IMINT & Analysis Photo Archive

Digital Photography

I've been an amateur photographer for a few years now, and have built up a pretty large battery of images. I'm going to be using more of them in some upcoming projects for this site, but I figured I'd post a list of the military-themed objects I've photographed and make them available to readers here who are researching some of these items. What you'll find below is a list containing the location I took the photos and the year I was there, followed by the items photographed at that location. Most of these are static images, but some of them, particularly those taken at military open houses, are of aircraft in the air. I was as detailed as I could be from memory looking at the images, so if you see something like "F-4" instead of "F-4G", ask me and I can tell you what the specific model or variant is that I have images of from a given location. The majority of the subjects were shot from numerous angles, and most of them have a number of close-up detail shots as well (equipment bays, antennae, hardpoints, intakes, etc). Anything 2007 and later was taken with a Canon EOS30D DSLR, those images are of a bit better quality on average, particularly of aircraft in the sky. Also, some of them do feature dust spots, as it did take me a while to learn how to clean the sensor on the camera!

Obtaining Images

To obtain digital copies of any of these images for research or personal use, send me an e-mail with a listing of what it is you'd like and what you are requesting the images for, and I'll do my best to accomodate you as soon as possible.

If you wish to obtain images for publication in any fashion (web, periodical, book, etc), I don't charge a fee but I do request the following:
-Credit as the photographer; and
-A copy of the periodical or other hardcopy publication you use them in, or
-A link to this specific page of the website if the images are to be used online

Hampton Roads Air Power Park - 2005
AIM-4D
F-86D
F-89
F-101B
F-105
NIKE-AJAX
NIKE-ZEUS
RF-4E
XV-6A Kestrel

Langley AFB Open House - 2007
A-10
B-1B
B-2A
C-130
F-15C
F/A-18F
F-22A
F-35A mockup
F-86
F-117A
US Air Force Heritage Flight: A-10, F-15C, F-22A, F-86
US Air Force Thunderbirds
US Navy Heritage Flight: F/A-18F, F4F

Langley AFB Open House - 2008
A-10
B-1B
B-17
C-17
C-130
E-2C
F-4E
F-15C
F-15E
F-16
F/A-18F
F-22A
F-35 mockup
KC-10A
P-51
Spitfire
T-45A
Royal Air Force Red Arrows
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-4E, F-15E, F-22A

Langley AFB Open House - 2009
A-4
B-52
C-17
C-130
F-4E
F-15C
F-16
F-21A Kfir
F-22A
F/A-18C
KC-135R
P-51
Sea Harrier FRS.2
T-33
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-4E, F-15C, F-22A, P-51
US Air Force Thunderbirds
US Navy Heritage Flight: F/A-18C, F4F

McConnell AFB - 2003
C-130
KC-135R
Saab Gripen

McConnell AFB Open House - 2003
A-10
B-1B
B-17
B-25
B-52D
C-17
CF-188
CP-140
E-6A
F-16
F/A-18C
F-117A
M-109 Paladin
MiG-15UTI
MLRS
Tornado IDS Luftwaffe
T-38A

McConnell AFB Open House - 2004
A6M Zero
AT-6
B-1B
B-2
B-17
B-25
Canadian Air Force Snowbirds
DC-3
F-15
F-16
KC-135R
Learjet 23
P-51
Pearl Harbor Display Flight: A6M, P-51
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-16, P-51

McConnell AFB Open House - 2006
US Air Force Thunderbirds

McGuire AFB BOMARC Site - 2007
Various shots from outside the now-contaminated site's fenceline

McGuire AFB Open House - 2007
A-10
F-4E
US Army Golden Knights
US Air Force Heritage Flight: A-10, F-4E, P-51
US Air Force Thunderbirds

National Air And Space Museum Udvar Hazy Annex - 2006
707
AGM-76A
AGM-86A
AGM-86B
AIM-120
ASM-135 ASAT
B-29 Enola Gay
Concorde
Corona capsule
Do-335A
F-4
Ho-111h
Homing Overlay Experiment
MiG-21
Reinochter R-1
RIM-8J Talos
Ruhrstahl
SA-2
Silkworm
Space Shuttle Enterprise
SR-71A
X-35B
XAAM-N-3 Sparrow II
XV-15

USAF Museum - scans of old photos taken before I went digital
AIM-4A
AIM-4C
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-7
AIM-9
AIM-26B
AIM-120
AIR-2
B-1A
CIM-10
MiG-23MLD

