Khorol Airfield

Khorol Airfield, also known in the US intelligence community as Khorol East, is a Soviet Naval Aviation base in Primorsky Krai, Russia located 3 km (2 mi) east of Khorol, Russia. Khorol was designed as a heavy bomber airfield. It was subordinate to the Far East Air Army.[1] However it was largely a Soviet Naval Aviation base.

Khorol
IATA: none ICAO: XHIL
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Location	Khorol, Primorsky Krai
Built	Unknown
In use	Unknown
Elevation AMSL	312 ft / 95 m
Coordinates	44°27′01″N 132°07′31″E
Map
Khorol Location in Primorsky Krai
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 15/33 12,139 3,700 Concrete

Khorol Airfield as seen on declassified satellite imagery in 1966.

After a runway extension in 1964 from 2500 m to 3700 m[2] it had one of the largest runways in eastern Russia.

It was jointly occupied by two regiments of the Pacific Fleet Air Force.[1]

From 1965 the 867th independent Guards Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (ODRAP) was stationed at the base flying the Tu-95RTS. In 1971 it became the 304th Independent Guards Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment.[3] It was reported in a CIA Key Hole report of April 1968. [4] The regiment was disbanded in 1993.

The 169th Guards Maritime Missile Aviation Regiment moved from Khorol in 1982 to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.[5] It had been flying Tupolev Tu-16 (ASCC "Badger") since 1957, and was reported by photographic reconnaissance in 1971[6] It had as as many as 71 aircraft in 1964.

The other major heavy bomber base in Primorskiy Krai is Vozdvizhenka air base, 39 mi (62 km) to the southwest. It targets the United States and has nuclear storage facilities, while Khorol's interest is primarily Pacific naval activity and has no nuclear storage.[1]