Naval Aviation of the Pacific Fleet
Identification
The placemark cluster matches the military side of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Yelizovo/Elizovo) Airport in Kamchatka Krai, not a separate stand-alone installation. Historical unit records place both the 317th Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment and the 865th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Elizovo/Yelizovo at essentially these coordinates, and Interfax described Yelizovo as a shared-use airfield for civil and military aircraft. ([ww2.dk](https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/317osap.htm?utm_source=openai))
Airfield
Yelizovo is a shared-use airfield with substantial adjacent civilian infrastructure. Russia’s Transport Ministry said in July 2023 that reconstruction of the airfield infrastructure was nearing completion; the airport then moved all passenger service to a new terminal on 31 March 2025, and the airport operator reported in January 2026 that the new complex exceeds 48,000 m² and that the airport handled more than 927,000 passengers in 2025. ([mintrans.gov.ru](https://www.mintrans.gov.ru/press-center/region-news/10793?utm_source=openai))
Aviation elements
Open-source records consistently associate Elizovo with Pacific Fleet anti-submarine and interceptor aviation. A unit history places the 317th regiment at Elizovo with Il-38 aircraft from 2002 onward and shows the 175th helicopter element at the same base, with Ka-27 service recorded there before it again became an independent squadron in 2002; a separate unit record lists the 865th regiment at Yelizovo with MiG-31 fighters under Pacific Fleet control from 1 July 1998. Later TASS reporting still described Yelizovo-based Pacific Fleet aviation as a mixed aviation regiment operating MiG-31 aircraft, while Pacific Fleet reports continue to show Ka-27PL helicopters in ASW employment even when the squadron number is not given. ([ww2.dk](https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/317osap.htm?utm_source=openai))
Observed role
Recent reporting points to two core mission sets from this site: maritime ASW/patrol aviation from Kamchatka and long-range interceptor operations into the Arctic and northeast approaches. TASS reported in April 2019 that Il-38/Il-38N crews from Kamchatka practiced submarine search and tracking in the Far North, and in October 2019 that MiG-31 crews redeployed from Yelizovo to Anadyr for Arctic interception drills. Interfax-Russia also reported in 2024 that Il-38/Il-38N aircraft rebased from their main station at Yelizovo during exercises on Kamchatka. ([tass.com](https://tass.com/defense/1056477))
Confidence limits
Open-source reporting is more consistent on the location and aircraft roles than on the exact paper organization. The historical unit record says the 317th and 175th elements were absorbed into the 7060th Aviation Base on 1 August 2009, but later TASS reporting still uses the term "mixed aviation regiment" for Yelizovo-based Pacific Fleet aviation. The safest public assessment is therefore that Yelizovo hosts Pacific Fleet interceptor, ASW, and shipborne-helicopter aviation, while the exact current administrative titles are not consistently reported in open sources. ([ww2.dk](https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/317osap.htm?utm_source=openai))