USAF Museum - 2003
A-10
A-37
AC-130
ADM-20
AGM-28
AGM-86B
AGM-129
AGM-131
AIM-4A
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-9M
AIM-26B
AIR-2
AN/TPS-1B
Apollo capsule
B-1B
B-2 Iron Bird
B-29 Bock's Car
B-58
Bird Of Prey
BLU-82
C-45H
C-54C
C-118
C-121
CIM-10
D-21B
EF-111A
F-4G
F-15
F-16 AFTI
F-16 Thunderbird
F-100D Thunderbird
F-101B
F-102A
F-105
F-106
F-107A
F-111A
F-111F
F-117A
Fritz-X
GBU-15
Gemini capsule
J-3C-65-8
LANTIRN
MiG-21
MiG-23MLD
Mercury capsule
Model 24 C8F
NT-33A
PA-48
P-51D
P-59B
P-80R
R-13 Atoll
RF-4C
RQ-1
RQ-3
RQ-4
SA-2
SR-71A
T-39A
TACIT BLUE
TACT RAINBOW
Tornado GR.1 RAF
U-4B
UH-13J
V-1
V-2
VC-6A
VC-137A
VC-140B
X-1B
X-3
X-4 Ruhrstahl
X-4
X-5
X-10
X-15
X-24A
X-24B
X-25A
X-29
X-36
X-45
XB-70 Valkyrie
XC-142A
XF-84H
XF-85
XF-91
XF-92
XGAM-63
XH-20
XV-6A
YF-12A
YF-22A
YFH-84H
ZPU-2
ZPU-4

USAF Museum - 2004
AIM-4A
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-120
B-2 Iron Bird
B-47
B-57
B-58
BGM-109
D-21B
EF-111A
F-16 Thunderbird
F-101B
F-117A
GBU-24
Mark 41
MiG-23MLD
RF-4C
SR-71A
TACIT BLUE
TACIT RAINBOW
Tornado GR.1 RAF
X-45

USAF Museum - 2005
A-7
ADM-20
AGM-28
AGM-129
B-26K
B-66
CF-100
CGM-13
D-21B
EC-121
EC-135E
Fat Man device
F-4G
F-84
F-100
F-111F
EF-111A
F-117A
MiG-17
MiG-19
Minuteman RV test shape
NKC-135
Peacekeeper railcar
RF-4C
SA-2
SICBM TEL
SR-71A
U-2

USAF Museum - 2007
AGM-129
AGM-131
B-2 Iron Bird
Bird Of Prey
CBU-58
D-21B
DH.89 Dominie
F-16 AFTI
F-102A
F-107A
GBU-12
LoFLYTE
MiG-19
SR-71A Blackbird
TACIT BLUE
X-10
X-13
X-29
XB-70 Valkyrie
XF-91 Thunderceptor
XH-20
XV-6A Kestrel
YF-12A Blackbird
YF-22A
YQM-94A

USAF Museum - 2009
AC-130A
AGM-129
AGM-131
Avrocar
Bird Of Prey
C-119J
C-141C
D-21
EC-135E
F-4G
F-22A
F-106A
F-107A
F-117A
Ju-52
MiG-29
NC-131H
NKC-135A
Peacekeepeer railcar
SA-2
SICBM TEL
SR-71A
TACIT BLUE
TACIT RAINBOW
Tornado GR.1 RAF
X-40A
X-45
XB-70A
XV-3
YC-125B
YF-12A
YF-23A

USS Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum - 2005
A-4
A-6F
A-12 Blackbird
AGM-84
AV-8A
BGM-109
Concorde
Dassault Etendard IVP
F7U
F-4
F-8
F-14B
Gemini capsule
IAI Kfir F-21A
Mb-339
Mercury capsule
RGM-6
Standard SM-1
T-72

Virginia Aviation Museum - 2005
SR-71A

Historical Imagery in Google Earth

INTRODUCTION

Google Earth 5 was recently released, and incorporates a wealth of new features for the user to exploit. From an analytical standpoint, the most interesting new feature is the ability to view historical imagery of many areas.

EXPLOITING HISTORICAL IMAGERY

Google Earth's new historical imagery feature allows users to examine past imagery that has been overwritten in the main viewer by either more recent or higher resolution imagery. Take Belgrade, for example. When viewed from an Eye Altitude of 50 miles, it can clearly be seen that the city and the surrounding area has been imaged over time, and that a composite mosaic of these images are currently visible to create a more complete image. For those unfamiliar with the term, the Eye Altitude is the height from which the visual vantage point on screen is being viewed. It is located at the bottom right of the image window in the Status Bar. Returning to the example of Belgrade, the historical imagery feature allows users to view the images used to provide the default view of Belgrade as a series of images, with each series building upon the last and adding the next most recent set of imagery to the screen. An excellent overview of how to fully exploit this new feature can be found here. It should be noted that not every piece of imagery visible in Google Earth's default view is available in the historical imagery feature, nor does using this feature limit the on-screen view to only the imagery captured on the date selected.

