Naval Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet
Identification
This record is best matched to a distributed Black Sea Fleet naval-aviation grouping in occupied Crimea rather than one single point site. The two supplied placemarks align with the two BSF-controlled aviation regiments that open sources place at Kacha (318th regiment) and Saky/Novofedorivka (43rd regiment). ([osce.org](https://www.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/f/c/491332.pdf))
Saky
Saky/Novofedorivka hosts the 43rd regiment. CNA’s 2021 survey placed there one mixed Su-24M/MR squadron and one Su-30SM squadron, while TASS reported new Su-30SMs arriving at their permanent base Saky in December 2016. Russian reporting also states that the airfield includes the NITKA carrier-aviation training complex. ([cna.org](https://www.cna.org/reports/2021/08/Russian-Forces-in-the-Southern-Military-District.pdf))
Kacha
Kacha hosts the 318th mixed/composite regiment. CNA assessed in 2021 that it included Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters, transport/rescue elements with An-26, Ka-27PS and Mi-8, plus some Be-12 aircraft; Russian reporting separately shows Ka-27 crews from the separate composite air regiment conducting ship-deck operations and Be-12/Ka-27PL aircraft supporting anti-submarine drills. ([cna.org](https://www.cna.org/reports/2021/08/Russian-Forces-in-the-Southern-Military-District.pdf))
Observed missions
Official Russian reporting ties this grouping to Black Sea maritime air-policing, strike, reconnaissance, transport, and anti-submarine tasks. Examples include Su-30 interceptions of US reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea in June 2020, 2021 drills using Su-30SM and Su-24M against naval targets, and winter-training sorties that combined Su-30SM, Su-24M, Be-12, An-26, Mi-8, and Ka-27 aircraft. ([tass.com](https://tass.com/defense/1172229))
Combat damage
Saky suffered major, publicly visible losses on 9 August 2022. Reuters reported a Western official’s assessment that the explosions put more than half of the Black Sea Fleet’s naval-aviation combat jets out of use, and Atlantic Council’s DFRLab said satellite imagery confirmed destruction of several aircraft at Saky, which it identified as hosting the 43rd regiment. Open-source reporting therefore supports severe degradation, but not enough to verify the stronger claim that the regiment ceased to exist as a combat unit. ([wsau.com](https://wsau.com/2022/08/19/half-of-russias-black-sea-fleets-combat-jets-out-of-operation-western-official/))