational/technical airlift. Documented long-range flights include Tu-142 operations near Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone reported by NORAD on 9 March 2020 and 27 June 2020, consistent with Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation activity. Helicopter detachments embark on surface combatants for ASW coverage and shore-based alert duties near fleet bases.
Infrastructure Capabilities
The principal operating locations feature long, paved runways and dispersal aprons suitable for heavy, long-range aircraft such as the Tu-142 and Il-38N. Yelizovo functions as a dual-use civil-military facility with dedicated military aprons, while Kamenny Ruchey is a military airfield optimized for long-range maritime patrol operations. Regional helicopter operating sites support Ka-27 and Mi-8 activity near Pacific Fleet naval bases and coastal sectors. Maintenance, fuel, ordnance handling, and cold-weather operating support are integral to these established bases; detailed facility layouts and storage locations are not comprehensively public.
Historical Reorganization and Nomenclature
The 7062nd Air Base designation and the military unit number 62250 originate from Russian Armed Forces reforms (circa 2009–2011) that consolidated prior regimental structures into numbered air bases with multi-airfield detachments. In subsequent years, naval aviation units in several fleets reintroduced regimental titles administratively while retaining legacy air-base and military-unit identifiers in various official and logistical documents. As a result, references to 7062nd Air Base (m/u 62250, with -2 and -4 subunits) continue to appear in public records alongside unit names reflecting regimental lineages.
Operational Significance
The base’s force mix provides the Pacific Fleet with persistent wide-area ASW surveillance, maritime domain awareness, and long-range patrol, supporting the security of key naval operating areas such as the Sea of Okhotsk. The Tu-142MR ensures communications relay to submarines during patrols. Helicopter and fixed-wing SAR assets enable response across remote maritime regions, while transport and ECM aircraft support sustainment and training. This combination allows coverage over large oceanic distances with layered ASW and support capabilities.
Data Confidence and Caveats
Aircraft tallies and exact subunit compositions are subject to periodic changes due to maintenance cycles, modernization, and unit reorganization; real-time serviceability and deployment status are not publicly disclosed. Precise garrisons, facility schematics, and munitions storage details are either sensitive or not available in open sources. The platform types, roles, and operating locations cited are corroborated across public-domain reporting on Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation; where specific counts are stated (e.g., 8× An-26, 4× An-12PP/PS, 17× Tu-142M/MZ/MR), they reflect reported complements rather than guaranteed current on-flightline availability.