AN UNEXPECTED BENEFIT

An interesting and useful application of the historical imagery feature is that it will actually bring images into better focus at certain altitudes. To better illustrate this point, a simple exercise has been derived.

1. Open Google Earth, and click the icon to add a placemark. Copy the following coordinates into the Latitude and Longitude boxes: 56°55'57.57"N 40°32'34.96"E This will create a placemark on a mobile ICBM base near Teykovo in Russia.

2. Travel to the new placemark and zoom in so that the Eye Altitude is approximately 2500 feet.

3. Note that the date that the image was captured is August 12, 2007.

4. Under the View menu at the top left of the screen, select Historical Imagery. The Historical Imagery slider will appear along the upper left portion of the image window. The slider is currently set to coincide with the current date, which at the time of writing is 2009. Three blue lines appear in the slider, indicating images which may be selected for viewing of that particular area.

5. Set the slider to coincide with the date at which the image was captured. In this case, this will be the far right blue line. Simply drag the slider to the left until it locks into position at that date.

6. Once the slider is moved to the left from its default position, note that the image appears to have become clearer to a slight degree, helping to further accentuate many of the details. In this example, pay close attention to the three grey rectangular buildings in the center of the compound. Moving the slider to the left results in the detail on the roof of each building to become far more distinct.

As can clearly be seen, employing the historical imagery feature can be seen to provide clearer imagery. The imagery is likely loaded by Google Earth in a slightly less refined format at higher Eye Altitudes in order to facilitate quicker loading times. It should be noted that zooming in closer will result in the fully detailed image being visible, but exploiting this aspect of the historical imagery function does permit clearer images of a broader scale to be examined and saved for further use or analysis. This is exceptionally valuable when examining images containing many small objects such as vehicles or aircraft, or large facilities.

INTERESTING HISTORICAL IMAGES

The following images are examples of historical images captured in Google Earth, dealing with subjects which will be of interest to readers of this site. Examine these images, and then compare them to the default locations in Google Earth to fully comprehend the value of the historical imagery feature.

The first image depicts Bangalore, India, in February of 2007. Note that three LCA prototypes are visible on the tarmac.
The next image illustrates a useful application of the historical imagery feature. An S-300PS battery in Kaliningrad is shown, sited at a location which is mostly obscured by cloud cover in the current default imagery set. As can be seen, the historical imagery feature can be used to depict locations which may not be visible in Google Earth's default data set.
The following image depicts the parking apron at the Kazan aircraft manufacturing plant. Three Tu-160 strategic bombers can be seen. Scanning through the past imagery of this location indicates that various Tu-160s were in and out of Kazan for maintenance.
Next up is another SAM battery, this time an S-300PT battery on the Kola Peninsula. This highlights yet another advantage of having access to historical imagery in Google Earth: the default image of this location is newer, but is of a lesser resolution.
The following image depicts the Russian Navy's Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier moored at sea near Murmansk.
A series of FLANKER fighter jets can be seen on the tarmac of Luliang AB in China in the next image. Currently available imagery shows this location to have been refurbished as a new J-10 operating base; the addition of the historical imagery allows an analyst to track the history of the aircraft types operated here.
The next image depicts a deployed 64N6 battle management radar near Novosibirsk. This image allows analysts to identify the empty position currently visible in the default data set as an unoccupied 64N6 radar position.
The following image depicts the World's Ugliest Aircraft (who else was suprised that the satellite didn't break capturing the image), Boeing's X-32 demonstrator, on the ramp at Palmdale in August of 2003. This highlights one of the past disadvantages of Google Earth: sometimes new imagery removes interesting and unique sights from view. The addition of the historical imagery feature rectifies this problem to a large degree.
A third S-300P series SAM battery is seen in the image below. This is an S-300PMU battery deployed near Beijing. Current imagery shows this site to have been abandoned in the past, but its past operational status allows analysts to investigate Chinese SAM deployment patterns.
The next image is truly fascinating, showing three submarines undergoing various stages of dismantlement at Severodvinsk in Russia. The missile tubes can clearly be seen to have been removed from both the Typhoon SSBN and the Oscar SSGN.
The final example is a truly historical image, from July of 2005. It depicts the Yankee Notch SSGN conversion pierside at Nerpa. This submarine has since been scrapped, and Google Earth's historical imagery feature allows users to view it when it was still in existance, illustrating the characteristic layout of the converted SSBN.
CONCLUSION

The historical imagery feature in Google Earth 5 provides the analyst with a wealth or new data to exploit. It is now possible to conduct a degree of analysis previously available to only those users with access to other sources of imagery. Both trend and temporal analysis can be conducted, allowing the analyst to note changes occuring over time in certain areas. This new feature will certainly bring about a new appreciation for open source imagery and the analytical products which can be derived from its exploitation.

SOURCES

-Satellite imagery provided courtesy of Google Earth

The Google Earth Blog

Soviet and Russian Nuclear Weapons Complexes

REMOVED PENDING PDF CONVERSION

The Strategic Warfare Reading List

INTRODUCTION

Any serious student or researcher focusing on the concept of strategic warfare can often be hard-pressed to find suitable in-depth source material. The purpose of this article is to provide students, researchers, and historians with a reading list consisting of some of the most interesting and valuable sources that I have collected in the field of strategic warfare.

THE READING LIST

Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat - NASIC
NASIC's report detailing the current major strategic missile systems in service or development is a useful starting point when researching strategic delivery systems. Most major programs are mentioned, and basic details such as range and throw weight are provided, as well as a few choice illustrations. The only serious drawback is that the document is only 30 pages in length, meaning that there is not a great deal of detailed information about any of the systems mentioned therein. However, it is a valuable reference tool, containing data on most major missile non-US missile systems in development or service. This unclassified publication can be found online here.

US Strategic and Defensive Missile Systems 1950-2004 - Mark A Berhow
Number 36 in Osprey Publishing's Fortress Series, this volume is a short yet suprisingly detailed account of the development and deployment of American land-based defensive and strategic missile systems. While naval strategic weapons are not covered, all major US ICBM programs are given mention, as are the HAWK, NIKE and SAFEGUARD defensive missile programs. A final mention is given to the current NMD system being deployed. It should be noted that PATRIOT and THAAD, among others, are not covered, as they have not been deployed as operational defensive systems in the United States.

Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces - Pavel Podvig
This is the single, definitive reference source dealing with the Russian strategic nuclear arsenal. All major delivery systems are covered, from strategic bombers to submarine launched ballistic missiles. The technical data is absolutely first rate, and a history of each program is provided. Topics such as nuclear production facilities, nuclear testing, and strategic defense are also covered in exhaustive detail. There are also extensive endnotes for each chapter, with some of them providing further details and insight into little-known weapon systems alluded to or mentioned briefly in the text. The only drawback is that Mr. Podvig's work was published in 2001, and as such does not deal with the most current systems such as the RS-24 ICBM. He does maintain a website here, which provides up-to-date information supplementing his excellent text. This is the one reference work that any serious Cold War researcher simply must obtain.

The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword - Steven J. Zaloga
This is a shorter, less technical alternative to Podvig's work. It shares the same main drawback of being slightly aged, having been published in 2002. The main advantage to Zaloga's work is that the political side of the equation is given more attention, as are many of the developmental systems which did not enter production. The work is organized chronologically, which can be an inconvenience for a researcher focusing on one type of delivery system. The chronological layout does allow for a more historical analysis to be made, allowing the reader to examine the types of delivery systems that were in development concurrently. Zaloga's work does have merit as a secondary source, or as a primary source if Podvig's work cannot be located. Space surveillance, defensive systems, and nuclear testing and production are either not covered in Zaloga's work, or are only briefly mentioned. All in all, an excellent overview of Russian strategic nuclear forces and a better source than Podvig's where the political side is concerned.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb - Richard Rhodes
Both of these extensive reference works offer a great deal of historical and political insight into the American nuclear weapons programs during the early days of the Cold War. Be warned; while both books tend to focus more on the political and historical implications of the programs, they do delve into the weapons development aspect and as such can get very technical.

The ABM Treaty Charade - William T. Lee
This is one of the most interesting reference works on the Cold War, and consequently it is also one of the hardest to find. It is a higly technical look at the Soviet nationwide ABM network, the existance of which was denied by Western intelligence during the run-up to the signing of the ABM Treaty. There is a healthy dose of political discourse dealing with the rationale behind the West's ignorance of the USSR's progress, as well as a concise overview of Soviet ABM programs. The bulk of the work details the evidence supporting the idea that a nationwide ABM network existed in the Soviet Union. If a copy can be obtained, this is one of the most significant and revealing works on the Cold War yet published, and the only English-language publication dealing solely with Soviet ABM programs.

Space Weapons, Earth Wars - Bob Preston et al
Anti-missile and anti-satellite systems are becoming the new rage in the field of strategic warfare. While it primarily focuses on space warfare systems from an American standpoint, delving into the rationale behind acquiring such systems and how best to employ them, this reference work is invaluable to anyone interested in the topic as there is a great deal of technical data presented that cannot be found anywhere else. Various types of systems are described, as well as the technical requirements that they must meet in order to be successful. As a RAND publication, it can be found online here.

CONCLUSION

Strategic warfare is one of the most interesting topics in the field of military studies. By using the sources listed above, any researcher will be well on his or her way to gaining a more complete understanding of the weapon systems and the political motives behind their development. As I locate more source material, I will update this article with the relevant details.

Russian Strategic Aviation - An Imagery Overview

INTRODUCTION

One of the primary missions of the Russian Air Force is that of strategic warfighting. To that end, there are various facilities and aircraft around the nation performing a variety of roles in support of the strategic warfighting mission. While there have been drawdowns and force reductions in recent years, the Russian military still maintains a very robust, capable, and varied strategic warfighting air arm.

AIRCRAFT

Russian strategic air assets fall into two categories: offensive and defensive. The offensive component consists of Tupolev bombers, primarily the Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE-C theater bomber and the Tu-95MS BEAR-H and Tu-160 BLACKJACK strategic missile carriers. The defensive component consists of MiG-31 FOXHOUND interceptors and Beriev A-50 MAINSTAY AEW&C platforms. A handful of Ilyushin Il-78 MIDAS aerial refueling platforms are also in service, primarily tasked with supporting the strategic aviation fleet.

Command and control assets such as the Il-86 CAMBER are also used to support strategic warfighting, but are not within the scope of this article. These assets are based at Moscow-Sheremetyevo.

Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE-C (Visible force: 171 aircraft)
The Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE-C is the primary theater strike aircraft for the Russian military. The Tu-22M3 is employed by both Long Range Aviation and the AV-MF. AV-MF aircraft are primarily tasked in an anti-shipping role. Both air arms employ the Kh-22 (AS-4 KITCHEN) standoff nuclear missile as the BACKFIRE-C's primary armament. Kh-15 (AS-16 KICKBACK) hypersonic strike missiles can also be employed, as well as unguided gravity bombs of various sizes.

Tu-95MS BEAR-H (Visible force: 39 aircraft)
The elderly Tu-95 remains one of Russia's most important combat assets. The Tu-95MS variant is employed as a cruise missile carrier, equipped with an internal rotary launcher for six Kh-55 (AS-15 KENT) ALCMs. Initially, the Tu-95MS was available in two versions, the Tu-95MS-6 and the Tu-95MS-16. The Tu-95MS-6 was armed with the internal rotary launcher, while the Tu-95MS-16 added two hardpoints under each wing allowing for the external carriage of a further ten Kh-55s. In accordance with the START agreement, the external carriage capability was removed, essentially resulting in a force of only Tu-95MS-6 variants. At least one Tu-95MS airframe has been active at Zhukovskiy as the Tu-95MA, being responsible for advanced weapons trials. This aircraft was responsible for launching the Kh-80 Meteorit supersonic ALCMs before that program was cancelled due to development problems.

Tu-160 BLACKJACK (Visible force: 16 aircraft)
The Tu-160 BLACKJACK remains the largest combat aircraft in the world. Approximately 25% larger than it's Western counterpart, the B-1B, the Tu-160 is a supersonic, intercontinental-range cruise missile carrier. Two internal rotary launchers allow for the carriage of twelve Kh-55 ALCMs. The USSR had planned on acquiring 100 Tu-160s, but the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union resulted in only a fraction of that number being completed, with 19 aircraft at Priluki AB being taken over by the Ukraine after the breakup. Eight Ukrainian aircraft eventually joined the six operational Russian examples at Engels AB via a debt repayment agreement, with a further aircraft being completed at the Kazan factory. Two or three other aircraft will still be completed at Kazan, and will join the operational fleet, along with two refurbished examples taken from the Tupolev test fleet at Zhukovskiy, one of which was delivered to Engels last year. One operational Tu-160 has been lost, leaving Russia with an eventual fleet of 18 or 19 aircraft, and a current strength of 15 aircraft.

MiG-31 FOXHOUND (Visible force: 213 aircraft)
The MiG-31 FOXHOUND is a strategic interceptor tasked with defending Russia's vast airspace from inbound strategic bombers, cruise missiles, or reconnaissance aircraft. The MiG-31's primary weapon is the R-33S (AA-9 AMOS B) long-range AAM. The R-33S, a SARH weapon, is an improved version of the initial R-33 (AMOS A). The R-33S was developed alongisde an avionics upgrade for the MiG-31 as a response to American espionage which compromised the initial systems, and has a maximum range of 160 kilometers. Three versions of the MiG-31 are presently fielded: the baseline MiG-31,the improved MiG-31B which added IFR capability, and the MiG-31BS, which is a MiG-31 upgraded to MiG-31B standard. Upgrades and overhauls are performed at the factory at Nizhny Novgorod.

A-50 MAINSTAY (Visible force: 19 aircraft)
Beriev's A-50 MAINSTAY is an AEW&C conversion of the Ilyushin Il-76 CANDID transport. Incorporating a Shmel' radar system in a rotodome above the rear fuselage, the A-50 is the airborne early warning component of the strategic defense network.

Il-78 MIDAS (Visible force: 19 aircraft)
The Il-78 MIDAS is an in-flight refueling tanker based on the Il-76 CANDID transport. Russia's Il-78 force is primarily tasked to support strategic aviation due to the small size of the fleet; when the USSR broke up, a good deal of the in-service Il-78s were in the Ukraine. Two versions exist, the Il-78 and Il-78M. The Il-78 is a single-point refueling platform incorporating a drogue system in the rear fuselage. The Il-78M is a three-point refueling platform, adding two additional drogues under the outer wings.

PRIMARY FACILITIES

Strategic aviation facilities are described in the following manner:
-Name (strategic aircraft assigned)
-Any relevant details in brief
-Location, in the form of geographic coordinates
-Visible ORBAT as of 20 December 2007; if the site is in low resolution, that is annotated and no visible ORBAT is listed
-Defenses are listed in the form of nearby SAM sites whose range rings overlap the airfield in question

Alekseyevka (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 49°14'09.85"N 140°11'31.40"E
-Visible ORBAT: 16 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Alekseyevka AB:
The following image depicts the Tu-22M3 parking area:
Bolshoye Savino (MiG-31)
-Location: 57°55'00.16"N 56°01'36.45"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

Engels (Tu-95MS, Tu-160)
-Location: 51°28'47.26"N 46°12'49.45"E
-Visible ORBAT: 13 Tu-95MS, 12 Tu-160
-Defenses: S-300P garrison 7 kilometers SSW

The following image depicts Engels AB:
The following image depicts the main parking ramp:
The following image depicts the north end of the parking ramp:
The following image depicts the eastern parking area:
Irkutsk Belaya (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 52°54'53.26"N 103°34'31.77"E
-Visible ORBAT: 26 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: S-300PM site 61 kilometers SSE

The following image depicts Irkutsk Belaya AB:
The following image depicts the Tu-22M3 parking area:
The following image depicts 2 Tu-22M3s in a possible maintenance area:
Ivanovo (A-50)
-Location: 57°03'28.62"N 40°58'51.91"E
-Visible ORBAT: 17 A-50
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Ivanovo AB:
The following image depicts the northern parking ramp:
The following image depicts the southern parking ramp:
Kansk (MiG-31)
-Location: 56°07'30.08"N 95°39'56.31"E
-Visible ORBAT: 27 MiG-31
-Defenses: S-300P garrison 49 kilometers W

The following image depicts Kansk AB:
The following image depicts the northeast parking area:
The following image depicts the southwest parking area:
The following image depicts five MiG-31s in a possible maintenance area:
Khotilovo (MiG-31)
-Location: 57°39'19.05"N 34°05'56.13"E
-Visible ORBAT: 15 MiG-31
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Khotilovo AB, apparently undergoing runway repairs:
The following image depicts the north parking area:
The following image depicts the central parking area:
Kotlas (MiG-31)
-Location: 60°59'42.35"N 46°52'04.65"E
-Visible ORBAT: 30 MiG-31
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Kotlas AB:
The following image depicts the north parking area:
The following image depicts the central parking area:
The following image depicts the south parking area:
The following image depicts two MiG-31s on a possible alert parking ramp:
The following image depicts a MiG-31 in a possible maintenance area:
Morshansk (MiG-31)
-Location: 53°26'18.15"N 41°44'13.72"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

Olenegorsk (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 68°09'06.94"N 33°27'55.42"E
-Visible ORBAT: 38 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: S-300PM-1 site 7 kilometers NW, S-300PM-1 site 99 kilometers N, S-300PM-1 site 119 kilometers N

The following image depicts Olenegorsk AB:
The following image depicts the northern parking area:
The following image depicts the southern parking area:
Omsk (MiG-31)
-Location: 54°58'25.86"N 73°33'20.49"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

Ostrov (Tu-22M3)
-Ostrov is home to the Tu-22M3 training unit.
-Location: 57°17'52.27"N 28°26'01.01"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

Petropavlovsk-Yelizovo (MiG-31)
-Location: 53°10'10.91"N 158°27'13.98"E
-Visible ORBAT: 29 MiG-31
-Defenses: S-300PM site 5.4 kilometers SW, S-300PM site 24 kilometers ESE, S-300PM site 25.5 kilometers S

The following image depicts Petropavlovsk-Yelizovo AB:
The following image depicts the northern parking area:
The following image depicts the southern parking area:
The following image depicts five MiG-31s in a possible maintenance area:
Ryazan (Il-78, Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS)
-Ryazan is home to the Tu-95MS training unit.
-Location: 54°38'44.53"N 39°34'18.49"E
-Visible ORBAT: 19 Il-78, 11 Tu-22M3, 9 Tu-95MS
-Defenses: S-300PM-1 site 130 kilometers NW

The following image depicts Ryazan AB:
The following image depicts the southwestern parking area:
The following image depicts the central parking area:
The following image depicts the northeastern parking area:
Sandagou (MiG-31)
-Location: 44°05'04.91"N 133°52'05.85"E
-Visible ORBAT: 20 MiG-31
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Sandagou AB:
The following image depicts the northwest parking area:
The following image depicts the northeast parking area:
The following image depicts two MiG-31s in a possible maintenance area:
Savasleyka (MiG-31)
-Savasleyka is home to the training unit for the MiG-31 fleet.
-Location: 55°26'30.13"N 42°18'42.75"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

Shaykovka (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 54°13'32.20"N 34°22'10.00"E
-Visible ORBAT: 25 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Shaykovka AB:
The following image depicts the southwestern parking area:
The following image depicts the southeastern parking area and a probable maintenance area:
-Soltsy (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 58°08'21.85"N 30°19'46.96"E
-Visible ORBAT: 20 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Soltsy AB:
The following image depicts the parking area:
Ukrainka (Tu-95MS)
-Location: 51°09'56.97"N 128°26'52.51"E
-Visible ORBAT: 16 Tu-95MS (airfield is partly low resolution)
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Ukrainka AB:
The following image depicts the visible parking area:
Ussuriysk (Tu-22M3)
-Location: 43°54'25.82"N 131°55'29.31"E
-Visible ORBAT: 27 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: S-300PM site 60 kilometers S

The following image depicts Ussuriysk AB:
The following image depicts the northern parking area:
The following image depicts the southern parking area:

STAGING FACILITIES

These locations are arctic air bases used to forward-deploy strategic aviation assets.

Anadyr
-Location: 64°44'08.67"N 177°44'34.02"E
-Visible ORBAT: None
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Anadyr AB:
Lakhta
-Lakhta AB is primarily used to support Tu-22M3 deployments.
-Location: 64°22'52.77"N 40°43'19.86"E
-Visible ORBAT: 2 Tu-22M3
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Lakhta AB:
The following image depicts the active parking ramp:
Tiksi
-Location: 71°41'51.07"N 128°54'12.69"E
-Visible ORBAT: None
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Tiksi AB:
Vorkuta East
-Location: 67°27'51.86"N 64°18'27.20"E
-Visible ORBAT: None (low resolution)
-Defenses: None

SUPPORT FACILITIES

These facilities provide a support role to the strategic aviation element.

Kazan
-Kazan is the location of the assembly halls which built the Tu-160, Tu-95, and Tu-22M3. Tu-160 airframes are still being completed here, and refurbishment work on Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M3 airframes is also conducted here.
-Location: 55°52'00.46"N 49°07'50.89"E
-Visible ORBAT: 1 Tu-160, 6 Tu-22M3

The following image depicts Kazan Airfield:
The following image depicts the parking area:
Nizhny Novgorod
-Nizhny Novgorod is the former location of the MiG-31 assembly line. MiG-31s are stored here as they await upgrade and/or refurbishment and a return to active service.
-Location: 56°19'09.49"N 43°47'55.64"E
-Visible ORBAT: 15 MiG-31

The following image depicts Nizhny Novgorod Airfield:
The following image depicts the western parking area:
The following image depicts the central parking area:
The following image depicts the eastern parking area:
Rzhev (MiG-31)
-Rzhev is a depot-level maintenance facility for the MiG-31 fleet. Many MiG-31s are stored here after being removed from service.
-Location: 56°15'34.72"N 34°24'31.07"E
-Visible ORBAT: 77 MiG-31
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Rzhev AB:
The following image depicts the western parking area:
The following image depicts the eastern parking area:
The following image depicts a MiG-31 taxiing out to the main runway:
Staraya Russa (A-50)
-Staraya Russa is a depot-level maintenance facility which serves various aircraft types, including the A-50.
-Location: 57°57'40.06"N 31°23'02.97"E
-Visible ORBAT: 2 A-50
-Defenses: None

The following image depicts Staraya Russa AB:
The following image depicts the parking area:
Zhukovskiy
-Zhukovskiy is the home of the primary flight test center for the Russian air forces. Each OKB maintains a flight test facility at Zhukovskiy for initial flight trials of prototype aircraft.
-Location: 55°33'11.07"N 38°08'57.53"E
-Visible ORBAT: 1 Tu-95, 3 Tu-160; 1 Tu-95 and 1 Tu-160 are present on the airfield but are in reality operational aircraft from Engels AB flown in for the 2007 Moscow Airshow.

The following image depicts Zhukovskiy AB:
The following image depicts the Tupolev OKB area at Zhukovskiy:

COMBAT PERFORMANCE

In order to fully appreciate the capability and reach of Russia's strategic air arm, the following images are provided depicting the combat radii of different aircraft types.

Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE-C
-The Tu-22M3 has a combat radius of 2,200 kilometers.

The following image depicts the coverage area of the Tu-22M3 in western Russia:
The following image depicts the coverage area of the Tu-22M3 in eastern Russia:
Tu-95MS BEAR-H
-The Tu-95MS has a maximum unrefueled range of 10,500 kilometers with six Kh-55SM ALCMs. Combat radius is notionally calculated at 5,000 kilometers. Bear in mind that range and/or endurance can be increased with in-flight refueling.

The following image depicts North America. Given that the Tu-95MS is a strategic weapons platform, two range depictions are given. Orange lines depict the radius of the Tu-95MS from the three primary BEAR-H airfields, showing the closest points of approach to North America. Red lines depict the inland reach of the 3,000 kilometer range Kh-55SM ALCM. Bear in mind that the inland reach of the Kh-55SM can be increased by forward deploying the Tu-95MS to one of the three Arctic staging bases:
Tu-160 BLACKJACK
-The Tu-160 has a maximum unrefueled range of 12,300 kilometers with twelve Kh-55SM ALCMs. Combat radius is notionally calculated at 6,000 kilometers. Bear in mind that range and/or endurance can be increased with in-flight refueling.

The following image depicts North America. Given that the Tu-160 is a strategic weapons platform, two range depictions are given. The Orange line depicts the radius of the Tu-160 from Engels AB, showing the closest points of approach to North America. The red line depicts the inland reach of the 3,000 kilometer range Kh-55SM ALCM. Bear in mind that the inland reach of the Kh-55SM can be increased by forward deploying the Tu-160 to one of the three Arctic staging bases:
MiG-31 FOXHOUND
-The MiG-31 has a combat radius with no external fuel of 1250 kilometers at Mach 0.8, or 720 kilometers at Mach 2.35. Bear in mind that range and/or endurance can be increased with in-flight refueling.

The following image depicts the coverage area of MiG-31 interceptors in western and central Russia, based on the subsonic 1250 kilometer combat radius:
The following image depicts the coverage area of MiG-31 interceptors in eastern Russia, based on the subsonic 1250 kilometer combat radius:

SOURCES

Satellite imagery is provided courtesy of Google Earth.

The following books were consulted:
-Mikoyan MiG-31 (Famous Russian Aircraft series), by Yefim Gordon
-Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces, by Pavel Podvig
-Tupolev Tu-160 BLACKJACK (Red Star Series #9), by Yefim Gordon

-This article was updated on 22 December 2007 to account for newly available and updated overhead imagery; Dolinsk-Sokol and Morshansk were removed from the list of active MiG-31 bases as they have been found to have no aircraft present, airfield imagery has been updated in numerous places, and orders of battle have been updated accordingly.